Rotor ship

A rotor ship is a type of ship designed to use the Magnus effect for propulsion. The ship is propelled, at least in part, by large powered vertical rotors, sometimes known as rotor sails. German engineer Anton Flettner was the first to build a ship that attempted to tap this force for propulsion. "The idea worked, but the propulsion force generated was less than the motor would have generated if it had been connected to a standard marine propeller."^[1]

Ships using his type of rotor are sometimes known as Flettner ships.^[2]

The Magnus effect is a force acting on a spinning body in a moving airstream, which produces a force perpendicular to both the direction of the airstream and the axis of the rotor.

^ NASA web page
^ Borg, John (1985). "The Magnus Effect - an overview of its past and future practical applications" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center (.mil). Prepared by the Borg/Luther Group for Naval Sea Systems Command Department of the Navy. Retrieved 11 September 2024.

[1] NASA web page

[Magnus_Effect_Overview_for_US_Navy-2] Borg, John (1985). "The Magnus Effect - an overview of its past and future practical applications" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center (.mil). Prepared by the Borg/Luther Group for Naval Sea Systems Command Department of the Navy. Retrieved 11 September 2024.

[1]

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