I'm having a hard time finding useful sources describing windmills on ships.
Here's one that describes how a windmill was used to charge batteries for lighting.
This one suggests the Chance used it for running the bilges.
Given the era a pump seems more plausible than a generator.
Lanterns would be so reliable and manageable, while electric lights so unreliable and poorly understood.
That’s very cool! What’s the windmill for
If there's no wind, you can use the windmill to make wind. Windy pushes sails, boat go forward.
Windmills do not work that way!
Possibly to power a bilge pump?
Pushes the ship forward obviously
Adds some fun on a long journey.
Lol
So why didn't they rescue it
It used up its last chance.
It's bluff. Fucking cold down there
So divers would have a cool site to check out in a few generations
