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A.Appleyard wrote:

> I saw an item about the artificial fish tail compared with a propeller, on a
> UK TV program called `Tomorrow's World'. It seems that the fishtail sends more
> water backwards and less sideways than the standard propeller. But it seems to
> me that what you gain in efficiency this way you lose in payload and motor
> space by the space occupied by the tail-waving mechanism. I suspect that most
> research will have to be towards more efficient screws and waterjets etc.

I would think that an artificial tail would be less efficient than a propeller.
Remember, $billions$ has been spent on fluid flow research, and the mechanics
of propulsion.  Why aren't airplanes propelled by tails?  A fluid, only thinner.
Incidently, I'm not sure that the wash of tails would be narrower than the
propwash of a well-designed propeller.

I think the real potential lies in waterjets.  The submarine technology seen
in _The Hunt for Red October_ was really interesting.

Christina

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