What is a boat steering wheel called? Revealing the secrets of directional control devices in navigation
In the field of navigation, a ship's directional control device is called"steering wheel"or"steering wheel", instead of the common "steering wheel" in daily life. Behind this professional terminology lies the profound accumulation of maritime culture and the long history of technological evolution. This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to introduce you to the relevant knowledge of ship direction control devices in detail, and attach structured data for reference.
1. Steering Wheel vs. Steering Wheel: The Origin of the Difference in Terminology

The directional control device of a ship is called a "steering wheel" mainly because its function and working principle are different from that of a car's "steering wheel". The "steering wheel" of a car directly controls the steering of the front wheels through a mechanical device, while the "rudder wheel" of a ship changes the course by controlling the angle of the rudder blades. This difference stems from the difference in the medium of movement between the two - cars travel on land, while ships sail in the water.
Among the hot topics in the past 10 days, the discussion about "nautical terminology" has been relatively hot, especially on social media. Many netizens are curious about the term "steering wheel". Here are statistics on related hot topics:
| hot topics | Discussion popularity | Main platform |
|---|---|---|
| Popular science about navigation terminology | high | Weibo, Zhihu |
| ship driving skills | in | Station B, Douyin |
| Maritime Culture and History | in | WeChat public account |
2. The structure and working principle of the steering wheel
The steering wheel usually consists of the following parts:
| Part name | Function description |
|---|---|
| steering wheel | A circular device operated by the pilot to control the angle of the rudder blades |
| steering gear | Convert the rotation of the steering wheel into the movement of the rudder blades |
| Rudder blade | Located at the stern of the ship, it adjusts the ship's course by changing the direction of the water flow. |
Among the recent hot topics, the discussion on "autonomous ships" also involves the intelligent transformation of steering wheels. For example, the "AI steering wheel control system" released by a technology company has become the focus of industry attention. Its characteristics are as follows:
| Technical features | Application scenarios |
|---|---|
| Automatic obstacle avoidance | ocean freighter |
| precise positioning | inland shipping |
| remote control | unmanned ship |
3. The symbolic meaning of the steering wheel in navigation culture
The steering wheel is not only the control device of the ship, but also a symbol of navigation culture. In recent popular film and television works, such as "Pirates" and "Deep Sea Adventure", the steering wheel is often used as an important prop, symbolizing "direction" and "control". The following is the discussion data of netizens on the symbolic meaning of the steering wheel:
| Film and television works | The number of times the steering wheel appears | Audience comments |
|---|---|---|
| "Pirate Legend" | 15 times | "Classic Nautical Symbols" |
| "Deep Sea Adventure" | 8 times | “Full sense of technology” |
4. Summary
The directional control device of a ship is called a "steering wheel", a term that reflects the professionalism and cultural heritage of navigation technology. From structural function to symbolic meaning, helms play a vital role in navigation. Recent hot topics and content also show that with the development of technology, the steering wheel is moving towards intelligence and automation. I hope that through the introduction of this article, you can have a deeper understanding of the question "What is a boat steering wheel called?"
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