Image: Launch of H.M.S. Agamemnon 90 Guns, at Woolwich Dockyard, May 22nd 1852 RMG PW8125f

Description: Launch of H.M.S. Agamemnon 90 Guns, at Woolwich Dockyard, May 22nd 1852 The ship-rigged steam battleship 'Agamemnon' was the first warship to be built with screw propulsion, though other sailing vessels had been fitted with engines after commissioning. 'Agamemnon's' success was such that she remained the basic model for the first decade of Britain's steam battlefleet. During the Crimean War she took part in the bombardment of Sebastopol on 17 October 1854 and the shelling of Fort Kinburn, at the mouth of the Dnieper, one year later. In 1857 the government fitted out 'Agamemnon' to carry 1,250 tons of telegraphic cable for the Atlantic Telegraph Company's first attempt to lay a transatlantic telegraph cable. Although this was unsuccessful, the following year the project was resumed. 'Agamemnon' and her American counterpart USS 'Niagara' spliced their cable ends in midatlantic on 29 July 1858 and then sailed for their respective continents. On 16 August Queen Victoria sent a ninety-nine-word message to President Buchanan, a process that took more than sixteen hours. Three weeks later the cable failed and service was interrupted for several years until the 'Great Eastern' successfully laid a new cable. After service on the Caribbean and North American stations, 'Agamemnon' was paid off in 1862 and sold in 1870. Hand-coloured lithograph. Launch of HMS Agamemnon, 90 Guns at Woolwich Dockyard, May 22nd, 1852.
Title: Launch of H.M.S. Agamemnon 90 Guns, at Woolwich Dockyard, May 22nd 1852 RMG PW8125
Credit: http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/102952
Author: Pernet, A (artist and engraver)
Permission: The original artefact or artwork has been assessed as public domain by age, and faithful reproductions of the two dimensional work are also public domain. No permission is required for reuse for any purpose. The text of this image record has been derived from the Royal Museums Greenwich catalogue and image metadata. Individual data and facts such as date, author and title are not copyrightable, but reuse of longer descriptive text from the catalogue may not be considered fair use. Reuse of the text must be attributed to the "National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London" and a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 license may apply if not rewritten. Refer to Royal Museums Greenwich copyright.
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