Which British engineer designed the first steam turbine ship, the Turbinia, in 1894?

Charles Algernon Parsons designed the first steam turbine-powered ship, Turbinia, launched in 1894.

Parsons had invented the modern steam turbine in 1884 and recognised that its compact, high-speed rotary motion could transform marine propulsion. Turbinia was built as an experimental vessel on the River Tyne to test that idea. Its first trials were disappointing because a single propeller could not efficiently handle the turbine’s speed.

Parsons investigated cavitation—the formation and collapse of bubbles around rapidly turning propellers—and redesigned the propulsion system. Turbinia eventually used three turbines, three shafts and nine propellers. The result was a remarkable speed of about 34.5 knots, making it the fastest ship in the world at the time.

The vessel caused a sensation at the 1897 Spithead Naval Review, where it raced past slower ships and demonstrated the potential of turbine propulsion. Parsons later founded the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, and turbine engines soon became important in naval vessels and ocean liners. Turbinia is now preserved at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum.