History of Submarines - European/American Submarines (mid 1800s)

European/American Submarines (mid 1800s)

The first submarine that did not rely on human power for propulsion was the French Navy submarine Plongeur, launched in 1863, and equipped with a reciprocating engine using compressed air from 23 tanks at 180 psi.

The Ictineo II, designed by Narcís Monturiol, was the first combustion driven submarine and the first fully functional submarine.

Originally launched in 1864 as a human-powered vessel, propelled by 16 men, it was converted to peroxide propulsion and steam in 1867. The 14 meter (46 ft) craft was designed for a crew of two, could dive to 30 metres (96 ft), and demonstrated dives of two hours. On the surface it ran on a steam engine, but underwater such an engine would quickly consume the submarine's oxygen; so Monturiol invented an air-independent propulsion system. As the air-independent power system drove the screw, the chemical process driving it also released oxygen into the hull for the crew and an auxiliary steam engine. Apart from being mechanically powered, Monturiol's pioneering double hulled vessels also solved pressure, buoyancy, stability, diving and ascending problems that had bedeviled earlier designs.

In 1870, French writer Jules Verne published the science fiction classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which concerns the adventures of a maverick inventor in Nautilus, a submarine more advanced than any that existed at that time. The story inspired inventors to build more advanced submarines.

In 1878 a Manchester curate, the Reverend George Garrett obtained a patent for "Improvements in and appertaining to Submarine or Subaqueous Boats" and set up a company to build them. His first prototype Resurgam was hand powered and next year the company built the steam-powered Resurgam II at Birkenhead. Garrett intended to demonstrate the 12 m long vehicle to the Royal Navy at Portsmouth, but had mechanical problems, and while under tow the submarine was swamped and sank off North Wales.

The first submarine built in series, however, was human-powered. It was the submarine of the Polish inventor Stefan Drzewiecki—50 units were built in 1881 for the Russian government. In 1884 the same inventor built an electric-powered submarine.

Discussions between George Garrett and Swede Thorsten Nordenfelt led to a series of steam powered submarines. The first was the Nordenfelt I, a 62 ton, 64 foot long spindle shaped vessel similar to the Resurgam II, with a range of 150 miles and armed with a single external torpedo, completed in 1885. Greece, fearful of the return of the Ottomans, purchased it (the submarine was shipped in parts and assembled by the Ifaistos machine works in Piraeus). Due to problems during testing, it was never operationally utilized. Nordenfelt then built at Chertsey the Nordenfelt II (Abdülhamid) in 1886 and Nordenfelt III (Abdülmecid) in 1887, a pair of 98 foot long submarines with twin torpedo tubes, for the Ottoman navy. The Abdülhamid achieved fame as the world's first submarine to fire a torpedo underwater. Nordenfelt's efforts culminated in 1887 with the Nordenfelt IV, with twin motors and twin torpedoes, built at Barrow-in-Furness. It was sold to the Russians, but proved unstable, ran aground and was scrapped.

The first fully capable military submarine was the electrically powered vessel built by the Spanish engineer and sailor, Isaac Peral, for the Spanish Navy. It was launched on September 8, 1888. It had two torpedoes, new air systems, hull shape and propeller and cruciform external controls anticipating later designs. Its underwater speed was ten knots. When fully charged it was the fastest submarine yet built, with performance levels (except for range) that matched or exceeded those of First World War U-boats. In June 1890 Peral's submarine launched a torpedo under the sea. It was also the first submarine to incorporate a fully reliable underwater navigation system. However, conservatives in the naval hierarchy terminated the project despite two years of successful tests.

Also marking an important milestone in the development of military submarines was the French navy's Gymnote, launched on September 24, 1888. The electrically powered Gymnote was another fully functional military submarine. It completed 2,000 dives successfully. However, like the Peral, its range was also limited by its reliance on batteries.

Many more submarines were built at this time by various inventors, such as Simon Lake and Oliver Halstead, but they were not to become effective weapons until the 20th century.