I don't know about big ships, but on smaller boats most?/all of the steering is mechanical or hydraulic. However, steering is almost always done via an autopilot which can be hooked up to an electronic chart plotter which can lead to problems because of the crew mistakes. One thing that I find risky is that there is a movement in the industry to have navigation controls handled over WiFi. There are remote control units, just a glorified tv remote, that allows one to set course and speed. This can also be done via tablet and I assume cell phones. :shocked::shocked::shocked:
There is SOOOOO much wrong with this level of computerization. The hand held could be very helpful with a single person when dealing with the anchor but using this stuff to dock or navigate in traffic gives me the willies. Sooooo much to go wrong. I know darn well someone will eventually run up on a reef, hit a dock or another boat because the batteries in the remote died....:shocked:
Then add on the idea of someone hacking into your helm control over WiFi.... Or getting a malware that locks up you system while docking or in traffic...
If the USN has WiFi enabled navigation systems on the ships, someone should be keel hauled a few hundred times and then hung from the yard arm of the USS Constitution.
Later,
Dan
