How are ships made?

1739, after Watt's steam engine was successfully developed, some people thought of using it on ships.

1780, a young French inventor Juflo Davan built a ship and sailed successfully.

1785, John Fitch of the United States (1743 ~ 1798) made a model ship, and then started shipbuilding. 1787, Fitch used a steam engine as the power of the ship, built the ship, and successfully made its first trial. Subsequently, ships with paddles opened regular routes between Philadelphia and Baltimore. At this time, the speed of the ship is about per hour 12 km, but Fitch is not satisfied. He built the same boat with propeller as now. However, the ship was destroyed during the assembly process.

Hui praised it as exhausting research funds. He traveled all over America begging for alms, but he couldn't find any supporters. He went to France to lobby everywhere and came back empty-handed. The withdrawal of the original investors caused Fitch to get into trouble. In desperation, Fitch finally committed suicide by taking sleeping pills at 1798.

In terms of time, Huiyu was built 20 years earlier than Fulton's "Clermont", another American ship inventor. Judging from the speed of the ship, the average speed of Fitch's ship is 12 km, and the speed of clermont is five or six km. However, Fitch has become a loser and his name has long been forgotten.

In scientific research, failure is inevitable. After many failures, the explorer may become an expert on this special problem. If the seeker can't bear the blow, pressure and pain of temporary failure psychologically and has despair, he can't be a winner. Fulton also failed many times, but he stubbornly survived and eventually became a winner.

Fulton, 1765, was born in a poor peasant family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. His father died when he was very young. Because his family was poor, he didn't go to school until he was 9 years old. He only studied for a few years and then went to a jewelry store as an apprentice. /kloc-when he was 0/4 years old, he studied air gun manufacturing technology with a gun maker.

Fulton often goes boating in the river to play. One day, he found his feet moving in the water, which promoted the boat to swim. He knew that his feet played the role of a long paddle. Fulton, who loves to think, thinks that it is always inconvenient to use his feet. If you turn a wheel in the water by hand, can you move forward? How much effort can you save without paddling! Fulton really started working. He put a rotatable wheel on the stern, shook it by hand, and the boat slipped forward. Fulton is so happy! However, he is not satisfied. He thinks that if the steam engine in the factory is used to drive the paddle wheel, the ship will definitely swim faster.

Fulton liked painting very much since he was a child. He studied painting while doing mechanical drawing work in a machinery factory. While studying painting, his interest in ships never waned. In addition to studying painting, he also focused on learning science and technology. He invented new machines such as marble sawing machine, hemp spinning machine and hemp rope twisting machine. In his daily experience and practice, he learned a lot that books can't. Fortunately, he also met Watt, who invented the steam engine, and they even became friends. Watt often told him how he improved the steam engine, and Fulton listened with relish and was very inspired. He devoted all his energy to the invention of the ship and the realization of the dream-like ideal that sprouted from childhood.

18 At the end of 2009, Britain and France confronted each other. 1at the end of 798, Britain encouraged Russia, Austria and other countries to participate in the anti-French war again. To this end, Napoleon actively prepared to cross the sea to attack Britain. But Napoleon knew nothing about steam engines and ships. He doesn't believe that "boiling water can propel ships" at all. He even regarded Fulton as a liar and kicked him out of the office.

Fulton hit a wall, but fortunately, his design attracted the attention of Livingston, the then American ambassador to France, and he was also fascinated by the invention of the ship.

After talking with Fulton for a long time, Livingston was very interested in Fulton's idea and design, and decided to support Fulton's trial production of steam ships. And make Fulton get a reliable economic backing in shipbuilding.

1803, fulton built a large ship 70 feet long and 8 feet wide. The trial is scheduled for August 10, right on the Seine. He, his wife Livingston, many friends who supported him, and the workers who built the ship together are all excited and anxious to wait for the day of trial. They carefully inspected every corner of the ship to avoid accidents in the trial. However, the accident did not happen during the trial, but before the trial. On the evening of August 9, a gust of wind and bad current suddenly struck, splitting the ship in two and sinking into the river in the blink of an eye. At that time, the steam engine was too heavy, which also caused a shipwreck.

How can years of hard work be destroyed without heartbreaking! When it was calm, Fulton stood on the river bank and looked at the surging river. He cried. Years of hard work, years of hard work, disappeared in a blink of an eye.

After several storms, several spring and autumn seasons, Fulton dried his tears and determined to continue his efforts.

1807, the fultons returned to the United States. In the face of setbacks, he didn't lose heart, but picked himself up again, raised funds and personnel, and redesigned shipbuilding. Soon, in the Hudson River in new york, USA, he built another ship named clermont.

This ship has no paddles that people are used to seeing, and there are big water wheels on both sides of the hull; It has no familiar sails and masts, but it stands a big chimney with black smoke and sparks, and it is very big, 40 meters long ... it is like a behemoth moored in the Hudson River. This has become the big news in the streets of new york. No one has ever seen such a strange boat.

After a comprehensive and detailed investigation of Claremont, Fulton decided to conduct a sea trial in the Hudson River on August 17. In order to publicize the power of this ship, he invited people from all walks of life to watch it. Many people just want to see with their own eyes what strange things will happen to this strange ship, so they all come uninvited and wait to see something new. Before the sea trial, the shore was full of people and excitement.

It's trial time! "sail!" At Fulton's command, the hull slowly left its seat and slid into the river. 1 of "bang", the engine designed by Fulton and made by Watt himself rang, and the waterwheels on both sides slapped the river, and clermont's voyage began. The people on the shore were shocked at once. They cheered and greeted the guests on board. People on board, as the ship sails, visit the beautiful scenery on both sides of the strait all the way; People on the shore, on the other hand, ran like crazy, chasing the running boat, as if celebrating a grand festival.

Thirty-two hours later, the "Claremont" successfully reached its intended destination, from new york to Albany, a small town 240 kilometers from the upper reaches of the Hudson River. In the past, a human-powered wind boat sailed for 48 hours, even if it caught up with sunny weather. "clermont" naturally won its due position and became a regular liner of the Hudson River, sailing between new york and Albany.

Fulton really succeeded, and his childhood dream finally came true. What could be more gratifying than this?

Fulton's success also made people deeply realize the power of ships, which officially opened the prelude to the era of ships in shipping history; Therefore, although there were more than 10 people who built ships before Fulton, Fitch and Schmington are recognized as ship inventors in the world, and he is of course the "father of ships".