Like all other engines employed upon sailing ships, the whipstaff was an evolution from the simple transverse tiller of early days. Immediately the changes wrought by moving the rudder from side to stern were accomplished, the erection of an after castle and its speedy enclosure, necessitated some means of placing the helmsman where he could have an unobstructed field of vision.
This was apparently accomplished not long after the above-mentioned change, perhaps as early as the middle of the 14th Century. It is not known when the fulcrum for the upright lever and the eye on the bottom of the upright staff employed in the French vessels were invented.
As the size of the ships increased and more decks were added, it was again necessary to find a method of providing an opening through which the helmsman could see.
This sometimes took the form of a curved structure or arch (called in French the "dos d'ane"--ass's back) over the whipstaff.
The whipstaff was a pretty poor affair. It did not permit the helm to be put hard over either side; consequently, as it could only be operated for a few degrees, much of the direction of a vessel's course was of necessity accomplished by the handling and trim of the sails. Moreover, only one man could stand at the "whipp" conveniently. So that in large vessels and in foul weather this appliance could not be operated. Under such circumstances relieving tackles were placed upon the tiller. Some bright mind conceived the idea of placing the two ends of these tackles upon a drum, so that as one was wound in, the other was let out. The steering wheel was the result--the most important advance in naval engineering in centuries. The exact date of its introduction is unknown but it is believed to have come into quite general use during the early years of the 18th Century.
