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SV Bismuth (1816) (empty interior)

After the two chartered ships were bought, Roberts ordered several purpose-built cargo-passenger ships, barques and tall-ships. They were meant to be the largest and best ships of the Elemental Line. The first of these was the SV Bismuth. She was 58m long and weighed 550 tons, a size only beaten by the HMS Iridium a year before. She was put into service with more than half of the room as passenger accommodation, so she could carry over 250 passengers. She was very popular, even though she wasn’t the fastest. When her sisters were put into service they were also booked almost full on each voyage and helped raise profits for the line. She continued serving the Australia route after the Channel ferry switch, but in 1825 she was sold when the ESPC fully changed to the ferry route.