The first steamship in the world: history, description and interesting facts

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The first steamship, like its counterparts, is a variant of a reciprocating steam engine. In addition, this name is applied to similar devices equipped with a steam turbine. For the first time, the word in question was introduced into use by a Russian officer. The first version of a domestic ship of this type was built on the basis of the Elizabeth barge (1815). Previously, such vessels were called "pyroscaphes" (in the Western manner, which means a boat and fire in translation). By the way, in Russia, such a unit was first built at the plant of Charles Bendt in 1815. This passenger liner ran between St. Petersburg and Krondshtat.

Features

The first steamship was equipped with paddle wheels as propellers. There was a variation from John Fish, who experimented with the design of oars powered by a steam device. These devices were located on the sides in the frame compartment or aft. At the beginning of the twentieth century, an improved propeller came to replace the paddle wheels. Coal and oil products were used as energy carriers on the machines.

Now such ships are not being built, but some copies are still in working order. Steamers of the first line, unlikefrom steam locomotives, used steam condensation, which made it possible to reduce the pressure at the outlet of the cylinders, significantly increasing the efficiency. On the technique under consideration, efficient boilers with a liquid turbine can also be used, which are more practical and reliable than fire-tube counterparts mounted on steam locomotives. Until the mid-70s of the last century, the maximum power indicator of steamships exceeded that of diesel engines.

The first screw steamer was absolutely undemanding to the grade and quality of fuel. The construction of machines of this type lasted several decades longer than the production of steam locomotives. River modifications left mass production much earlier than their marine "competitors". There are only a few dozen functioning river models left in the world.

Who invented the first steamboat?

Heron of Alexandria in the first century BC used steam energy to make an object move. He created a primitive turbine without blades, which was operated on several useful devices. Many similar units were noted by chroniclers of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

In 1680, the French engineer Denis Papin, living in London, provided the local Royal Society with a design for a steam boiler with a safety valve. After 10 years, he substantiated the dynamic thermal cycle of a steam engine, but he never built a finished machine.

In 1705, Leibniz presented a sketch of Thomas Savery's steam engine designed to lift water. Such a device inspired the scientist to new experiments. According to some reports, in 1707 a journey was made along the Weser River in Germany. According to one version, the boat was equipped with a steam mechanism, which is not confirmed by official facts. Subsequently, the ship was destroyed by angry competitors.

History

Who built the first steamboat? Thomas Savery demonstrated a steam pump for pumping water from mines as early as 1699. A few years later, an improved analogue was introduced by Thomas Nyukman. There is a version that in 1736, an engineer from the UK, Jonathan Hulse, created a ship with a wheel at the stern, which was driven by a steam device. There is no evidence of successful testing of such a machine, however, given the design features and the amount of coal consumption, the operation can hardly be called successful.

Where was the first steamship tested?

In July 1783, the French Marquis Geoffois Claude presented a ship of the Piroscaphe type. This is the first officially documented steam-powered ship, which was propelled by a single-cylinder horizontal steam engine. The car rotated a pair of paddle wheels, which were placed along the sides. The tests were carried out on the Seine River in France. The ship traveled approximately 360 kilometers in 15 minutes (approximate speed 0.8 knots).

Then the engine failed, after which the Frenchman stopped the experiments. The name "Piroskaf" was used for a long time in many countries as the designation of a ship with a steam powerinstallation. This term in France has not lost its relevance to this day.

American projects

The first steamboat in America was introduced by inventor James Ramsey in 1787. The boat was tested on the Potomac River. The vessel moved with the help of water-jet propulsion mechanisms operating from steam energy. In the same year, the engineer's compatriot John Fitch tested the Perseverance steamship on the Delaware River. This machine was driven by a pair of rows of oars, which were powered by a steam plant. The unit was created together with Henry Foigot, as Britain blocked the possibility of exporting new technologies to its former colonies.

The name of America's first steamboat was Persistence. Following this, Fitch and Foygot built an 18-meter vessel in the summer of 1790. The steam ship was equipped with a unique oar propulsion system and operated between Burlington, Philadelphia and New Jersey. The first passenger steamer of this brand was capable of carrying up to 30 passengers. In one summer, the ship covered about 3 thousand miles. One of the designers stated that the boat has mastered 500 miles without any problems. The nominal speed of the craft was about 8 miles per hour. The considered design turned out to be quite successful, however, further modernization and improvement of technologies made it possible to significantly refine the ship.

Charlotte Dantes

In the autumn of 1788, the Scottish inventors Symington and Millerdesigned and successfully tested a small wheeled steam-powered catamaran. The tests took place on Dalswinston Lough, a ten-kilometer zone from Dumfries. Now we know the name of the first steamboat.

Already a year later, they tested a catamaran of a similar design with a length of 18 meters. The steam engine used as an engine was able to produce a speed of 7 knots. After this project, Miller abandoned further development.

The world's first steamboat of the Charlotte Dantes type was built by Seinmington in 1802. The ship was built from wood 170 millimeters thick. The power of the steam mechanism was 10 horsepower. The ship was effectively operated to transport barges in the Fort Clyde Canal. The owners of the lake feared that the jet of steam discharged by the steamer could damage the shoreline. In this regard, they banned the use of such ships in their waters. As a result, the innovative ship was abandoned by the owner in 1802, after which it fell into complete disrepair, and then it was dismantled for spare parts.

Real models

The first steamboat to be used for its intended purpose was built by Robert Fulton in 1807. Initially, the model was called the North River Steamboat, and later the Claremont. It was set in motion by the presence of paddle wheels, was tested on flights along the Hudson from New York to Albany. The distance of movement of the instance is quite decent, considering the speed of 5 knots or 9 kilometers per hour.

Fulton was delighted to appreciate such a trip in the sense that he couldahead of all schooners and other boats, although few believed that the steamer was able to go even one mile per hour. Despite the sarcastic remarks, the designer put the improved design of the unit into operation, which he did not regret a bit. He is credited with being the first to build the Charlotte Dantes fixture type structure.

Nuances

An American propeller-wheeled vessel called the Savannah crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1819. At the same time, the ship sailed most of the way. Steam engines in this case served as additional engines. As early as 1838, the Sirius steamer from Britain crossed the Atlantic completely without the use of sails.

In 1838, the Archimedes screw steamer was built. It was created by the English farmer Francis Smith. The ship was a design with paddle wheels and screw counterparts. At the same time, there was a significant improvement in performance compared to competitors. At a certain period, such ships forced sailboats and other wheeled analogues out of service.

Interesting facts

In the navy, the introduction of steam power plants began during the construction of the Demologos self-propelled battery, led by Fulton (1816). This design at first did not find wide application due to the imperfection of the wheel-type propulsion unit, which was bulky and vulnerable to the enemy.

In addition, there was difficulty with the placement of the warhead of the equipment. There was no question of a normal onboard battery. Forweapons remained only small gaps of free space at the stern and bow of the vessel. With a decrease in the number of guns, an idea arose to increase their power, which was realized in the equipment of ships with large-caliber guns. For this reason, the ends had to be made heavier and more massive from the sides. These problems were partially solved with the advent of the propeller, which made it possible to expand the scope of the steam engine not only in the passenger fleet, but also in the navy.

Modernization

Steam frigates - this is the name received by medium and large combat units on a steam course. Such machines are more logical to classify as classic steamships than frigates. Large ships could not be successfully equipped with such a mechanism. Attempts to do so were made by the British and French. As a result, combat power was incomparable with analogues. The first combat frigate with a steam power unit is the Homer, which was created in France (1841). It was equipped with two dozen guns.

Finally

The middle of the 19th century is famous for the complex conversion of sailboats into steam-powered ships. The improvement of the ships was carried out in wheeled or screw modifications. The wooden body was cut in half, after which a similar insert was made with a mechanical device, the power of which ranged from 400 to 800 horsepower.

Because the location of heavy boilers and machines was moved to the part of the hull below the waterline, the need to receive ballast disappeared, and it also became possiblereach a displacement of several tens of tons.

The screw is located in a separate nest, located in the stern. This design did not always improve movement, creating additional resistance. So that the exhaust pipe does not interfere with the arrangement of the deck with sails, it was made of a telescopic (folding) type. Charles Parson in 1894 created an experimental ship "Turbinia", the tests of which proved that steam ships can be fast and used in passenger transportation and military equipment. This "Flying Dutchman" showed a record speed for that time - 60 km / h.