Paddle steamer is a steamship driven by paddle wheels. The first steamship was a small vessel with paddle wheels on its sides, powered by a steam engine. John Fitch, an American inventor, built the ship in 1787. In 1802, William Symington, a British inventor, built a steam tug driven by a stern (rear) paddle wheel. In 1809, John Stevens, an American engineer, built the Phoenix, the first ocean-going paddle steamer.
In the 1830’s, screw propellers were invented. They proved to be more efficient than paddle wheels, especially in rough seas. After this time, most ocean-going steamships used screw propellers, though some also had paddle wheels. Paddle steamers continued to be used mostly on lakes and rivers. Sternwheel paddle steamers traveled on the Mississippi River in the United States during the 1800’s. Paddle steamers were also used on the Murray River in Australia from the 1850’s until the railroads took over much of the river trade in the 1920’s. Today, only a few paddle steamers remain in use, mainly as tourist attractions.
See also Clermont ; Fitch, John ; Ship (The first steamboats) ; Steamboat .
