The closing question asks what might have happened if HMS Rattler had broken down during the 1845 tug-of-war and the paddle steamer HMS Alecto had appeared to win. An imagined alternative history takes the premise as far as paddle-wheel dreadnoughts. The video does not supply a settled answer; the prompt asks how a failed demonstration might have altered the Royal Navy's confidence in screw propulsion. Because the Royal Navy served as a benchmark navy, its skepticism could have influenced international technology adoption, although the scale and duration of that effect remain open. The thought experiment separates the screw's technical merits from the contingent evidence institutions use when deciding whether to adopt it.
Notable Point · 42:20-43:17
If HMS Rattler had lost to HMS Alecto
An unanswered thought experiment asks how naval propulsion might have developed if Rattler had broken down, Alecto had appeared to win, and the benchmark Royal Navy had lost confidence in screws.