Toro Submarino - Development

Development

In 1864, an overseas German civil engineer Federico Blume Othon (1831–1901), developed the design of the first submarine for the Peruvian Navy. Blume who participated in the construction of railroads in Peru, presented his idea after the Spanish Pacific squadron occupied the Chincha Islands during the Chincha Islands War. His purpose was to create a device that could confront, with minimum risk, the powerful enemy fleet. The result was the Toro Submarino (Submarine Bull). It was a revolutionary design for the ships of those days.

She floated and could dive by opening the seacock and filling the ballast tanks. It could also renew the air being submerged using the principle of the snorkel. The war with Spain however came to an end in 1866, and the submarine was not built, but during the war with Chile, Blume once again offered his services to the Peruvian Navy, presenting an improved version of his 1864 submarine. The engineer started to work on his machine in June 1879, only two months after the declaration of war, financing the project with his own resources. The work was carried out in secrecy during four months at a factory property of the Piura–Paita Northern Railroad. The submarine, a 48-foot-long (15 m) cylindrical, 1⁄₄-inch-thick (6.4 mm) iron boiler, bound together by iron strips and rivets, could be operated manually by eight men out of a total crew of eleven who, at the same time, could move the air fans and the water pump. The ventilation tubes were made of brass, and they could be raised or lowered through a special device. Ship instrumentation included internal pressure gauges, depth meter and ballast tank water level. The submarine used an Otto-type gasoline engine for surface running, and electric motors for submerged operations.

On October 14, 1879, Blume, together with his son and eight railroad workers, started testing the submarine off the coast of Paita. Testing lasted almost three weeks and proved that the submarine could reach a depth of 72 feet and a maximum speed of 4 knots. News about the amazing weapon reached Supreme Director Nicolás de Piérola, who became very enthusiastic about the idea of using it against the Chilean Navy, so preparations were made to show her capability to the authorities.