In an era when ship hulls were uniformly painted black (to conceal inevitable dirt when loading the ship with coal) and superstructures were white (to control the temperature in the passenger accommodation in hot summers) the funnel was one of the few parts of the ship that a company could use to clearly differentiate its ships from those of its competitors. Merchant shipping companies (and particularly liner companies such as Cunard Line and ferries such as Red Funnel) were quick to recognise the publicity value of distinctive funnels, both in terms of shape, number of funnels, and the colours they were painted. Early steam vessels needed multiple funnels ( SS Great Eastern had 5 when launched), but as efficiency increased new machinery needed fewer funnels. Often this area is too great for a single funnel. The required funnel cross-sectional area is determined by the volume of exhaust gases produced by the propulsion plant. Since the introduction of steam-power to ships in the 19th century, the funnel has been a distinctive feature of the silhouette of a vessel, and used for recognition purposes. In steam ships the funnels also served to help induce a convection draught through the boilers. ![]() The primary purpose of a ship's funnel(s) is to lift the exhaust gases clear of the deck, in order not to foul the ship's structure or decks, and to avoid impairing the ability of the crew to carry out their duties. SS France (1960) (as SS Norway) and her distinctive wings, to increase uplift on the funnel's exhaust
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