A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship or boat propelled by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. Boats with paddle wheels on the sides are also called sidewheelers, while those with a single wheel on the stern are known as sternwheelers. The paddle steamer is obsolete technology and few have been built since the 1940s. Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, usually with multiple decks. ... Some boats in a harbor in Miami Beach, Florida A boat is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. ... A steam engine is an external combustion heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ...

A sternwheeler paddleboat in Louisiana.

The paddle wheel is a large wheel, generally built of a steel framework, upon the outer edge of which are fitted numerous paddle blades (called floats or bunkets). In the water, the bottom quarter or so of the wheel is underwater. Rotation of the paddle wheel produces thrust, forward or backward as required. More advanced paddle wheel designs have featured feathering methods that keep each paddle blade oriented closer to vertical while it's in the water; this increases efficiency. Image:Paddleboat Natchez. ... Image:Paddleboat Natchez. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33...

Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. Right: detail of a steamer

paddle-wheel of a steamboat shows a paddle-wheel and a paddle wheel (constructed the same way) and a detailed view of a steamboat foto by focus mankind - thinknact. ... paddle-wheel of a steamboat shows a paddle-wheel and a paddle wheel (constructed the same way) and a detailed view of a steamboat foto by focus mankind - thinknact. ...

Early Developments

The first paddle steamer was the Pyroscaphe built by Marquis Claude de Jouffroy of Lyon in France, in 1783. It had a horizontal double-acting steam engine driving two 13.1 ft (4 m) paddle wheels on the sides of the craft. On July 15, 1783 it steamed successfully up the Saône for fifteen minutes before the engine failed. Political events interrupted further development. Claude-François-Dorothée, marquis de Jouffroy dAbbans (1751-1832) is claimed by the French as the first inventor of the steamboat; he made a paddle steamer ply on the Rhône in 1783, but misfortunes due to the French Revolution hindered his progress, till he was forestalled... Three of the main sights in Lyon, the Cathedral St-Jean, the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière, and the Tour métallique de Fourvière City flag City coat of arms Motto: (Franco-Provençal: Forward, forward, Lyon the best) Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Subdivisions 9... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

The next attempt at a paddle-driven steam ship was by the Scottish engineer William Symington. Experimental boats built in 1788 and 1789 worked successfully; in 1802, Symington built a barge-hauler, Charlotte Dundas, for the Forth and Clyde Canal Company. It successfully hauled two 70-ton barges almost 20 miles (30 km) in 6 hours against a strong headwind on test in 1802. There was much enthusiasm, but some directors of the company were concerned about the banks of the canal being damaged by the wash from a powered vessel, and no more were ordered. Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The first practieal steamboat was built by the engineer William Symington,1764 - 1831, born in the lead mining village of Leadhills, Lanarkshire, Scotland. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... The Charlotte Dundas is regarded as the worlds first practical steamboat, the first towing steamboat and the boat that demonstrated the practicality of steam power for ships. ... --69. ...

While Charlotte Dundas was the first commercial paddle-steamer and steamboat, the first commercial success was possibly Robert Fulton's North River Steam Boat in New York, which went into commercial service in 1807 between New York City and Albany. Many other paddle-equipped river boats followed all round the world. Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was a U.S. engineer and inventor, who was widely credited with developing the first steam-powered ship marked as a commercial success. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Flag Seal Location Location in Albany County and the State of New York Coordinates , Government Country   State     County United States   New York     Albany Founded Incorporated 1614 1686 Mayor Gerald D. Jennings Geographical characteristics Area     City 56. ...

Seagoing paddle steamers

PS Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer.

The first sea-going trip of a paddle steamer was that of the Albany in 1808, which steamed from the Hudson River along the coast to the Delaware River. This was purely for the purpose of moving a river-boat to a new market, but the use of paddle-steamers for short coastal trips began soon after that. Download high resolution version (802x304, 172 KB)PS Waverley on the Firth of Clyde off Greenock Esplanade, passing in front of Kilcreggan, photograph taken in 1994 by User:Dave souza File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (802x304, 172 KB)PS Waverley on the Firth of Clyde off Greenock Esplanade, passing in front of Kilcreggan, photograph taken in 1994 by User:Dave souza File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... PS Waverley steaming down the Firth of Clyde - additional views at Image:PS Waverley off Brodick castle 1989. ... The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. ...

The first paddle-steamer to make a long ocean voyage was the Savannah, built in 1819 expressly for this service. Savannah set out for Liverpool on May 22, 1819, sighting Ireland after 23 days at sea. This was the first powered crossing of the Atlantic, although Savannah also carried a full rig of sail to assist the engines when winds were favorable. 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ...

The Sirius in 1838, a fairly small steam packet built for the Cork to London route, became the first vessel to cross the Atlantic under sustained steam power, beating Isambard Kingdom Brunel's much larger Great Western by a day. Great Western, however, was actually built for the transatlantic trade, and its crossing began the regular sailing of powered vessels across the Atlantic. The Beaver was the first coastal steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest of North America. | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 51. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Brunel before the launching of the Great Eastern. ... The steamship SS Great Western (named for the Great Western Railway Company) was the first steamship purposely built for the Atlantic crossing. ... The Beaver The Beaver was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest of North America. ... Darker red states are always considered part of the Pacific Northwest. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

The largest paddle-steamer ever built was Brunel's Great Eastern, but it also had an additional screw propulsion and sail rigging. She was 692 feet (211 m) long and weighed 32,000 tons, its paddle-wheels being 56 ft (17 m) in diameter. The Great Eastern was a ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. ...

In oceangoing service, the paddle steamer became obsolete rather quickly with the invention of the screw propeller, but they remained in use in coastal service, thanks to their shallow draught and good maneuverability. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Types of paddle steamer

The Music City Queen on the Cumberland River in Nashville is a stern-wheeler showboat.

There are two basic ways to mount paddle wheels on a ship; a single wheel on the rear, known as a stern-wheeler, and a paddle wheel on each side, known as a side-wheeler. Image File history File links MusicCityQueen. ... Image File history File links MusicCityQueen. ... The Music City Queen at Opry Mills. ... Length 1,106 km Elevation of the source 480 m Average discharge 3,217 m³/s Area watershed 46,830 km² Origin Oven Fork, Kentucky Mouth Ohio River Basin countries United States The Cumberland River is an important waterway in the southern United States. ... For other cities named Nashville, see Nashville (disambiguation). ... The Music City Queen on the Cumberland River, Nashville. ...

Stern-wheelers have generally been used as riverboats, especially in the United States, where they still operate for tourist use, primarily on the Mississippi River. On a river, the narrowness of a stern-wheeler is preferable. A first class tourist riverboat High speed planing riverboat High speed hydrofoil riverboat Local passenger transport craft Riverboat specialized for cargo truck transport Self propelled gravel barge M.V. Splendid China layout A riverboat is a specialized watercraft (vessel) designed for operating on inland waterways. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ...

Side-wheelers, meanwhile, have also been used as riverboats, but also commonly as coastal craft. While wider than a stern-wheeler, thanks to the extra width of the paddle wheels and their enclosing pontoons, the side-wheeler has extra maneuverability thanks to the common ability to direct power to one wheel at a time.

Paddle steamers today

PS Waverley leaving Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde.

Being a long-obsolete technology, the few paddle steamers still operating are deliberate anachronisms, preserved for tourists or as museums. Some paddle steamers still operate on the Mississippi River, as do a couple in the United Kingdom. The paddle steamer Waverley, built in 1947, is the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. This ship sails a full season of cruises every year from places around Britain, and has sailed across the English Channel for a visit to commemorate the sinking of her predecessor of 1899 at the Battle of Dunkirk. PS Waverley leaving Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde in 1989, photograph taken by User:Dave souza File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... PS Waverley leaving Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde in 1989, photograph taken by User:Dave souza File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... PS Waverley steaming down the Firth of Clyde - additional views at Image:PS Waverley off Brodick castle 1989. ... The Holy Loch seen across the Firth of Clyde with Dunoon on the left The PS Waverley leaves Dunoon Pier, to sail up the Firth of Clyde. ... Map of the Firth of Clyde and area The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... PS Waverley steaming down the Firth of Clyde - additional views at Image:PS Waverley off Brodick castle 1989. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Satellite view of the English Channel Map of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche (IPA: ) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants United Kingdom, France Germany Commanders Lord Gort Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A), Ewald von Kleist (Panzergruppe von Kleist) Strength approx. ...

PS Skibladner is the oldest steamship still in regular operation. Built in 1856, it still operates on lake Mjøsa in Norway. PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1866 it operates from the Port of Echuca, which has the largest fleet of paddle steamers in the world. PS Skibladner is a paddle steamer operating on the lake of Mjøsa in Norway. ... Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Map of Mjøsa with cities Lillehammer (North), Gjøvik (West), and Hamar (East) Mjøsa is Norways largest lake. ... Location of Echuca in Victoria (red) Historic Port of Echuca Echuca in Victoria (Australia) is a town of about 10,000 people situated on the Murray River (Moama is on the northern side in NSW). ...

The Elbe river White Fleet in Dresden, Germany, is said to be the oldest and biggest of the world. The River Elbe (Czech Labe , Sorbian/Lusatian Łobjo, German Elbe) is one of the major waterways of Central Europe. ... Dresden at the Blaues Wunder bridge. ...

Switzerland too has a large paddle steamer fleet, most of them by the "Salon-Steamer-type" built by Sulzer in Winterthur or Escher-Wyss in Zürich. There are five active and one inactive on Lake Lucerne, Lake Zürich has two, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun one each, Lake Constance also one. Lake Geneva has three converted to diesel electric power in the 1960s and five real paddle steamers. One of them, the "Montreux" has been reconverted in the year 2000 from diesel-electric to steam with an all-new steam engine. It is the worlds first electronically remote controlled steam engine, thus featuring similar low operation costs like state of the art diesel engines, while producing up to 90 percent less air pollution.

See also Steamboat. Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ...