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A CHILD is acting the part of the ship’s captain to officially open – and to be the first to climb – the new Flying Bridge on the ss Great Britain’s Weather Deck on Thursday (April 9). |
Brunel’s ss Great Britain asked children to draw pictures or have photographs taken of themselves pretending to be the ship’s captain.
‘Captain Joe’ O’Keefe, aged just two and a half, from Bristol, was judged to best represent the characteristics of the ss Great Britain’s Victorian captain – authority, charm and good sea legs.
With siblings Ashleigh, 12, and Georgia, 11, he will play a part in the ship’s history.
The winning entry included a painting of the ss Great Britain, showing ‘Captain Joe’ making his sister walk the plank!
The opening ceremony takes place on the 203rd Birthday of the engineer who designed and built the ss Great Britain, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The Flying Bridge is the raised area on the Weather Deck, which the captain used to climb for a better view especially when steering the ship in and out of harbour.
There were a total of five ship’s captains, with the most famous being Captain Gray. Arguably, the least successful was Captain Hosken who was in command of the ship when she went aground at Dundrum Bay in Ireland. Victorian commentators were split in their condemnation, with some blaming Captain Hosken and others claiming that the navigational charts were inaccurate.
The previous Flying Bridge was closed to the public in recent years and was removed in early March as part of the Trust’s ongoing maintenance programme. Visitors will be able to climb the steps and walk around the new Flying Bridge once it is opened on Thursday.
‘Captain Joe’, accompanied by his family, will receive a VIP private tour and refreshments in the Dockyard Café, after opening the Flying Bridge, plus a family ticket allowing them unlimited free return visits for one year, and a goodie bag.
Claire Champion, the ss Great Britain Trust’s Interpretation and Informal Education Officer, commented: “This competition was about having fun and getting in to the character of the ship’s captain. I just loved this entry, its fabulous artistic qualities, the humour and the fact that the children had gone to so much effort.”
She added: “Once opened by ‘Captain Joe’, visitors will have a chance to climb the steps to the Flying Bridge. For me the best thing about the Flying Bridge is how it makes you feel as though you are up amongst the rigging. The view over the ship is great, it is quite easy to get that sense of 'lording it' over people on the deck below!”
Removing and replacing the flying bridge cost a total of £12,000. The Flying Bridge is made up of 16 main timbers, 6.5 metres in length and weighing about a quarter of a ton each.
‘Captain Joe’ will be able to see the brightly coloured houses on Clifton Wood and the Floating Harbour, in the heart of Bristol. In 1852, the view was quite different and passenger Olcher Feddon wrote the following in his diary: ‘The waves were truly grand and the ship, under full sail, was bravely cutting over them at 14 knots per hour, braving the billows most gallantly. I went for a few minutes on the bridge to enjoy the grand scene’.
Three runners-up prizes of family tickets to Brunel’s ss Great Britain, will go to Thomas Clarke, aged nine, from York; Mimi Chambers, aged seven, from Bristol; and Cecily Taylor, aged five, from Newbury.
The best entries will be uploaded to the visitor review section of the ss Great Britain Trust’s website www.ssgreatbritain.org.
· Go to the what's on section for information on future events including Mr Brunel Visits (except April 15), Easter Egg Trail (April 10 to 13), Crimean Troopship and the Victorian Surgeon, (April 11 to 13).
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