What were some unconventional but effective naval power-plant ideas?
Short answerEarly aircraft-derived gas turbines made motor torpedo boats extremely fast at severe fuel cost, while windmill-driven paddle craft worked as models but did not scale efficiently.
NotesEarly gas-turbine experiments placed aircraft jet engines in motor torpedo boats. They produced very high speed but consumed fuel at a punishing rate. A proposed Napoleonic landing craft would instead use windmills to drive paddle wheels, allowing it to move against the wind. Working models demonstrated the mechanism, but the proposal was never implemented because the available efficiency could not provide enough power at full size.