Office Decorating: Add Sophistication with a Ships Wheel

The ships wheel is probably the most overlooked aspect of most boats but in reality it is a fascinating look into the elements of design and can reveal a lot about how design directly affects function. It doesn’t spit out cannonballs or anchor deep into the ocean floor, but the ships wheel is an important and necessary part of the overall function of the vessel and has even inspired many of today’s modern designs. The ships wheel goes beyond just a sleek design as its circular shape serves a specific purpose for the ship’s captain. The form follows function as the circular shape allows for better handling and overall steering. The ships wheel doesn’t have to be strictly circular, as many of them have wooden rods that extend out of the center to allow for better handling. More than just offering a sleek design, the circular shape performs a very specific function.

The ships wheel is an important element of design and it is worth taking a further look into how it functions.The ships wheel works directly with the rudder in order to adjust the angle of the boat or ship. The rudder and ships wheel together form a steering mechanism that has been coined the “helm”; they work together in order to direct the ship. Helm has been introduced into everyday speech meaning “to steer”. The helm functions via either a mechanical or hydraulic system. In some ships, the wheel is replaced with a toggle that remotely controls the rudder and alerts the helmsman.

It is not uncommon in older ships to find a tiller, which is a horizontal rod over the rudder. Older ships from the eighteenth century were designed to use the tiller in order to steer. So, if the captain steered left, the shift in turn would move right which is counterintuitive by today’s standards. With time, the design of the ships wheel mimicked that of an automotive steering wheel so that steering would mimic the direction in which the captain would turn the wheel and would therefore be more intuitive. The modern automobile steering wheel’s design was heavily influenced by the ships wheel due to the simplicity and effectiveness.  Today, ship wheel are one of the most popular examples of nautical wall decor.

Although a cursory glance at the ship’s wheel doesn’t reveal a fascinating design or engineering ingenuity, it has definitely contributed to modern designs and represents simple and sleek planning. Large, congested cities often come replete with traffic and it can be really frustrating to be sitting at the wheel, waiting for the light to change when you are in a rush to go somewhere; The next time you find yourself in such a predicament let your imagination get the best of you and imagine the ships wheel steering you to a different place, one full of the excitement and adventure that captain’s so often crave.