Cannon fire would not be obstructed and the underwater propeller would be well-protected from both shot and shell. It was the invention of screw propulsion that finally made steam-powered warships practical. New technology was needed to place the driving force of a military warship out of harm's way. ![]() Secondly, enemy cannon shot could easily render the wheel out of commission making it a vulnerable target in any attack. Firstly, the size of the wheel reduced the number of guns that could be mounted for a broadside along that particular side of the ship. ![]() This arrangement formulated several distinct disadvantages. Before the adoption of screw propulsion in warships during the 1850s, the technology of choice was steam used to drive a paddle wheel attached to the side of the warship. The screw propeller was first used on a military vessel in 1852 by the French with the introduction of the Napoleon a 90-gun ship-of-the-line as part of the French Navy - becoming the very first screw-driven steam battleship in the world.
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