On June 20, 1819, the SS Savannah became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Savannah was original developed as a sailing packet at the New York shipyard of Fickett & Crockett in 1818. While the ship was still being constructed, Captain Moses Rogers convinced a prosperous shipping firm from Savannah, Georgia, to purchase the ship, convert it to a steamship, and gain the attention and a place in history as the first transatlantic steamship service. The firm agreed and then had the ship fitted with an auxiliary steam engine and paddlewheels, while still maintaining its sails. The ship was built too small to carry larger amounts of fuel, so the engine would mostly be used during calm weather and would depend on the sails otherwise. The Savannah is also the only known ship to be fitted with retractable paddlewheels.