Editing Azimuth thruster (section)

==History==
English inventor [[Francis Ronalds]] described what he called a ''propelling rudder'' in 1859 that combined the propulsion and steering mechanisms of a boat in a single apparatus. The propeller was placed in a frame having an outer profile similar to a rudder and attached to a vertical shaft that allowed the device to rotate in plane while spin was transmitted to the propeller.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Sir Francis Ronalds: Father of the Electric Telegraph|last = Ronalds|first = B.F.|publisher = Imperial College Press|year = 2016|isbn = 978-1-78326-917-4|location = London}}</ref>

The modern azimuth thruster using the Z-drive transmission was invented in 1951 by Joseph Becker, the founder of [[Schottel (company)|Schottel]] in Germany, and marketed as the Ruderpropeller.  Becker was awarded the 2004 [[Elmer A. Sperry Award]] for the invention.<ref name="sperry">{{cite web |url=http://www.sperryaward.org/awardbooklets/2004%20Sperry%20Award%20Booklet.pdf|title=Presentation of The Elmer A. Sperry Award for 2004|publisher=Sperryaward.org|access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref> This kind of propulsion was first patented in 1955 by [[Pleuger rudder|Pleuger]].<ref name="Pleuger">{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2714866|title=Patent US2714866 - Device for propelling a ship|access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref>

In the late 1980s Wärtsilä Marine, Strömberg and the Finnish National Board of Navigation developed the [[Azipod]] thruster with the motor located in the pod itself.{{cn|date=November 2014}}