In what year was the first steamboat invented? The first steamship in the world: history, description and interesting facts

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, a similar unit was first built at the Charles Bendt plant in 1815. This passenger liner ran between St. Petersburg and Krondshtat.

Peculiarities

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. First-line steamers, unlike 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 operating river models in the world.

Who invented the first steamboat?

Steam energy was used to give the object movement even Heron of Alexandria in the first century BC. He created a primitive turbine without blades, which was operated on several useful devices. Many such aggregates were noted by chroniclers of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

In 1680, a French engineer 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 raise water. Such a device inspired the scientist to new experiments. According to some reports, in 1707 a journey was made through Germany. According to one version, the boat was equipped with a steam engine, which is not confirmed by official facts. Subsequently, the ship was destroyed by embittered 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 the British engineer Jonathan Hulse created a ship with a wheel at the stern, which was driven by a steam device. Evidence of successful testing of such a machine has not been preserved, 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" has long been used in many countries as the designation of a vessel with a steam power plant. This term in France has not lost its relevance to this day.

American projects

The first steamboat in America was introduced by the inventor James Ramsey in 1787. The test of the boat was carried out on the ship moved with the help of jet propulsion mechanisms operating from steam energy. In the same year, the engineer's compatriot 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 Foygot, as Britain blocked the possibility of exporting new technologies to its former colonies.

The name of the first steamboat in America is "Perseverance". 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 design under consideration 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, Scottish inventors Symington and Miller designed 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.

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 Charlotte Dantes-type steamship 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 coastline. 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 steamship, which was used for its intended purpose, was built in 1807. The model was originally 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, given the speed of 5 knots or 9 kilometers per hour.

Fulton was delighted to appreciate such a trip in the sense that he was able to get ahead of all the schooners and other boats, although few people 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 Dantès fixture type structure.

Nuances

An American propeller-wheeled ship 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. Already in 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.

In the navy, the introduction of steam power plants began during the arrangement of the self-propelled battery "Demologos", headed 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. For weapons, only small gaps of free space remained at the stern and bow of the ship. 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 given to medium and large combat units on a steam course. It is more logical to classify such machines as classic steamships rather than frigates. Large ships could not be successfully equipped with such a mechanism. Attempts at such a design were undertaken 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.

In conclusion

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 case 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.

Since the location of heavy boilers and machines was moved to the part of the hull under the waterline, the need to receive ballast disappeared, and it also became possible to achieve 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.

heated by combustion organic fuel(coal, fuel oil), for the production of steam.

In 1736 English inventor Jonathan Hull proposed a powered tug.

I didn't find anything other than this picture.

In 1783, Marquis Claude François Dorothée de Jouffroy d "Abbans built the experimental paddle steamer Pyroscaphe.

After fifteen minutes of sailing, the boat sank.

In 1785, American inventor John Fitch built a steam rowboat.

Later, he began to exercise regular commercial transportation along the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Burlington.

Fitch's boat model "Perseverance". Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin

In 1801, Scottish engineer and inventor William Symington patented, and with the support of Lord Dundas, built the Charlotte Dundas steamship.

The most famous steamship builder was an American engineer and inventor.
He also owns the project of one of the first submarines.

About Fulton

Robert Fulton was born on November 14, 1765 in Little Britain, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. His father was Irish, and his mother was from Scotland, they were engaged in farming. When the child was only three years old, the father died, and the mother and children moved to Lancaster, selling the farm. At school, young Robert did not shine with success, preferring to spend his free time in local gun shops, drawing, drafting and making fireworks. At the age of 12, Robert became interested in steam engines, and at the age of 14 he successfully tested his boat, equipped with a hand-wheeled propeller.

From the age of 17, Fulton lived in Philadelphia, working first as an assistant jeweler, and then as an artist and draftsman. In 1786, at the age of 21, that is, upon reaching the age of majority, Fulton, taking advantage of the advice of Benjamin Franklin, left for England, where he studied the art of a draftsman and architecture with the famous Benjamin West.

In 1797 Fulton moved to France. Here he experimented with torpedoes, and in 1800 presented Napoleon I with a practical model of the submarine "Nautilus - 1".

"Nautilus - 3" project of 1806.
Apparently, due to this design, Submarine called "boat".

The boat was tested in the harbor of Le Havre, she passed under water 460 meters at a depth of 7.6 m.

The project remained unclaimed, as a result of which Fulton devoted his future activities to the construction of steamships.

In the same year, 1800, Fulton began experiments with steam engines and three years later built a steam ship 20 m long and 2.4 m wide. During tests on the Seine River, the steamer accelerated to 3 knots (knot = 1 nautical mile = 1.8 km) against the stream.

Encouraged by the success, Fulton ordered a more powerful steam engine from the firm. In 1806, the engine was brought to New York, where Fulton also moved to supervise the construction of the ship.

The ship went on its maiden voyage on August 17, 1807. Fulton named it the "North River Steamboat" but was later called the "Cleremont".

The passage carried passengers between the city of New York and the capital of the state of New York - the city of Albany.

Fulton patented his steamboat on February 11, 1809 and subsequent years built several more steam ships.

After that, steam engines began to be widely used in shipbuilding.

In 1811, John Stevens built a steam ferry that runs between Hoboken and New York.

In 1812, Scottish engineer Henry Bell built the Comet steam boat.

The ship got its name in honor of the "Big Comet of 1811".

Replica. Port of Glasgow.

In 1825, Bell built a second steamer, the Comet II, which also sank. 62 people died.

The first Russian steamship "Elizaveta" was built at the factory of Charles Byrd in 1815. He made flights between St. Petersburg and Kronstadt.

In 1819 The American sailing mail ship Savannah, equipped with a steam engine and removable side wheels, left Savannah (USA) for Liverpool and crossed the Atlantic in 24 days. Most of the way it passed under sail.

From Liverpool, the ship continued its historic journey, heading to Stockholm and then St. Petersburg.

On November 5, 1821, the steamer Savannah was shipwrecked off Long Island. For almost three decades after that, no US-built steamship crossed the Atlantic.

Sirius is believed to be the first ship to travel this route exclusively on steam, it made a transatlantic crossing from the Irish city of Cork to New York in 1938.

Before 1839 paddle steamers were built, and the Archimedes, built by an English inventor, became the first screw steam ship

On March 29, 1823, the first combat steamship of the Russian Navy "Meteor" was laid down.

The first steamship in Russia was built in 1815. Three years later, the Baltic Fleet received its first steamship, and two years later the first steamship appeared in the Black Sea Fleet. However, these were precisely unarmed tugs equipped with a steam engine and paddle wheels - they were intended for cargo transportation and towing sailing ships of the navy.

And only in the spring of 1823, at the shipyards of the Nikolaev Admiralty, the first steamship was laid, armed with guns and adapted not only for auxiliary work, but also for military operations. The first military steamer of Russia was intended for the Black Sea Fleet - in the Baltic, after the victories over Sweden, our country did not have strong opponents at that time, but in the Black Sea region, relations with the Ottoman Empire remained traditionally difficult. Therefore, the first combat steamship in Russia began to be built here.

The initiator of the creation of the first armed steamship was the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Alexei Samuilovich Greig, an experienced sailor who repeatedly committed long voyages in the Pacific Ocean, fought both in the Mediterranean and in the Baltic. Admiral Greig entrusted the construction of the first combat steamship to one of the best Russian shipbuilders of that time - Colonel of the Corps of Naval Engineers Ilya Stepanovich Razumov.

Ilya Razumov studied shipbuilding at the shipyards of St. Petersburg, in England and Holland. At the beginning of the 19th century, during the wars with France and Turkey, he was a senior shipmaster in the squadron of Admiral Greig, who went from Kronstadt to fight in the Mediterranean. In the 20s 19th century only in Nikolaev, Colonel Razumov built 40 ships, in total he participated in the creation of over a hundred ships.

The construction of the first combat steamship, which received the name "Meteor", was carried out for two years. In the summer of 1825, the ship was launched and after all the work was completed and the steam engine was tested, it became part of the Black Sea Fleet. The steamer, almost 37 meters long and over 6 meters wide, was armed with 14 guns.

Two of his steam engines with a total capacity of 60 horsepower were manufactured in St. Petersburg at the factory of the Scottish engineer Charles Brad, who took Russian citizenship. Steam engines allowed the Meteor even in complete calm with the help of two paddle wheels to reach a speed of 6.5 knots (over 12 km / h).

Already two years after the commissioning of the steamship "Meteor" successfully took part in the hostilities. After the start of the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, one of the main tasks of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was the capture of Turkish fortresses on the coast of the Caucasus. The outpost of the Turkish army, threatening the Crimea and Kuban, then was the strong Turkish fortress of Anapa. At the end of April 1828, the main forces of our fleet approached her - seven ships of the line and four frigates with a considerable number of landing and auxiliary ships.

In this campaign, the squadron was also accompanied by the combat steamer "Meteor". On May 6, 1828, the Black Sea Fleet launched a landing operation to storm Anapa. The Turks counterattacked our landed troops, and here the Meteor showed itself - sailing ships could not freely operate very close to the coast because of the shallows and the wind blowing from the mountains, and the steamer, having a small draft and freedom of movement, easily moved from one place to another near the shore and hit the enemy with cannon shots.

It was the actions of the steamer that did not depend on the winds that allowed our troops to successfully gain a foothold on the coast near Anapa and besiege the fortress, which fell a month later. So, thanks to the Meteor, the Black Sea port became Russian and subsequently turned from a Turkish fortress into a famous resort.

The successful participation of Meteor in that war did not end there - in next year he participated in the assault on Turkish fortresses on the coast of Bulgaria, including the most heavily fortified Varna. In October 1828, after the capitulation of Varna, Emperor Nicholas I was returning from the Bulgarian coast to Odessa on the sailing battleship Empress Maria. The sailboat with the Russian emperor, in case of calm and other unforeseen circumstances, was accompanied by the steamer Meteor. The ships safely arrived in Odessa, having withstood a severe storm at the crossing, which lasted several days.

So laid down on March 29 (March 17, old style), 1823, the Meteor successfully opened the era of the military steam fleet in Russia.

The history of any invention plays a big role in moving humanity along the path of progress. People give special importance to the emergence of steamships, and rightly so, because from that moment on, water transport has become faster and more powerful at times and the development of civilization has risen to a new level.

• So who was first?
• How the oceans were conquered
• Device principle
• Video: Modern steamships

So who was first?

If you analyze the history of the emergence of steam ships, it is difficult to determine which of them appeared first, although it is believed that the first was the Claremont (North River Steamboat), built by Robert Fulton in 1807 and set sail on the Hudson River from New York Wharf. York to Albany.

Steamboat Claremont by Robert Fulton

It is not clear how to deal with the fact that there was still a ship "Charlotte Dundas" in England and freely transported barges on the London Canal already in 1801 and its steam power was 10 horsepower. The very strong wooden hull of the ship was 17 meters long, it was a rather unique phenomenon, but somehow it was not noticed and not taken seriously, therefore the name of the creator of the Englishman William Symington remained in the shadows. The steamboat became unclaimed a year later, in 1802 it became a permanent mooring for itself and stayed there until 1861, when it was taken apart for parts.

But Robert Fulton did not suffer such a fate. His steamer, on its first voyage, went almost under the hooting of onlookers on the pier, everyone was waiting for it to sink or stop, but the ship quickly moved away from the coast and, overtaking all the boats and sailboats along the way, everything accelerated. For that time, a speed of 5 knots for water transport was fantastic.

Standing on the deck of his ship, Robert Fulton understood that a miracle was happening and steam, as a propulsion for ships, would henceforth replace the sail and the fleet would become completely different.

How the oceans were conquered

The steamer arrived in the ocean in 1819. It was the Savannah from America with paddle wheels, like all the very first ships. It was it that conquered the Atlantic, the ocean was crossed, although many miles of the journey were sailed. Then all ships were equipped with additional sails, this was the possibility of maneuverability in emergency and speed control.

Only in 1838 they were able to completely abandon the sails and the English ship Sirius decided on a sailless passage across the Atlantic. He also, like all ships before him, was with paddle wheels, which were installed on the side or rear. In the same year (1838) the first version of the screw steamer appeared, the ship was called the Archimedes, it was built by the English farmer Francis Smith. This became a revolution in the global shipping industry, because the speed of movement increased significantly and the course of the ship itself became different, it was a completely new level of development of maritime transport, and it was screw steamers that completely replaced the sailing fleet.

Device principle

In the future, all steamers were designed according to a similar principle. The propellers were mounted on a single shaft with a steam engine. There were other steamships - with turbines, they are driven through a gearbox or a turbine is driven by an electrical transmission, they are called turboships and also have their own history from low-speed turbines to high-speed ones.

The eve of the 20th century, namely 1894, was another milestone in the history of shipping, Charles Parsons built a vessel based on the type of the Turbinia prototype, which was driven by steam turbine. It was the first high-speed ship, it accelerated to 60 kilometers per hour. Even the steamships of the middle of the 20th century were inferior to turboships, the efficiency of steamships was 10% less.

About the beginning of the Russian shipping company

In Russia, the name of Fulton is also associated with the development of the shipping company. In 1813 he decided to turn to Russian government with a request to grant him the privilege of building a steamboat he created and using it on Russian rivers. Emperor Alexander I granted the designer a monopoly right to set up steamship communication between St. Petersburg and Kronstadt and in other Russian rivers for 15 years. But the inventor could not fulfill the contract in three years, as stipulated by the contract, and lost his privilege. The contract began to be carried out by Bird from 1815.

Karl Byrd owned a mechanical foundry in St. Petersburg, the plant manufactured a 4 hp Wyatt steam engine. and a boiler, which were installed in a wooden boat and set the side wheels in motion. The first steamboat was named in honor of the Empress "Elizabeth" and sailed from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt in 5 hours and 20 minutes. The people waiting on the shore were very surprised at such a speed, since this rowing journey took a whole day. It was difficult to believe in this, and therefore they decided to test a rowing speedboat and a steamer in a competition. "Elizaveta" overtook the boat and it became clear to everyone that Russia has the prospect of building a new fleet.

The main milestones in the development of steamships in Russia

Further, the development of shipbuilding began to grow gradually, the era was marked by a new development of river routes, at first it affected the Volga region. In 1816, the Pozhva steamboat began to run on the Kama River between Pozhva and Yaroslavl; it was built at an iron foundry in the city of Pozhva, which belonged to V.A. Vsevolzhsky.

Byrd also continued to build steamboats, in 1820 he launched the Volga steamer along the Mologa River, the ship then cruised on the Volga until the middle of the century, it was modernized, the machines and hull were improved, and the ship regularly served on the great Russian river.

In 1823, the baton was picked up by the Dnieper, the Pchelka steamer was built on his estate by the governor of Novorossia, Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, the ship overcame the Kherson rapids and regularly made trips along the Kherson-Nikolaev route.

Then in the business of shipping in Russia comes the season of calm. This happened because horse-drawn ships sailed on all rivers, barge haulers worked, the traditional technology of moving goods along the waterway won and destroyed the desire for something new. But the commercial interests of business increasingly demanded the acceleration of traffic and an increase in the transportation of cargo volumes, and this could be done only if steam-powered ships were included in the cargo transportation. Merchants and industrialists were ready to create a river fleet, public opinion turned out to be a brake, people considered shipping a frivolous occupation, including officials, on whom the movement along the path of creation depended.

The situation has changed in a quarter of a century. By the middle of the 19th century shipbuilding industry began to grow at a rapid pace. Historical data testify that by 1850 about one and a half hundred steamboats were already navigating the Russian rivers. By this time they began to open joint-stock companies and shipyards on the Volga, on the Kama, in the North Dvina region, in Siberia. This fact contributed to the active industrial activities and the growth of cities along the Volga and in Siberia, the development of the natural resources of these lands and the increase in population on the outskirts of Russia.

Thus, the appearance of the first steamboat in America on the Hudson River can be considered a global event and a positive moment for a new round in the development of world civilization.

Video: Modern steamships

These days, steamboats are popular mainly with enthusiasts. Look at the video.

The beginning of the use of steam engines "on the water" was 1707, when the French physicist Denis Papin designed the first boat with a steam engine and paddle wheels. Presumably, after a successful test, it was broken by boaters who were afraid of competition.

After 30 years, the Englishman Jonathan Hulls invented the steam tug. The experiment ended unsuccessfully: the engine turned out to be heavy and the tugboat sank.

In 1802, the Scotsman William Symington demonstrated a steamboat. "Charlotte Dundas".

The widespread use of steam engines on ships began in 1807 with the flights of the Claremont passenger steamer, built by an American. Robert Fulton. From the 1790s, Fulton took up the problem of using steam to propel ships. In 1809, Fulton patented the Claremont design and went down in history as the inventor of the steamship. Newspapers reported that many boatmen turned a blind eye in horror when "Fulton's Monster" belching fire and smoke, moved along the Hudson against the wind and current.

"Clairmont"

Already ten or fifteen years after the invention of R. Fulton, steamships seriously pressed sailing ships. In 1813, two factories for the production of steam engines began operating in Pittsburgh, USA. A year later, 20 steamboats were assigned to the port of New Orleans, and in 1835, 1,200 steamboats were already operating on the Mississippi and its tributaries.

US river steamer (1810-1830)

By 1815 in England on the river. Clyde (Glasgow) already operated 10 steamers and seven or eight on the river. Thames. In the same year, the first sea steamer "Argyle" was built, which completed the passage from Glasgow to London. In 1816, the steamer "Majestic" made the first trips to Brighton - Le Havre and Dover - Calais, after which regular sea steam lines began to open between Great Britain, Ireland, France and Holland.

The first steam ship in Europe "Comet" 1812.

In 1813 Fulton turned to Russian government with a request to grant him the privilege of building the steamboat he invented and using it on the rivers of the Russian Empire. However, Fulton did not create steamboats in Russia. In 1815 he died, and in 1816 the privilege granted to him was annulled.

The beginning of the 19th century is also marked in Russia by the construction of the first ships with steam engines. In 1815, the owner of a mechanical foundry in St. Petersburg, Karl Byrd, built the first paddle steamer, the Elizaveta. A factory-made Watt steam engine with a capacity of 4 liters was installed on a wooden "tikhvinka". from. and a steam boiler that powered the side wheels. The car did 40 revolutions per minute. After successful tests on the Neva and the transition Petersburg to Kronstadt the ship made voyages on the St. Petersburg - Kronstadt line. The steamer traveled this route in 5 hours and 20 minutes at an average speed of about 9.3 km/h.

Russian steamship of the Byrd plant.
The construction of steamships on other rivers of Russia also began.

The first steamship in the Volga basin appeared on the Kama in June 1816. It was built Pozhvinsky iron foundry and ironworks V. A. Vsevolozhsky. With a capacity of 24 liters. s., the ship made several experimental trips along the Kama.

By the 20s of the 19th century, there was only one steamboat in the Black Sea basin - "Vesuvius", not counting the primitive steamer "Pchelka" with a capacity of 25 hp, built by Kiev serfs, which two years later was carried through the rapids to Kherson, from where he made flights to Nikolaev.

Big Siberian gold miner Myasnikov,. who received the privilege to organize a shipping company on the lake. Baikal and the rivers Ob, Tobol, Irtysh, Yenisei, Lena and their tributaries, in March 1843. launched a ship "Emperor Nicholas I" with a capacity of 32 liters. s., which in 1844 was brought to Baikal. Following him, the second steamship with a capacity of 50 hp was laid down and in 1844 completed with the construction. s., named "Heir Tsesarevich", which was also transferred to the lake. Baikal, where both ships were used for transportation.

In the 40s and 50s of the 19th century steamboats began to regularly sail along the Neva, Volga, Dnieper and other rivers. By 1850 there were about 100 steamships in Russia.

In 1819, the American sailing mail ship "Savannah", equipped with a steam engine and removable side wheels, left the city of Savannah USA for Liverpool and made the transition across the Atlantic in 24 days. The Savannah was powered by a single-cylinder steam engine. low pressure, simple action. The power of the machine was 72 hp, the speed during engine operation was 6 knots (9 km / h). The steamer used the engine for no more than 85 hours and only within the coastal zone.

"Savannah"

The Savannah flight was conducted to evaluate necessary fuel reserves on ocean routes, because proponents of the sailing fleet argued that no steamship could carry enough coal to cross the Atlantic. After the ship returned to the United States, the steam engine was dismantled, and the ship was used until 1822 on the New York - Savannah line.

In 1825, the English paddle steamer Enterprise, using sails when fair wind, completed a flight to India.

The largest paddle steamer in the history of the fleet "Great East"

The first flight around Europe was made in 1830-1831. small Russian ship "Neva". Leaving Kronstadt on August 17, 1830, the Neva arrived in Odessa on March 4, 1831, spending 199 days on the flight. The duration of the voyage was explained by long stays in ports due to severe winter storms.

Legendary Titanic:

In the boiler rooms of the vessel, it was installed 29 steam boilers- each weighing 100 tons, which were heated by the heat of 162 furnaces. Coal stoves heated water in boilers to produce steam. The steam was then fed to piston engines. As soon as steam entered one of the four cylinders of the engine, the necessary force was generated to rotate one of the propellers. Excess or lost steam condensed in the evaporators and the resulting water could be returned to the boilers for reheating. Changing the amount of steam supplied to the thrusters controlled the ship's speed. Smoke from furnaces and engine exhausts were thrown out through the first 3 pipes. The fourth chimney was fake and was used for ventilation. On the Titanic, everything matched the latest technology that time.

First military steamer was built in the USA according to the project of R. Fulton in 1815. It was intended to protect the water area of ​​the New York port and was battery catamaran. Navy sailors called him steam frigate, however, R. Fulton preferred to call it a steam battery and gave it a name "Demologos" ("Voice of the people"). In 1829, the ship exploded in the roadstead of New York due to the careless handling of fire by sailors. In Russia first steam frigate Bogatyr, which became the forerunner of cruisers, was built in 1836.

Wheeled steam frigate "Taman" 1849

Best Samples steam engines of the 1870s, designed for the needs navy, weighed about 20 kg / hp, and the Heresgoff brothers in the USA managed to create a 4 hp engine, the weight of which, together with the boiler, was only 22.65 kg.

Steam engine application on a submarine been put off for many years. The main problem was the supply of air for burning fuel in the furnace of a steam boiler when the boat was in a submerged position, because. during the operation of the machine, fuel was consumed and the mass of the submarine changed, and it should be constantly ready to dive. Despite the obstacles in the history of the invention of submarines, there have been many attempts to build a submarine powered by a steam engine.

submarine project with a steam engine first developed in 1795 by the French revolutionary Armand Mézieres, but he failed to implement it.

In 1815, Robert Fulton built a large submarine, equipped with a powerful steam turbine, eighty feet long and twenty-two feet wide, with a crew of 100 men. However, Fulton died before the Mute was launched and the submarine was scrapped.
Build underwater ship succeeded in 1846 by compatriot Armand Mézières, doctor Prosper Peyern. In the submarine, called "Hydrostat", steam was supplied to the machine from a boiler, in a hermetically sealed furnace of which specially prepared fuel was burned - compressed saltpeter briquettes with coal, which, during combustion, released the oxygen necessary for combustion. At the same time, water was supplied to the furnace. Water vapor and fuel combustion products were sent to the steam engine, from where, having completed the work, they were discharged overboard through a non-return valve. However, this project turned out to be unsuccessful.

Peyerne's failure did not deter followers. Already in 1851, the American Lodner Philipps built Submarine with a steam engine installation. But the inventor did not have time to finish the job. During one of the dives on Lake Erie, the submarine exceeded the allowable depth and was crushed burying the carriage at the bottom of the lake along with Philipps.

In the summer of 1866, a submarine of a talented Russian inventor was created I. F. Aleksandrovsky. It was tested for several years in Kronstadt. A decision was made about her unsuitability for military purposes and inexpediency carrying out further work to eliminate deficiencies.

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