As far as I remember, the general conclusion was that in 1858 the Variable Pitch Screw Propeller was not yet invented. Additionally, there was no single name the invention of the Boat VPP was attributed to. You can imagine my surprise when I came across this little article in the 1855 issue of Mechanic's Magazine.
Could 16 October, 1854 be the date when Mr. W. Wain patented the VPP?
KD: I did mean patented, and not invented, for the pub does not say that he invented it. To be honest even if it did, I would still think that it was invented by somebody else, and at a different time.
Yet, it looks like Mr. W. Wain was denied some well "deserved" recognition.
Would like to hear @ISeenItFirst's opinion on whether I'm reading the contents correctly.
Additionally: After scrolling through this book, I have no idea why 60 years later horses were still the main mode of transportation. Funny how everyone, and their brother were filing patents day in and day out. R&D was probably happening in their heads only.
It only appears that whoever was not fighting in some war, would be laying bricks (rebuilding) after one of the urban fires. Apparently they were simultaneously inventing stuff.
Note: This OP was recovered from the KeeperOfTheKnowledge archive.
Nice Find!! Exactly what I went looking for myself. Yep, this looks like a variable pitch propeller, you got it right on the money, not that you needed me to tell you that.
There is this theme, where inventors were inventing, or patenting things left and right, and seem to be just conceptualizing these things without the ability to practically use them at the time. It always seemed to make sense to me, in the context of the machines and material science available to the general public, (see my posts on the centuries old revolver for an example), but i'm starting to question that narrative in a few areas thanks to this site. The volume of patents and inventions alone, makes it suspect.
Discover (re find, uncover etc) patent it, wait until someone you pay very little works out what the hell it is, how to replicate and operate it... then $£€
This the chap?
From here; William Wain - Graces Guide William Wain (1819-1882)
Born in Bolton in March 1819. In 1849 he became Chief Engineer of the Royal Danish Navy, and became Assistant Director of the Royal Dockyards in 1862. He became a partner in Burmeister and Wain in 1865 [1]. He died on 1st May 1882
If so he was working for the Royal Danish Navy at the time.
From here; Technology
In 1790 Denmark got its first steam engine and in 1806 two advanced Boulton & Watt engines were bought for the anchor forge at Gammelholm. The Navy therefore was in desperate search of a person with the necessary skills to head the building up of the technical services on Holmen. During a visit to England the young naval officer, N.E. Tuxen met a technically gifted Englishman, whom he invited to Copenhagen. The name of this Englishman was William Wain and he was immediately offered a position at Holmen. In 1852 an engineering-corps and an engineering shop were founded under his leadership and ten years later he was appointed sub-director of the engineer department.
Definitely him. Visning af: Origins and Development of the Danish Shipbuilding Industry 1854—1932 Instead, William Wain, an assistant director of the Naval dockyards (Orlogsværftet), was chosen as Burmeister's new partner after Baumgarten's retirement in 1865. An Englishman by birth and early training, he had a string of inventions to his credit, including a floating dock, a new type of ships propellor, and a redesigned ship's steam engine.
