Fun fact: Ships back then did not use "Helm Wheels" to steer the ship. Instead they used a whipstaff (link takes you to Wikipedia).
Functionality wise they worked nearly the same, the only problem was that the whipstaff usually was located on the top gundeck which meant it was not visible. This also meant that the visibility for the man currently steering the ship was reduced. So reduced in fact, that he needed another crew member to give him instructions on where to steer as he alone could not see outside.