.]] A tiller or till is a lever attached to a rudder post (American terminology) or rudder stock (English terminology) of a boat that provides leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder. The tiller is normally used by the helmsman directly pulling or pushing it, but it may also be moved remotely using tiller lines.

Rapid or excessive movement of the tiller results in an increase in drag and will result in braking or slowing the boat. In steering a boat, the tiller is always moved in the direction opposite of which the bow of the boat is to move. If the tiller is moved to port side (left), the bow will turn to starboard (right). If the tiller is moved to starboard (right), the bow will turn port (left). Sailing students often learn the alliterative phrase "Tiller Towards Trouble" to remind them of how to steer.

Ship's wheel

As the size of boat increases the force needed to control the rudder via a tiller becomes excessive. In the 21st century, a steering wheel tends to be used instead of a tiller on new boats with an overall length in excess of approximately 10 metres, except on narrowboats on English canals, where boats up to 22 metres long and steered by a tiller are being built. Although the wheel replaced the tiller as the direct means of controlling the vessel the tiller was still present, connected as before to the top of the rudder. However it was now moved by mechanical means controlled by a wheel (by ropes or cables on smaller vessels and ultimately by a hydraulically-controlled steam engine on large steamships).

In modern boats emergency tillers are often carried in case the steering wheel on a vessel fails to operate.

Tiller orders

Until the current international standards were applied in the 1930s, it was common for steering orders on ships to be given as "Tiller Orders", which dictated to which side of the vessel the tiller was to be moved. Since the tiller is forward of the rudder's pivot point, and the rudder aft of it, the tiller's movement is reversed at the rudder, giving the impression that orders were given "the wrong way round". For example, to turn a ship to port (its left side), the helmsman would be given the order "starboard helm" or "x degrees starboard". The ship's tiller was then moved to starboard, turning the rudder to the vessel's port side, producing a turn to port. The opposite convention applied in France (where triboard—starboard—meant turn to starboard), but Austria and Italy kept to the English system. There was no standardization in vessels from Scandinavian countries, where the practice varied from ship to ship. Most French vessels with steering wheels had their steering chains reversed and when under the command of a British pilot this could result in confusion.

When large steamships appeared in the late 19th century with telemotors hydraulically connecting the wheel on the bridge to the steering gear at the stern, the practice continued. However the helmsman was now no longer directly controlling the tiller, and the ship's wheel was simply turned in the desired direction (turn the wheel to port and the ship will go to port). Tiller Orders remained however: although many maritime nations had abandoned the convention by the end of the 19th century, Britain retained it until 1933 and the U.S. merchant marine until 1935.

A well-known and often-depicted example occurred on the RMS Titanic in 1912 just before she collided with an iceberg. When the iceberg appeared directly in front of the ship, her officer-of-the-watch, First Officer William Murdoch, decided to attempt to clear the berg by swinging the ship to its port side. He ordered 'Hard-a-Starboard', which was a Tiller Order directing the helmsman to turn the wheel to port (anti-clockwise) as far as it would go. The Titanic's steering gear then pushed the tiller toward the starboard side of the ship, swinging the rudder over to port and causing the vessel to turn to port. These actions are faithfully portrayed in the 1997 film of the disaster. Although frequently described as an error, it is correct.

Although this system seems confusing and contradictory today, to generations of sailors trained on sailing vessels with tiller steering it seemed perfectly logical and was understood by all seafarers. Only when new generations of sailors trained on ships with wheel-and-tiller steering came into the industry was the system replaced.

Tillers on other vehicles

The first automobiles were steered with a tiller, but Packard introduced the steering wheel on the second car they built, in 1899. By early in the next century, the steering wheel had nearly entirely replaced the tiller in automobiles. However, some automobiles still used Tiller into the teens, such as Rauch & Lang Carriage Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. It manufactured electric automobiles.

Arthur Constantin Krebs replaced the tiller with an inclined steering wheel for the Panhard & Levassor car he designed for the Paris-Amsterdam race which ran from the 7–13 July 1898.

Today tractor-drawn semi-trailers for ladder trucks utilize a "tiller" (rear steering axle) driver to control the trailer where the aerial ladder is located.

Some jetliners, such as the Boeing 737, use a tiller to steer while taxiing.

Recumbent bicycles often use tiller steering.

Mobility Scooters use tiller steering.

Some Kayaks which have foot pedals use a tiller for steering.

See also

Steering engine

References

Category:Control devices Category:Sailboat anatomy Category:Sailing ship elements

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
Name	George Tiller
Birth name	George Richard Tiller
Birth date	August 08, 1941
Birth place	Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Death date	May 31, 2009
Death place	Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Death cause	Gunshot wound
Profession	Family medicine
Specialism	Late-term abortion
Known for	Pro-choice advocacy
Education	University of Kansas (zoology, 1963)University of Kansas School of Medicine (1967)Internship, United States Navy
Work institutions	Owner-operator of Women's Health Care – Wichita, Kansas (1975–2009)
Relations	Jeanne Elizabeth (Guenther) Tiller, widowDean Jackson "Jack" Tiller, M.D., father (1916–1970)

George Richard Tiller, MD (August 8, 1941 – May 31, 2009) was an American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He was the medical director of a clinic in Wichita, Women's Health Care Services, one of only three nationwide which provided abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy (known as late-term abortion).

Pro-life group Operation Rescue kept a daily vigil outside Tiller's clinic for many years: first the national group, then later a branch that moved from California to Kansas specifically to focus on Tiller. On August 19, 1993, outside of the Wichita clinic, Tiller was shot in both arms by Shelley Shannon, who received an 11-year prison sentence for the crime of attempted murder. On May 31, 2009, Tiller was shot through the eye and killed, by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder, as Tiller served as an usher during the Sunday morning service at his church in Wichita. Jurors deliberated 40 minutes before convicting Roeder of murder on January 29, 2010.

Background

George Tiller studied at the University of Kansas School of Medicine from 1963 to 1967. Shortly thereafter, he held a medical internship with United States Navy, and served as flight surgeon in Oakland, California, in 1969 and 1970. In July 1970, he planned to start a dermatology residency. However on August 21, 1970, his parents, sister and brother-in-law were killed in an aircraft accident. In her will, his sister had requested that Tiller take care of her one-year-old son. Tiller had intended to go back to Wichita, close up his father's family practice and then go back to become a dermatologist. However, he quickly felt pressure to take over his father's family practice. Tiller's father had performed abortions at his practice. After hearing about a woman who had died from an illegal abortion, Tiller stayed in Wichita to continue his father's practice.

1993 shooting

Throughout his career, Tiller was a frequent target of anti-abortion violence. In June 1986, his clinic was fire-bombed. While it was being rebuilt, Tiller displayed a sign reading "Hell no, we won't go". At the time she attacked Tiller, Shannon had been an anti-abortion activist for five years and had written letters of support to the convicted murderer Michael Griffin, who had murdered David Gunn. She called him "a hero." in 2009).]]

At her trial in state court, Shelley Shannon testified that there was nothing wrong with trying to kill Tiller. The jury convicted Shannon of attempted murder, and she was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The following year, however, Shannon was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison on charges of arson, interference with commerce by force and interstate travel in aid of racketeering in connection to her participation in several fires and acid attacks on abortion clinics.

Controversies

Late term abortion

In accordance with Kansas state law Tiller performed late-term abortions, which helped to make him a focal point for anti-abortion protest and violence. Tiller treated patients who discovered late in pregnancy that their fetuses had severe or fatal birth defects. He also aborted healthy late-term fetuses, in cases where two doctors certified that carrying the fetus to term would cause the woman "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."

Christin Gilbert

Christin Gilbert, a 19-year-old woman with Down Syndrome from Keller, Texas, died in January 2005 after a multi-day abortion procedure performed at Tiller's facility, though reports conflict as to whether the abortion was performed by Tiller himself or by LeRoy Carhart. Gilbert had been 28 weeks pregnant. The autopsy stated that Gilbert died of sepsis following the abortion. Tiller was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts. After a petition from Operation Rescue, a grand jury was convened to probe Gilbert's death, which resulted in no indictments against Tiller.

The O'Reilly Factor

Tiller was first discussed on The O'Reilly Factor on February 25, 2005. Subsequently Tiller was discussed in at least 28 episodes before his death. On the show he was sometimes described as "Tiller the Baby Killer". O'Reilly did not invent the nickname; previously, Congressman Robert K. Dornan had used it on the floor of Congress. Host Bill O'Reilly said he wouldn't want to be Tiller, Kathleen Sebelius, and other pro-choice Kansas politicians "if there is a judgment day." On November 3, 2006, O'Reilly featured an exclusive segment on his The O'Reilly Factor, saying that he had an "inside source" with official clinic documentation indicating that Tiller performed late-term abortions to alleviate "temporary depression" in the pregnant woman. O'Reilly also interviewed a woman who allegedly got pregnant when she was 13 and went to Tiller for her abortion.

Trial and acquittal

Kansas law prohibits abortions after the beginning of fetal viability, which is generally midway through the second trimester, unless two doctors certify that continuing the pregnancy would cause the woman "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."

The case became a cause célèbre for both supporters and opponents of abortion. Columnist Jack Cashill compared the trial to the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals, while NYU Professor Jacob Appel described Tiller as "a genuine hero who ranks alongside Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr. in the pantheon of defenders of human liberty."

On March 27, 2009, the jury found Tiller not guilty on all charges. However, the Kansas Board of Healing Arts continued to investigate charges of ethical violations that mirrored the prosecutors' criminal allegations.

Stephen Maxwell, one of top assistants in both the Kansas attorney general's office and later the Johnson County District Attorney's office, was later accused of mishandling the case. The complaints against him include: allowing his underling to commit perjury, copying patients' records and failing to report their location to the court, and failure to report a court opinion that didn't support contention for a subpoena.

Murder

Tiller was shot through the eye at close range and killed on May 31, 2009, during worship services at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, where he was serving as an usher and handing out church bulletins. Three hours after the shooting, the anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder was arrested about 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City. On June 2, 2009, Roeder was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting, subsequently convicted in January 2010 on those charges, and sentenced to life without parole for 50 years on April 1, 2010, the maximum sentence available in Kansas.

Tiller's killing was largely condemned by groups and individuals on both sides of the abortion issue. President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" and Southern Baptist minister and radio host Wiley Drake said, "I am glad that he is dead."

After the shooting, Tiller's colleague, Leroy Carhart of Nebraska, stated that Tiller's clinic, Women's Health Care Services, would reopen after being closed for one week to mourn his death. The following week, Tiller's family announced that the clinic would be closed permanently.

In October 2010, it was reported that a federal grand jury is investigating whether Tiller's murder was connected to a broader case involving radical anti-abortion activists, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the case.

See also

Abortion in the United States

Anti-abortion violence

Barnett Slepian

David Gunn

References

External links

George R. Tiller M.D. Memorial Fund

Are Some Anti-Abortion Attacks Domestic Terrorism? NOW on PBS Piece aired following Dr. Tiller's death

"George Tiller speaks about the history of violence against him and his medical practice," Kansas City The Pitch

"Remembered for Lifelong Dedication to Women's Reproductive Health" Five women (two of them doctors) who worked with Dr. Tiller; Democracy Now!, June 1, 2009 (video, audio, and print transcript)

Criminal Complaint (Kansas v. Roeder) FindLaw, June 2, 2009

Letters of condolence sent to the editors of The New York Times

Category:1941 births Category:2009 deaths Category:American abortion providers Category:American Lutherans Category:American physicians Category:American shooting survivors Category:American terrorism victims Category:Assassinated American people Category:Deaths by firearm in Kansas Category:Murdered doctors Category:People from Wichita, Kansas Category:People murdered in Kansas Category:United States Navy officers Category:University of Kansas alumni Category:Victims of religiously motivated violence in the United States