"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:fvUqb.10776$62.3537@lakeread04...
Don't sell us Southern good ol' boys or our BBQ short. The CSS Alabama
had a retractable propeller for better efficiency under sail. (Beats
the heck out of a feathering prop.) It was disconnected from the shaft
and hoisted under the fantail on a rail assembly. It could be lowered
and pinned to the shaft rather quickly.
The HMS Warrior which is in Portsmouth had the same kind of system .When all
sail was called they would unpin the screw from the shaft and crank it up
out of the water on a special railway.
I have read someplace that it was a bit of a pain to do..

Neil Currey
Building a Dix design Pratique 35