An interesting idea for a French paddler in 1798

[thewharfonline]

Hi all,

This one came across my twitter feed earlier today and I thought I'd share it with you all as something a bit different. A giant battle raft designed for the French to invade Britain with. Wind turbine paddle power!

Fascinating!

[Roderick Smith]

The flettner rotating ventilator was the successful outcome of an unsuccessful attempt to build wind-powered boats using turbine blades on a vertical shaft.  The style is named after the designer.

I am finding plenty on the ventilator online, but not on the history which led to them.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[Brian Gates]

I am not sure I would call Flettner ships a failure, just unnecessary in a time of cheap fuel and an apparently backward step whilst the last commercial sailing ships were being phased out.

Looking at E-SHIP 1, the time may be ripe for a comeback http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pQga7jxAyc although Revelation II http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1881693 shows that it can take a couple of hundred years for an idea to take off.

All the best
Brian Gates
Gillingham

[R.G.Y.]

a few years ago in Plymouth Devon, There was an attempt with the walker wing sail as an alternative to cloth sails, but ended in financial disaster.