Bell, Henry

Henry Bell, (born 1767, Torphichen, Linlithgowshire, Scot.—died Nov. 14, 1830, Helensburgh, Dumbartonshire), Scottish engineer who launched the first commercially successful steamship in Europe.

After serving apprenticeships as a millwright and a ship modeler, he went to London, where he worked and studied under the Scottish engineer John Rennie. Bell returned to Scotland in 1790, settled in Glasgow as a carpenter, and later moved to Helensburgh. In 1800 he submitted proposals to the British Admiralty for steam-propelled vessels. Bell’s own steamship, the 28-ton Comet, was launched from Port Glasgow in 1812 and subsequently carried passengers and cargo along the Clyde River. The success of this vessel heralded the era of steam navigation in Europe.