Muscle power
The sweep
As well as oars, muscle power can also propel a vessel by means of a sweep. This is a long pole, flattened at the end like an oar, usually used over the stern of a vessel. A sweep was typically used to propel and steer a lighter on tidal waters like the River Thames. The lighterman would use the sweep like a rudder to control the direction his craft was heading. He would also use it like an oar to move his lighter across the tideway or in a dock.
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