Voith Schneider Propeller

A low acoustic signature favours the device's use in minesweepers by minimising cavitation (usually produced at the tips of axial propellers) as the rotor does not need to rotate as fast for a given thrust.

The underwater sound signature of the MV North Sea Giant (IMO: 9524073, MMSI: 248039000) dynamic positioning vessel was measured by the International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT) whilst installing a foundation monopile for the Voith tidal energy device in the Fall of Warness, Orkney (Ref Beharie and Side, 2011).

In 1928 a prototype was installed in a 60-hp motor launch named Torqueo (Latin:I spin) and trials were carried out on Lake Constance.

The first British ship to use Voith Schneider propellers was the double-ended Isle of Wight ferry MV Lymington, launched in 1938.

The three vessels (John Burns, Ernest Bevin, and James Newman) which were in service for the Woolwich Ferry until 2018 featured Voith-Schneider propulsion systems.

They were built in 1963 by the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company of Dundee and featured one VSP in the bow and a second in the stern for remarkable maneuverability.

"[6] The French Navy operates sixteen tugboats of the RPC12 type, that can provide a 12-tonne bollard pull thanks to two Voith Schneider propellers.