Early screw propulsion and its technical limitations

Early screw-propulsion experiments could fail either in trials or through a lack of financial support. John Ericsson demonstrated his launch Francis B. Ogden by towing the Admiralty barge, while Francis Pettit Smith promoted the technology through Archimedes. Early screw steamers were slower than contemporary paddle steamers and suffered greater vibration and leakage at the stern. Some British naval observers nevertheless saw screw propulsion as a useful auxiliary to sail. Brunel's decision to complete Great Britain with a screw propeller brought the technology into a major civilian project.