Steering engine

A steering engine is a power steering device for ships.

The first steering engine with feedback was installed on Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern in 1866. Designed by Scottish engineer John McFarlane Gray and built by George Forrester and Company, this was a steam-powered mechanical amplifier used to drive the rudder position to match the wheel position. The size of Great Eastern, by far the largest ship of her day, made power steering a necessity.