Episode 1 of 4

First Steel Ocean Liner

When: 1881
Where: Clydebank
Part of: Cunard's SS Servia, the first steel transatlantic liner, is launched

Servia was the first major ocean liner built of steel, providing additional strength and lighter weight compared to iron-built predecessors.

Servia was the first major ocean liner to be built of steel, which gave her large hull the advantage of additional strength while making her lighter. This construction method distinguished her from earlier Atlantic liners and set a new standard for shipbuilding.

Sources

SS Servia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25

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