a self-propelled vessel driven by a steam engine or steam turbine.
The steamship appeared in the early 19th century, when the manufacture of steam engines was organized. In 1807, R. Fulton built the first river steamer, the Clermont, which made its first voyage up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany at a speed of about 5 knots (approximately 9 km/hr). The first steamship in Russia, the Elizaveta, with a 4 hp (2.8 kilowatts) engine, was built in 1815 and plied between St. Petersburg and Kronstadt.
The first Atlantic crossing by a steamship was made in 1819 by the American vessel Savannah, which was equipped with a steam engine and side paddle wheels. However, the ship made a large part of its voyage under sails, which continued to be used for a long time as auxiliary propulsion on oceangoing vessels. It was not until 1838 that the British side-wheel steamship Sirius crossed the Atlantic without the use of sails. With the transition to screw propellers in the 1840’s, the seaworthiness of steamships improved substantially. By the early 20th century, propeller steamships had practically replaced sailing ships on the main sea routes. Modern steamships are equipped mainly with steam turbines.