Transport & space · 1839

Screw propeller

A spinning screw replaces paddle wheels and makes steam practical at sea.

Francis Pettit Smith and John Ericsson patented screw propellers in 1836, and Smith's SS Archimedes proved the design at sea in 1839. Submerged screws were more efficient than paddles and safe from waves. Nearly every powered ship since uses one.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 1

Steamboat 1807

What it led to 1

Iron screw steamship 1843

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Transatlantic crossing time Latest: 3.5 hours (1976) Source: Wikipedia: Transatlantic crossing, duration list; Geography of Transport Systems: liner transatlantic crossing times

Blue Riband: fastest westbound Atlantic liner Latest: 34.5 knots (1952) Source: Wikipedia: Blue Riband, westbound record breakers; USNI Proceedings, October 1933: A New Queen of the Seas