Bill, sorry for being so late getting to this post. I just happen to be browsing today and ran across it.

I got the history of the herringbone wheel somewhere. Basically it was an idea of an engineer or captain with the idea of having more thrust forward and less vibration when backing. It didn't help to provide mor pushing thrust, but it helped the hard vibration when backing.

It was put on steamers that ARMCO refitted in the mid-forties. I don't recall how may steamers were fitted with herringbones (about 3 or 4) I know of only two. The Verity is a museum in Keokuk, Iowa. I think the other one was made into a wharf boat.

Because of the expense of building and repaire the idea was scrapped. I have seen a couple of small private paddlers with herringbone wheels.

Hi,

this kind of wheel and giving the power to the next medium is the same, invented by Andre Citroen for the cogwheels, documentes in our days in the sigen of the marque Citroen. These gearboxes have less noise .

Andy

Hi PD's.....I considered this a few years back &  ... with a    ....this V style or herringbone wheel ...as named...however I suggest the function was a precurser of a jet engine in that the force diagram of the resultant water thrust is centralised toward the V & hence acts as an additional increase in actual water velocity over the central rudder

Makes sence to me ......but then again I am of humble CONVICT background in OZ ...where every day...even a work day is ...

The
verity and her sister boat had three steering rudders and three monkey rudders. The primary design of the herringbone wheel was to reduce hull vibration from the buckets biting into the water. With the buckets hitting the water at an angle, instead of flat on, it reduced hull vibration signifiantly.