Commemorative issue First steamship to cross Atlantic Ocean
Savannah
When the Savannah was cited off the Irish coast with black smoke rising from it, the crew of a British cutter thought the vessel was afire and went to the rescue. The smoke, however, was nothing more than that coming from the vessel's coal- and wood-burning steam engine. The Savannah was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, even though the ship primarily was a sailing vessel, its steam engine having been for auxiliary use only. Nevertheless, the Savannah was under pure steam power for 90 hours of the 26-day voyage and gets the credit.