When were propellers intoduced on steam boats? Was there much early accepance or were paddles looked at as the preferred technology?
Perhaps the decisive move from paddle wheels to propellers was initiated by the famous Royal Navy trials between the HMS Alecto and HMS Rattler.
The screw propeller had been invented in 1830, and this trial took place in 1845.
The Alecto and the Rattler were similar sized warships, with similar horse power steam engines. The Alecto had paddle wheels and the Rattler had a propeller.
The trials included a 100 mile race, and a tug of war between the two ships. The Rattler won decisively.
This demonstration proved that the propeller was faster and more powerful than the paddle wheel. For warships, the propeller also had other advantages, allowing the warship to mount more broadside guns, and protecting the propulsion system more against enemy cannon fire.
This led to the increasing adoption of propellers versus paddle wheels on ocean going steam ships.
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