The SS Royal William was a pioneering Canadian side-wheel paddle steamship, notable for its early transatlantic voyage and significant design features. Built in Cape Blanc, Quebec, and launched on 27 April 1831, she measured 160 feet (49 meters) in length, with a breadth of 44 feet (13 meters) and a draught of 17¾ feet. Weighing approximately 1,370 tons, she was considered large for her era and was designed by a young James Goudie, estimated to be only 21 years old at the time. Her construction involved local efforts, with her keel laid on 2 September 1830 by builders John Saxton Campbell and George Black, and her engines manufactured at the Bennet and Henderson Foundry in Montreal. Royal William's steam engines proved reliable during her initial voyages, including a shakedown trip from Montreal to Quebec in August 1831. She made several trips between Quebec and Atlantic colonies in 1831, but her service was hampered by the cholera epidemic of 1832 and maintenance issues, which led to financial losses totaling around £16,000. Consequently, the vessel was sold at auction in 1833 for £5,000. In August 1833, she made history by crossing the Atlantic almost entirely under steam power, from Pictou, Nova Scotia, to Gravesend, England, a journey lasting 25 days with a stop at the Isle of Wight for repairs. This voyage marked one of the earliest nearly complete steam-powered crossings, surpassing earlier hybrid sail-steam vessels like the SS Savannah and the Curaçao. Her success demonstrated the potential of steam propulsion for transoceanic travel. Following her European crossing, the ship was sold to the Spanish Navy and renamed Isabel Segunda. She served as a warship, notably firing in anger during the First Carlist War in 1839, and continued in service until wrecked at Algeciras in 1860. The vessel’s legacy includes influencing Samuel Cunard, who learned vital lessons from Royal William that contributed to founding the Cunard Steamship Company. Today, her memory endures through a model at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps named in her honor.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.