Screw-Ship (May, 1939)
Source: Mechanix Illustrated ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: May, 1939
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Tomorrows Inventions
PLANS for a speedy submarine “screw-ship,” which would serve as a carrier for the quick dispatch of mail and freight between continents, have been developed by Maximilian Bernd, an engineer in Hamburg, Germany. Resembling a torpedo in general appearance, the proposed underwater craft consists of two parts. One, a cylinder-like inner chamber, features the crew’s rooms, the storage hold, engines (electric) and a gyro device to maintain balance. The other part of the future “screw-ship” consists of a steel outer jacket which rotates around the stationary inner chamber by means of a special gear and bearing arrangement and which has spiral-shaped metal fins fastened to its surface. When the engines cause the outer jacket to rotate, the spiral fins screw into the water much as the threads of a screw bite into wood, thus forcing the craft forward. A periscope at the nose and a rudder at the rear facilitate steering.
This was rendered obsolete by the Love Boat.
Comment by Githyanki — February 26, 2008 @ 4:04 am
Depending hot you interprete the word “screw” this IS the Love Boat
Comment by Roflcopter — February 26, 2008 @ 4:28 am
Hey sailor, wasn’t “Screw-Ship” the original name for the Village People’s “In the Navy”?
Comment by Stannous — February 26, 2008 @ 9:30 am
The screw ship famously torpedoed Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1984.
Comment by Jerry — February 26, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
Aha! Now we’re talking! Forget that silly turbo-disc ship from the other day, this one’s gonna work. For sure.
Comment by Rick Auricchio — February 26, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
Wait a minute:
“…steel outer jacket which rotates around the stationary inner chamber by means of a special gear and bearing arrangement”
So what happens when that bearing fails? Round and round we goooooo….
Comment by Rick Auricchio — February 26, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
Was it, or a model ever built??
Comment by Chris — February 29, 2008 @ 9:41 am