Paddle steamer

A vessel propelled by one or more rotating paddle wheels. Paddle steamers use steam engines to drive the wheels, though other power sources are possible.

Paddle wheel: A rotating wheel fitted with blades that pushes water to propel a vessel. Its blades provide the direct thrust that moves a paddle steamer.
Early steamboats: The first vessels propelled by steam-powered machinery, developed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Paddle steamers emerged as steam engines were adapted to propel boats.
Riverboat: A vessel designed to travel on rivers, often carrying passengers or cargo. Paddle steamers became especially useful on rivers with shallow or variable water levels.
Screw-propelled steamship: A steam-powered vessel propelled by a submerged screw propeller rather than paddle wheels. Screw propulsion is less exposed to damage and performs better in rough seas.
Sidewheel steamer: A vessel propelled by paddle wheels mounted on its port and starboard sides. This arrangement is a familiar paddle-steamer design, especially on rivers.
John Fitch: An American inventor who built and operated early steam-powered boats in the 1780s. His experiments included paddle-driven vessels that demonstrated steam navigation's potential.
Mississippi River steamboat: A steam-powered river vessel associated with passenger and freight transport on the Mississippi River system. Sternwheel paddle steamers became icons of inland transport on the Mississippi.
Sailboat: A vessel propelled primarily by sails that capture wind energy. Sail propulsion avoids the engines and fuel required by powered paddle steamers.
Sternwheel steamer: A vessel propelled by a paddle wheel mounted at the stern. A single rear wheel suits shallow, narrow waterways where side wheels hinder passage.
Robert Fulton: An American engineer whose 1807 steamboat service on the Hudson River helped establish commercial steam navigation. His North River Steamboat popularized paddle-driven passenger service.

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