 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
Click on this image to download a 52k detail
Constructed in 1869, during the transition from sail to steam, the Tsz'ru had both methods of propulsion. The ship was
named Tsz'ru after the Japanese Crane, called by the Japanese "the bird of happiness". In truth however, one might wonder how such a ship, 
her sails sooty and grimy from coal smoke, could be named for such a bird of pristine white plumage.
A relatively small ship, the Tsz'ru was owned and operated by DeBusche & Co. of London, England and engaged in the London-Far East trade via the newly opened Suez Canal. In the beginning, the early steamers often sailed more than they steamed as the new-fangled steam engines of the day were far from reliable. Yet despite their unreliability, steam gave the ships a distinct edge, since they could move against unfavorable winds or when there was no wind at all.
The opening of the Suez Canal increased the edge to steam propulsion by greatly lessening the distance between Europe and the Far East. Coaling stations, too, were closer and there were less broad expanses of ocean to cross. As a result steamers became more economical to operate since less coal would be used on the voyage. And as the method of steam power became more and more reliable, it also marked the beginning of the end of the great era sailing ships with their towering white-clouds of canvas...
Previous Sailing Ship Next Sailing Ship
Go to Gallery Indexes: The Navy Page * In A Light Bulb * The Yachtsman's Page * Sailing Ships * Motor Ships
Return to Scale Reproductions Home Index