The humble coal ship that accidentally launched the age of the aircraft carrier

Science · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Colliers were the workhorses of the industrial age, hauling black diamonds to power a growing London. These sturdy, flat-bottomed vessels were so reliable that they were repurposed for everything from global exploration to the world's first aircraft carrier. Yet, their most bizarre legacy remains a singular, accidental train-induced shipwreck.

For centuries, the collier was the backbone of Britain's energy supply. By 1839, over 9,000 coal cargoes were delivered to London annually. These ships were initially wooden, bluff-bowed vessels, but the 1852 launch of the SS John Bowes marked a shift toward iron-hulled steam power. This technological leap had an unexpected environmental consequence: it decimated the Tyneside glassmaking industry. Wooden ships had relied on sand as ballast, which they dumped in the north, providing a steady supply for glassmakers. Iron colliers, however, used water ballast tanks, rendering the sand trade obsolete.

The design of these ships was remarkably versatile. Their sturdy, flat-bottomed construction made them ideal for voyages of discovery; the famous HMS Endeavour was originally a Whitby-built cat collier. This adaptability extended into the twentieth century, when the USS Jupiter, a collier, was converted into the USS Langley, the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier. Other colliers found themselves in the crosshairs of history, such as the SS Storstad, which caused Canada's worst peacetime maritime disaster in 1914, or the MV Kerlogue, which survived attacks from both sides during World War II.

Life aboard these vessels was defined by the grueling work of teemers and trimmers at specialized jetties called staithes. Trimmers faced the constant danger of firedamp explosions while manually leveling coal in the holds. Perhaps the most peculiar incident in the industry's history occurred in Newcastle, where a snapping rope caused a train of coal wagons to plummet into the Tyne, sinking a waiting collier. This remains the only recorded instance of a train sinking a ship, a mishap that finally prompted the switch from hemp to wire ropes.

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