Did you know that James Steedman of Irvine first came up with the idea for a screw propeller in 1810 after observing the trout swimming in the streams at Eglinton, Kilwinning?
He noticed that the fish propelled themselves through water using their tails. Through experimentation he refined his idea and eventually conducted a successful experiment in a ditch in a secluded field using a stake from a hedgerow, a stone for cargo and for the engine, a springwand from a mole trap combined with a screw.
This remarkable inventor from Irvine has been added to the ‘Stories’ section of our website: click the link below to learn more about him.