SS Savannah crossed the Atlantic in 1819

The SS Savannah left this harbour on 22 May 1819, bound for Liverpool. She arrived 27 days later, marking the first time a steamship crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was 98 feet long and weighed 330 tons, equipped with masts, sails, and a paddle wheel. Because the engine and boiler, which provided 90 horsepower, were intended primarily for use in harbours or during calm weather, the ship relied mostly on sail while on the open sea.

William Scarbrough served as the principal promoter of the Savannah Steamship Company, which fitted the vessel for its historic voyage. Before the ship departed, President James Monroe visited the city to inspect the craft, taking a trial run on 12 May 1819. After reaching England, the ship continued its journey to visit St Petersburg, Kronstadt, and Stockholm before returning home. The date of the ship's departure from this waterfront, 22 May, is now observed as National Maritime Day in the United States.

While the SS Savannah proved the potential for steam power on the ocean, a different vessel launched from this same harbour fifteen years later demonstrated how to make the technology profitable. Gazaway B. Lamar commissioned the SS John Randolph, which arrived from Birkenhead, England, in pieces. Workers bolted the 100-foot iron ship together on site. Launched on 9 July 1834, the John Randolph became the first iron steamship in America to generate a profit. It operated in the river trade and served as the first of a large fleet of iron steamboats that eventually dominated American rivers.