Q&A · 3:50:51-3:52:04

What navies might look like without marine steam engines

Without marine boilers and steam engines, fleets could remain sail-dominated until large internal-combustion engines matured, delaying the industrial path to dreadnoughts.

Question

What would the world's navies look like if boiler and steam engines had never gone to sea?

Short answer

If land-based steam development continued, fleets would remain closer to late-Napoleonic practice until powerful internal-combustion engines appeared. Reduced naval demand would probably delay that machinery.

Notes

If land-based steam engines still developed normally, removing marine steam would leave fleets close to late-Napoleonic sailing practice until reliable high-power internal-combustion engines became available. Those engines could then permit a jump towards dreadnought-era warships. Their arrival would probably be delayed because navies funded many of the engineering firms and systems that developed powerful machinery. Losing that source of industrial demand changes when a replacement engine becomes practical.