Who Invented It? The Controversial History of Technology and Invention

Who Invented It? The Controversial History of Technology and Invention
© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved 1

USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735)
© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved
References Preston, Antony; “Submarines”, Gallery Books, New York, 1990 Friedman, Norman, “Submarine Design and Development”, Conway Maritime Press, 1984 Philbin, Tom, “100 Greatest Inventions of All Time”, Citadel Press, New York, 1993 Hellman, Hal, “Great Feuds in Technology”, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2004 © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

Earliest Designs 1578- concept by William Bourne (UK) in Inventions and Devices; included leather bags inside the hull and screw levers to press the water out; never built. 1624 – Dutch physician Cornelius van Drebbel built two submersibles with oars to submerge, no ballast tanks 1653 – de Son in Rotterdam built a 72’ wooden catamaran with a clockwork engine between the hulls. Underpowered, it failed. 1773 – Day, a UK ship’s carpenter, converted a small sloop with an air chamber amidships and detachable boulders as emergency ballast. One successful dive at Plymouth; lost on the second dive. 1578- concept by William Bourne (UK) in Inventions and Devices; included leather bags inside the hull and screw levers to press the water out; never built. 1624 – Dutch physician Cornelius van Drebbel built two submersibles with oars to submerge, no ballast tanks. 1653 – de Son in Rotterdam built a 72’ wooden catamaran with a clockwork engine between the hulls. Underpowered it failed. 1773 – Day, a UK ship’s carpenter, converted a small sloop with an air chamber amidships and detachable boulders as emergency ballast. One successful dive at Plymouth; lost on the second dive. Most of these were wooden hulls covered over with leather to make them air tight and powered by oars. Van Drebbel added greased leather outside the underside hull to improve integrity. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

The Turtle 8’long, 6’tall, 3’ wide; two wooden shells covered with tar, reinforced with steel bands Ballast by flooding and hand pumping; horizontal and vertical screws 130lb gunpowder mine attached by a screw to the target, detonated by timed fuse September 7, 1776: Sergeant Ezra Lee, attacked Admiral Howe's flagship HMS Eagle, moored off Governors Island Unable to attach the mine after two attempts, currents forced him to withdraw 1777 – Attacked HMS Cerberus anchored in Niantic Bay Turtle was sunk by the British on its tender vessel in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The submarine was to drill into a ship's hull and plant a 130lb keg of gunpowder, which would be detonated by a time fuse. Much testing was done by the inventor's brother, Ezra Bushnell, in the Connecticut River. 8 feet long 6 feet tall, and about 3 feet wide, consisting of two wooden shells covered with tar and reinforced with steel bands. It submerged by allowing water into a bilge tank and ascended by pushing water out through a hand pump; propelled vertically and horizontally by hand-cranked propellers, the first recorded use of the screw propeller for ships. It had 200 lbs of lead which could be dropped to increase buoyancy. It contained enough air for about thirty minutes Six small pieces of thick glass in the top were the only source of natural light. Benjamin Franklin suggested bioluminescent foxfire to provide illumination for the compass and depth meter. On the night of September 7, 1776 army volunteer Sergeant Ezra Lee, attacked Admiral Howe's flagship HMS Eagle, moored off Governors Island, due south of Manhattan. Lee's unfamiliarity with the vessel made him unable to keep the Turtle stable enough to work the drill against the Eagle's Hull. When he attempted another spot in the hull, he was unable to stay beneath the ship, and eventually abandoned the attempt. During the attack the tide turned and Lee was unable to compensate. He released the keg of gunpowder when British sailors in row boats pursued him. In 1777, Lee used floating mines in an attempt to destroy the British frigate HMS Cerberus, anchored in Niantic Bay. The explosion killed several sailors but failed to damage the ship. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

Robert Fulton Fulton designed the Nautilus between 1793 and 1797, in France. Twice rejected by the government, Napoleon himself authorized 10,000 francs for the sub. Successful dives in the Seine in spring 1800. Tests at Brest were blocked by French Admirals. In 1804 Fulton offered his design to the British, whose Admirals also declined. Fulton designed the Nautilus between 1793 and 1797, while living in France. He asked the government to subsidize its construction but he was turned down twice. Napoleon himself authorized 10,000 francs for the sub. Successful dives in the Seine in spring Tests at Brest were blocked by the French Admirals. In 1804 Fulton offered his design to the British, whose Admirals also declined. In France Fulton also met Chancellor Robert R. Livingston who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to France in 1801, and they decided to build a steamboat together and try running it on the Seine. Fulton experimented with the water resistance of various hull shapes, made drawings and models, and had a steamboat constructed. At the first trial the boat ran perfectly, but the hull was later rebuilt and strengthened, and on August 9, 1803, this boat steamed up the River Seine. In 1806, Fulton married Chancellor Livingston's niece Harriet (who was the daughter of Walter Livingston), and they later had four children: Robert, Julia, Mary and Cornelia. In 1807, Fulton and Livingston together built the first commercial steamboat, the North River Steamboat (later known as the Clermont), which carried passengers between New York City and Albany, New York. The Clermont was able to make the 300 mile trip in 62 hours. From 1811 until his death, Fulton was a member of the Erie Canal Commission. Fulton died in 1815. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

Wilhelm Bauer – 1850, 1855 Designed a submarine to break the Danish blockade of the German coast: the Brandtaucher (Fire Diver) A rectangular box with a hand-crank driven screw; water ballast for submerging, and a movable weight to control dive angle First deployment in December 1850; the Danish fleet withdrew Lost in January 1851; Bauer and his crew of two escaped Built the 52 ft Seeteufel (Sea Devil) for Russia in 1855 Bauer was a German artillery sergeant. On Sept 6, 1856, Seeteufel submerged at Kronstadt with musicians playing the Russian national anthem for the coronation of Tsar Alexander II. Source: Preston, Antony; “Submarines”, Gallery Books, New York © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

Resurgam – 1879; Nordenfelt 1883
Plongeur – 1863 French design, 140ft, four-cylinder engine, air to expel water from ballast tanks Resurgam – designed by George Garrett; launched 1879, foundered 1880 Thorsten Nordenfelt commissioned Garrett for a newer design in 1883; sold to Greece as Nordenfelt 1 Turkey quickly ordered two Nordenfelt submarines Plongeur had many characteristics of submarines built in France 40 years later Garrett was a Victorian clergyman The Swedish arms manufacturer Thorsten Nordenfelt took note of Garrett’s Resurgam and paid for him to supervise construction of a new boat in Stockholm. They sold this to Greece as Nordenfelt 1. Turkish Nordenfelt in Constantinople, 1887 © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

Pioneer and Bayou St. John
Pioneer was the first of three submarines developed by Horace Lawson Hunley, and two partners Pioneer was tested in 1862 in the Mississippi River, and was later towed to Lake Pontchartrain for additional trials Pioneer was scuttled in the New Basin Canal; raised and examined by Union troops The Bayou St. John was scuttled in 1862 rediscovered in 1878 during dredging at the intersection of the Bayou St. John and Lake Pontchartrain Pioneer was the first of three submarines privately developed and paid for by Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock and Baxter Watson. They built Pioneer in New Orleans, Louisiana. Pioneer was tested in February 1862 in the Mississippi River, and was later towed to Lake Pontchartrain for additional trials, but the Union advance towards New Orleans the following month prompted the men to abandon development and scuttle Pioneer in the New Basin Canal. The scuttled "Pioneer" was raised and examined by Union troops. The Bayou St. John submarine is constructed of riveted iron, 20 feet long, 3 feet wide and 6 feet deep, with a hand-cranked propeller. The submarine was rediscovered in 1878 during a dredging of Bayou St. John at its intersection with Lake Pontchartrain where the submarine was scuttled to prevent it falling into Union hands after the U.S. capture of New Orleans. The Bayou submarine and the Pioneer may have undergone trials at about the same time and confusion between the two may date back to contemporary accounts; it is not clear which of the two was constructed first. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

CSS David cigar-shaped boat carried a 60- or 70-pound explosive charge on the end of a spar – not a submarine: strictly a low-profile surface craft 1864 – five attacks near Charleston harbor including attacks on the USS New Ironsides and the USS Wabash Captured by the Union when Charleston fell CSS David was built as a private venture by T. Stoney at Charleston, South Carolina in 1863, and put under the control of the Confederate States Navy. The cigar-shaped boat carried a 60- or 70-pound explosive charge on the end of a spar projecting forward from her bow. Designed to operate very low in the water, David resembled in general a submarine; she was, however, strictly a surface vessel. Operating on dark nights, and using anthracite coal which burns without smoke, David was nearly as hard to see as a true submarine. On the night of October 5, 1863, David, commanded by Lieutenant William T. Glassell, CSN, attacked the ironclad steamer USS New Ironsides. Her spar torpedo detonated under the starboard quarter of the ironclad, throwing high a column of water which rained back upon the Confederate vessel and put out her boiler fires. Believing that their vessel was sinking, Glassell and two others abandoned her; the pilot, Walker Cannon, who could not swim, remained on board. A short time later, Assistant Engineer J. H. Tomb swam back to the craft and climbed on board. Rebuilding the fires, Tomb succeeded in getting David's engine working and with Cannon at the wheel, the torpedo boat steamed up the channel to safety. In the next four months David or other torpedo boats claimed three more attacks on Union blockaders. On March 6, 1864, David attacked USS Memphis. The torpedo boat struck the blockader on the port and starboard quarters but the torpedo did not explode. On April 18, 1864 she attacked the screw frigate USS Wabash. Alert lookouts on board the blockader sighted David in time to permit the frigate to slip her chain, avoid the attack, and open fire on the torpedo boat. Neither side suffered any damage. The ultimate fate of David is uncertain. Several torpedo boats of this type fell into Union hands when Charleston was captured in February David may well have been among them. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

CSS Hunley First submarine to sink an enemy warship Lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings 40’ built at Mobile, launched 1863, shipped by rail to Charleston February 17, Hunley attacked and sank the screw sloop USS Housatonic at Charleston Hunley sank drowning all eight crewmen In 2000, the wreck was recovered and raised In 2004, the remains of the eight Hunley crewmen were interred in Charleston with full military honors. The CSS Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship, although the vessel was also lost following the attack. The Confederates lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings during the CSS Hunley's career. The submarine was renamed after the death of her inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley, and some time after she had been taken into the Confederate forces at Charleston. H. L. Hunley, almost 40 feet long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, launched in July 1863, and shipped by rail to Charleston on August 12, On February 17, 1864, Hunley attacked and sank the screw sloop USS Housatonic in Charleston harbor, but soon after, Hunley also apparently sank, drowning all eight crewmen. 136 years later, on August 8, 2000, the wreck was recovered, and on April 17, 2004, the DNA-identified remains of the eight Hunley crewmen were interred in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery with full military honors. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

USS Alligator 1862 – American built, French design; 30 ft, 16 hand-powered paddles later replaced by a hand-cranked propeller March 1863 President Lincoln observed the submarine in operation Lost in heavy weather off Cape Hatteras while being towed In the autumn of 1861, the Navy asked the firm of Neafie & Levy to construct a small submersible ship designed by the French engineer Brutus DeVilleroi, who also acted as a supervisor during the first phase of the construction. The ship was about 30 ft long and 6 ft or 8 ft in diameter. For propulsion, she was equipped with sixteen hand-powered paddles protruding from the sides, but on 3 July 1862, the Washington Navy Yard had the paddles replaced by a hand-cranked propeller, which improved its speed up to seven knots. Air was to be supplied from the surface by two tubes with floats, connected to an air pump inside the submarine. Several tasks were considered for the strange vessel: destroying a bridge across Swift Creek; clearing obstructions in the James River which prevented Union gunboats from steaming upstream to support General McClellan's drive up the peninsula toward Richmond; and blowing up the CSS Virginia II ironclad. On 18 March 1863, President Lincoln observed the submarine in operation. About this time, Rear Admiral Samuel Francis du Pont became interested in the submarine while in command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The USS Sumpter, was ordered to tow the submarine to Port Royal, South Carolina for an attack on Charleston. On 2 April heavy weather forced Sumpter to cut Alligator adrift off Cape Hatteras where she sank. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

John Holland Immigrated to the US 1873; worked for an engineering firm and taught for six years Fenian United Brotherhood invested in a 22’ design and later the 48’ Fenian Ram launched 1881 Fenians seized the submarine for a pre-emptive attack on the British, but they ran it ashore. Salvaged, she never went to sea again, and in 1916 was exhibited to raise funds for Irish independence Broke with the Fenians in 1883 after creating a midget Fenian Model Wooden-hulled boat armed with Zalinski’s Dynamite Gun (Holland IV); badly damaged at launch John Philip Holland (29 February, 1840 – 2 August, 1914[1]) was an engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the U.S. Navy and the first ever Royal Navy submarine, the Holland 1. Holland immigrated to the United States in Initially working for an engineering firm, he returned to teaching for six years. In 1875, his first submarine designs were submitted for consideration by the United States Navy, but turned down as unworkable. A group of Irish-Americans, the Fenian United Brotherhood, hatched secret plans for a submarine capable of striking the British navy. The Fenian’s first invested in a 22.3ft design (designated by historians Holland I). It was a modest success, using a gasoline engine, later converted to steam. The Fenians provided $20,000 to build the Fenian Ram (so-called by the press; chronologically Holland II). The 48ft boat was launched in May 1881, driven by a gas engine and armed with a pneumatic gun forward, firing at an upward angle. In 1881, Fenian Ram was launched. The Ram’s existence was a poorly kept secret. It performed well, proving robust and reasonably safe. Internal dissent led some of the Fenians to seize the submarine to try a pre-emptive attack on the British, but they ran the submarine ashore. She was salvaged but never went to sea again; in 1916 she was exhibited to raise funds for Irish independence and was later preserved as a memorial. Holland’s zeal for the Fenian cause waned after the failure of the midget Fenian Model of 1883 (Holland III), and, Holland and the Fenians parted company angrily. The submarine is now preserved at Paterson Museum, New Jersey. Brief but unhappy dealings with Captain Edward Zalinski resulted in a wooden-hulled boat armed with Zalinski’s Dynamite Gun (Holland IV). Badly damaged at her launch in 1885, she soon passed into obscurity. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

Simon Lake 1866 – 1945 200 patents Argonaut Junior (1894) and Protector (1901) built for US Navy as torpedo boats Protector had a lock-out chamber for divers; sold to Russia 1904 designed Osetr class submarines for Russian and Austro-Hungarian navies Lake Torpedo Boat Company built 24 submarines for the US Navy during and after WW I Lake's first US Navy sub, USS G-1 (SS-19½), set a depth record: 256’ Advised US Navy on salvage and submarines during WWII Witnessed the submarine's arrival as a front-line weapon Simon Lake ( ) was a Quaker American mechanical engineer and naval architect who obtained over two hundred patents for advances in naval design and competed with John Holland to build the first submarines for the United States Navy. Born in Pleasantville, NJ, Lake joined his father's foundry business after attending public schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Lake had a strong interest in undersea travel. He built his first submarine, Argonaut Junior, in 1894 in response to an 1893 request from the Navy for a submarine torpedo boat. Neither Argonaut nor Lake's following submarine, Protector, built 1901, were accepted by the Navy. Protector was the first submarine to have diving planes mounted forward of the conning tower and a flat keel. Four diving planes allowed Protector to maintain depth without changing ballast levels. Protector also had a lock-out chamber for divers. Lake, lacking Holland's financial backing, was unable to continue building submarines in the US. He sold Protector to Imperial Russia in 1904 and spent the next seven years in Europe designing submarines for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the Kaiserliche Marine, and Imperial Russian Navy (Osetr class submarine). He lived in Milford, CT from 1907 until his death. A grammar school was named in his honor. In 1912, he founded the Lake Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport, CT, which built 24 submarines for the United States Navy during and after World War I. Lake's first submarine for the Navy, USS G-1 (SS-19½), set a depth record of 256 feet (78m) in Nov In 1922 the United States and other countries signed treaties limiting the size of their navies. This led to financial difficulties which forced the Lake Torpedo Boat to close in the mid-1920s. Lake continued designing maritime salvage systems including a failed attempt to salvage gold from HMS Hussar, a British frigate that sank in 1780 in New York's East River with his submarine, the Explorer. He advised the Navy on submarine technology and maritime salvage during World War II. Lake witnessed the submarine's arrival as a front-line weapon. The US Navy built Simon Lake class of submarine tenders; USS Simon Lake (AS-33) was in service between 1964 and 1999. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

John Holland, 1888, 1889 and 1893 – won bids to the US Navy Steam-powered Plunger, launched in 1895, couldn’t meet unrealistic Navy goals; Holland refunded the $93K advance Shifted to gas engine for surface and battery with electric motor submerged. US Navy ordered six – the first commissioned as the USS Holland in 1900 The US Navy issued requests for bids to build experimental boats in 1888 and again in Holland’s design won against rival proposals but the cash-starved Navy was forced to cancel. Holland won a third competition in In 1895 the Navy Department awarded a $150,000 contract to the John P Holland Torpedo Boat Company. Launched as the Plunger (chronologically Holland V) in 1897, the Navy set unrealistic performance goals. Holland refunded the $93,000 advanced by the Navy Department, abandoned steam propulsion, and shifted to gas engine for surface and battery-DC motors while submerged. In 1897 his new design was purchased by the U.S. Navy (on 11 April, 1900) after rigorous tests and was commissioned in 1900 as USS Holland. Six more of her type were ordered. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

John Holland, Formed the Electric Boat Company Royal Navy and first five submarines for the Imperial Japanese Navy Holland formed the Electric Boat Company. The USS Holland design was adopted by others, including the Royal Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy for their first five submarines (a modified version at least 10 feet longer at about 63ft.) The Holland (Holland VI), displacing 64 tons, just under 83.3ft in length, and driven by a gasoline engine and electric motor. Her trials were a great success, and the navy agreed to buy her at the same price it had been willing to pay for the Plunger. John Philip Holland died in August of 1914 in Newark, NJ. © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

The True Submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) Laid down 1952; launched 1954 January 1955 – “Underway on nuclear power.” Endurance limited only by food. August 1958 – reached the North Pole Decommissioned 1980 USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine and the first vessel to complete a submerged transit across the North Pole. In July 1951 Congress authorized the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine for the Navy, which was planned and personally supervised by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy." On 12 Dec the Navy announced the submarine would be called Nautilus—the fourth U.S. Navy vessel officially so named and would carry the hull number SSN-571. Nautilus's keel was laid at General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division by President Harry S. Truman on 14 June The ship was designed by John Burnham. She was christened on 21 January 1954 and launched into the Thames River, sponsored by Mamie Eisenhower. Nautilus was commissioned on 30 September 1954, under the command of Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson, USN. On 17 January 1955 she put to sea for the first time and signaled her historic message: "Underway on nuclear power." On 4 February 1957, Nautilus logged her 60,000th nautical mile (111,120 km), matching the endurance of the fictional Nautilus described in Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. Nautilus returned to New London, CT, on 21 July and departed again on 19 August for her first voyage of 2,226 km (1,202 nmi) under polar pack ice. 1 August 1958 and on 3 August, she became the first watercraft to reach the geographic North Pole. Decommissioned March 1980 © Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved

USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735)

Who Invented It? The Controversial History of Technology and Invention

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