In 1837, Isambard Kingdom Brunel's S.S. Great Western, an oak-hulled steamship propelled by paddle wheels powered by a two-cylinder steam engine, was launched at Bristol. The 2,300-ton vessel had an overall length of 236 feet. He began work in 1836 on the Great Western, the first of three ships, each of them the largest in the world when launched. In 1838 the Great Western began regular transatlantic service and became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic from Bristol to New York. The 15 day crossing, the first of 67, established steam-power as the norm. He also built S.S. Great Britain (1843) and S.S. Great Eastern (1858). Brunel: The Life and Times of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, by Angus Buchanan. - book suggestion.