Transport & space · c. 100 CE

Sternpost rudder

A hinged rudder on the stern gives large ships precise steering.

Pottery ship models from Han dynasty China in the 1st century CE show a rudder mounted on the stern. It replaced the steering oar and scaled to much larger hulls. Arriving in Europe around 1200, it was a key ingredient of ocean-going ships like the carrack.

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

Sailing ships 3500 BCE

What it led to 1

Carrack 1400

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

World trade as a share of GDP since 1500 Latest: 1950-now (PWT): 57.8 % of GDP (2023) Source: Our World in Data

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