Between 1892 and 1893, French inventor Ernest Bazin filed patent for an unusual ship design.
Simultaneously, construction of the first roller ship commenced at the Cail shipyard in Saint-Denis.
The ship consisted of a rectangular platform which was about 86 meters long and 12 meters wide.
In contrast, a conventional ship with a similar structure and power could only reach half that speed.
He announced plans to construct a larger ship with four pairs of rollers for transatlantic journeys.
The wheels churned up so much water that they slowed down the ship instead of pulling it forwards.
Contrary to the predicted 20 knots, the ship could only reach a maximum speed of 7 knots.
Ernest Bazin died shortly afterwards in January 1898 with a disappointed heart.
Both Bazin associations were dissolved in the same year.
No one showed any interest, and in the end the ship was scrapped.
