Active rudder
An active rudder is a special form of rowing . A small ship propeller is built into the rudder surface, which navigates the ship in the desired direction even at low speeds, if the effect of the rudder surface is small. However, since more and more ships have installed a bow thruster , this type of rudder is rarely used.
The active rudder was invented around 1952 by F. W. Pleuger (today Pleuger Industries GmbH ). A water-filled electric motor was used to drive it. As a further development, the pod drive was invented and patented by F. W. Pleuger as early as 1955 , but at that time it was too far ahead of its time and only established itself in shipbuilding since 1990.