James Lowe

James Lowe (1798–1866) was the English inventor of a screw propeller.

Life

James Lowe was born in Rotherhithe, London, in 1798, to James and Elizabeth Lowe and baptised on 13 May. In 1811 Lowe began working for Edward Shorter, a master mechanic and Freeman of the City of London, who had in 1800 taken out a patent (GB patent 2367) for propelling vessels, which he had named "the perpetual sculling machine". On 2 November 1813, Lowe became an apprentice to Shorter but three years later in 1816 Lowe ran away and joined a whaling ship, the , but in 1825 and after three voyages returned to his master, with whom Lowe went into partnership.

Family

Lowe married, on 30 May 1825, Mary Lowe, née Barnes (1804–1871), the eldest daughter of George Barnes, builder, of Ewell, Surrey.