In 1837, John Ericsson, a Swedish-born engineer, was able to discover and create the screw propeller, which would drive boats. This device would eventually spell the death knell for sailing vessels as well as the paddlewheel boat.
One of the first people to recognize the potential of the screw propeller was the U. S. Navy through Captain Robert Stockton. The British admiralty had refused to accept this idea and so Stockton persuaded Ericsson to come to the United States and build the first screw driven boat on which he wished to mount one of the world’s largest cannons. At that time, it was a 12” bore cannon. Interestingly, Stockton gave that cannon the same name that would be resurrected in the ‘60s in the ballistic missile buildup, and he called the cannon the Peacemaker. |