Never forget the time a dude (Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, to be exact) got so mad at his country’s navy (The British Royal Navy, to be exact) for ignoring him that he built a ship that went 34.5 knots, and drove it around their battleships during a national Navy review.
“
Parsons’ ship turned up unannounced at the Navy Review for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee at Spithead, on 26 June 1897, in front of the Prince of Wales, Lords of the Admiralty and foreign dignitaries. As an audacious publicity stunt, Turbinia, which was much faster than any ship at the time, raced between the two lines of navy ships and steamed up and down in front of the crowd and princes, while easily evading a Navy picket boat that tried to pursue her, almost swamping it with her wake.” (X) (X)

That’s pretty cool. It was a bangin little ship and the stunt worked. The Royal Navy picked up on his steam turbine and commissioned him to build some for their ships.
Look at her go.

Here’s the Turbinia in drydock being repaired after it was almost cut in two by another ship.

And here it is today in the Newcastle Discovery Museum.

Nice addition! I didn’t know they still had it.
Holy molly, that’s a lot of propellers!
scrapironfloaties


