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A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines [1] that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships came into practical usage during the early 19th century; however, there were exceptions that came before.
By these arguments, Brunel in December 1840 was able to persuade the Great Western Steamship Company to adopt screw propulsion for Great Britain, thus making her the world's first screw-propelled transatlantic steamer. Instead of using Smith's proven design, however, Brunel later decided to install a six-bladed "windmill" propeller designed by ...
The first small vessel that can be considered a steam warship was the Demologos, which was launched in 1815 for the United States Navy. [1] From the early 1820s, the British Navy began building a number of small steam warships including the armed tugs HMS Comet and HMS Monkey, and by the 1830s the navies of America, Russia and France were experimenting with steam-powered warships. [2]
Early ships used stern or side paddle wheels, which gave way to screw propellers. The first commercial success accrued to Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat (often called Clermont) in US in 1807, followed in Europe by the 45-foot (14 m) Comet of 1812. Steam propulsion progressed considerably over the rest of the 19th century.
Steam can be used to drive a high speed turbine that is connected through some means of transmission to the driving component of the vessel. [3] These are more common on modern ships and were first used in 1897 on the steam ship Turbinia. [4] Nuclear ships almost always use a turbine to harness the energy of the steam that they produce.
A screw steamer or screw steamship (abbreviated "SS") is an old term for a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine, using one or more propellers (also known as screws) to propel it through the water. Such a ship was also known as an "iron screw steam ship".
While other ships had been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first to combine these features in a large ocean-going ship. She was the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic Ocean, which she did in 1845, in 14 days. The ship is 322 ft (98 m) in length and has a 3,400-ton displacement.
Star of the South was propelled by a coal-fired steam engine built by the Franklin Works of J. T. Sutton & Company. The engine was unusual for its day. It had two cylinders which were 52 inches (1.3 m) in diameter and had a 3 feet (0.91 m) stroke. A gearbox turned the single propeller shaft at twice the speed of the engine.