The Kitchen Rudder is the familiar name for "Kitchen's Patent Reversing Rudders", a combination rudder and directional propulsion delivery system for relatively slow speed displacement boats which was invented in the early 20th century by John G.A.Kitchen of Lancashire, England. It turns the rudder into a directional thruster, and allows the engine to maintain constant revolutions and direction of drive shaft rotation while altering thrust by use of a control which directs thrust forward or aft. Only the rudder pivots; the propeller itself is on a fixed shaft and does not.
"Kitchener gear" or "Kitchener rudder" have been common misnomers for the Kitchen rudder.
It is held under British Provisional Patent No. 3249/1914 and US Patent No. 1186210 (1916) and has been improved with the design in US Patent 4895093 (1990)
Read more about Kitchen Rudder: Description, Operation
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