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 When the John Tayleur was launched in 1854, it was the largest merchant ship in Britain. It was owned by the White Star Line which in later years also owned the Titanic. The John Tayleur was the first ship to have lots of iron and steel as part of its structure, and this resulted in the ship’s compass being unable to function properly. It had 4 decks, and the accommodation was reasonably comfortable. She was built in 1853, but was not given any proper sea trials. Initial reports suggested that the compasses were faulty and the steering was defective. In hindsight, it also became obvious that the ship did not have nearly enough crew for such a journey. The entire crew consisted of 71 people, and of these, only 37 were seamen. Many of the crew were Chinese and Lascars, and they could not understand their orders. They were inexperienced sailors.
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