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a year ago
Co Creator: andrewchoongrmg oceanliner.designs
Photo by Michael Brady on September 17, 2025.
Photo by Michael Brady on September 17, 2025.
Photo by Michael Brady on September 17, 2025.
Photo by Michael Brady on September 17, 2025.
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Posted On: September 17th 2025, 10:55 am
I was so thrilled to be invited by @royalmuseumsgreenwich to visit the incredible archive of ship plans looked after by @andrewchoongrmg and his team. The collection holds a staggering amount of historic documents - over ONE MILLION drawings and plans of shipping dating back hundreds of years. These magnificent pieces of design work are at the intersection of engineering and pure art. The second photo shows details of Cunard’s ‘Persia’ from 1856 - all of this was done by hand with inks and washes and by oil lamp at night. Individual tiles are coloured, chesterfield sofas have buttons marked in, bunkers have individual pieces of coal shaded and highlighted. This kind of artistry is mind-boggling to us today where professional engineers rely on CAD software to create plans with millimetre precision. The star attraction of the day were plans of the SS Great Eastern and a rare book of images showing her later career as a cable-layer - this was the absolute pinnacle of Victorian engineering and we cannot wait to show them to you! Many thanks to RMG and Andrew for showing me around!
Comments (33)
jessicarmurrieta 7 months ago

jessicarmurrieta

As a watercolor/pen and ink artist and ship enthusiast getting to look over this archive would be a dream.

gerringdo 10 months ago

gerringdo

Great video! Thanks to both of you for putting this together. The story of the Great Eastern is fascinating.

williamandrewsydnor a year ago

williamandrewsydnor

My favorite episode! My GF was a draftsman at NY Ship Camden, my GGF worked at Harland & Wolff

reciprocating_mess a year ago

reciprocating_mess

Without a doubt, my favourite video on OceanlinerDesigns in years of following.

monikasketchbook a year ago

monikasketchbook

🙌👏👏👏👏👏👏

andrewchoongrmg a year ago

andrewchoongrmg

Really enjoyed spending time with @mcrbrady of @oceanliner.designs on Monday discussing our collections and looking at the plans of the Persia and the Great Eastern. It is a real pleasure and privilege caring for all this material, and always wonderful to share it with people who share the same passion for maritime history. It was splendid meeting you Michael, and I look forward to the next opportunity! 😊

pfeif_man a year ago

pfeif_man

Any friend of my friend Mike Brady is a friend of mine

nicholasluhman a year ago

nicholasluhman

Wow! You must have been beside yourself Mike!

josephinaaquero a year ago

josephinaaquero

Beautiful!

olympic_class_mc400 a year ago

olympic_class_mc400

Wow. What an honor!

alfredkrupp8 a year ago

alfredkrupp8

Yes Mike Brady. Lean into the Great Eastern

c_s_soria_macintosh a year ago

c_s_soria_macintosh

So @mcrbrady , will this be a topic in a forthcoming video? I’d love to hear what it was like and see more pictures/videos

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