The Cleopatra was a cylinder ship built to take Cleopatra's Needle from Alexandria, Egypt to London, England in 1877.
The Egyptian obelisk weighed more than . It was encased in a cylindrical iron pontoon, which was then rolled by means of levers and chains down a track into the sea. The pontoon was fitted with a deck-house, mast, rudder and steering gear, and was crewed by Maltese sailors. The pontoon was towed to Great Britain by the steamship Olga, leaving on 21 September 1877. Captain Henry Carter supervised Cleopatras building and became her commander, while Captain Booth commanded Olga.
On 14 October 1877 the Cleopatra was in danger of sinking off France in the Bay of Biscay. The Olga sent six volunteers in a boat to take off the Cleopatras crew, but the boat swamped and the volunteers drowned. Eventually the Olga managed to draw alongside and rescue Cleopatras crew of five and skipper. They cut the towrope and left the vessel adrift in the bay. Five days later a ship spotted the Cleopatra floating undamaged off the northern coast of Spain, and she was towed to Ferrol, Galicia. There the steamship Anglia arrived to tow her to London. The ships arrived at Gravesend, England on 21 January 1878. Content is copied from this source, which is protected by Crown copyright. Reuse is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. Cleopatra was broken up immediately after the obelisk was removed on 6 July 1878. The Needle was installed on the Thames Embankment in September 1878, where it still stands .
Design Designed by engineer John Dixon, Cleopatra was essentially a hollow iron cylinder long and in diameter. It was supplemented by a bow, vertical stern, rudder, two sidewalls, and a mast for sails to stabilise the vessel. A bridge was built to accommodate the crew.
Designed as a pontoon, the cylindrical shape was chosen due to budget constraints (private funding by patrons). The cylinder, made of sheet-metal curves riveted together, was literally built around the obelisk, with circular internal partitions used as cradles for the monolith. Both ends were topped with a crown of planks. The cylinder could ride on the Nile with minimal effort, using cables driven by winches. At the time of launching, a rock concealed in the mud punctured the cylinder, which then blocked the waterway.
After towing to a dry dock of the Egyptian Admiralty, the cylinder was turned into a ship by adding an internal ballast made of rails, a bow and a stern with rudder and a roof to shelter the crew. It carried a single mast rigged with a gaff and foresail.
Once completed, the ship looked like a primitive submarine, but its seagoing capabilities were more limited. In retrospect, the decision to cross the Bay of Biscay in the autumn was a risky one.
See also , the ship used to take the other Cleopatra's Needle to New York Cleopatra's Needle (New York City)
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