The Fascinating History of Submarine Invention
This essay is about the history of submarine invention, tracing its origins from ancient concepts to modern technology. It begins with early ideas from the Greeks and progresses through key developments in the 16th century by William Bourne and Cornelis Drebbel. The 18th century saw the creation of the Turtle by David Bushnell, intended for military use during the American Revolutionary War. The 19th century introduced the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship. The essay highlights the significant advancements in the 20th century, including John Philip Holland’s modern submarine designs and the impact of World Wars I and II. It concludes with the advent of nuclear-powered submarines, epitomized by the USS Nautilus, and their current role in naval technology and exploration.
How it works
The story of submarines is one of human creativity, persistence, and technological leaps. These underwater wonders we see today are a marvel of engineering, but they trace their origins back to ancient dreams and basic designs.
Long ago, folks like the Greek historian Herodotus mentioned divers using hollow reeds to breathe underwater, just to get a taste of what lay beneath the waves. But it wasn’t until later, in the 16th century, that William Bourne, an English smarty-pants and innkeeper, drew up plans for a boat that could go underwater.
His idea had a wooden frame covered in waterproof leather, with tanks to adjust how it floated. Bourne’s idea never got built, but it was a start.
Jump ahead to the early 1600s, and you’ve got Cornelis Drebbel, a Dutch whiz working for England’s King James I, building what’s known as the first real submarine. In 1620, Drebbel crafted a wooden boat with iron cladding, moved by oars and able to dive by changing the air inside. He even showed it off in the River Thames, blowing minds left and right, even though it was more show than go.
The 1700s brought big changes. David Bushnell, an American brain, made the Turtle, a one-person sub for sneaky military stuff during the Revolutionary War. Shaped like an egg and powered by a hand crank, it tried to stick a bomb on a British ship in 1776 but fizzled out. Still, it showed that subs could be used for war, which was a game changer.
By the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution was revving up, bringing new materials and ideas that pushed submarine design forward. In 1863, the Confederates rolled out the H.L. Hunley, a sub that used a hand-cranked propeller to sink the USS Housatonic in the Civil War. Sadly, the Hunley sank too, proving that underwater ops were no cakewalk.
The 1900s saw even more progress. John Philip Holland, an Irish-American genius, built the first proper modern sub, the Holland VI, in 1897. It ran on gasoline on the surface and electricity underwater, packing a torpedo tube and a periscope for sneaky moves. The U.S. Navy snapped it up and called it the USS Holland, setting the bar for what subs could do.
World War I and II pushed subs into the spotlight. German U-boats, or Unterseeboots, became infamous for messing up Allied ships. Tech like sonar and stealth made subs key players in naval strategy, hunting down enemies below the waves.
After the wars, nuclear power took subs to the next level. The USS Nautilus, launched in 1954, was the first nuclear-powered sub ever. It could stay submerged for ages, changing naval warfare big time. Soon, nuclear subs armed with missiles became part of the Cold War chess game.
Today, subs are top-notch tech, decked out with stealth gear, fancy sonar, and heavy-duty weapons. They do all sorts of jobs, from patrolling the seas to deep-sea research and more. The journey from Bourne’s sketches to today’s nuclear subs is a testament to human smarts and the urge to push limits.
In sum, the story of submarines is a long one, full of big wins and tough breaks. From early dreams of diving deep to the high-tech subs we have today, it shows our never-ending drive to explore and conquer the ocean’s depths. Subs haven’t just changed naval battles—they’ve opened up a whole new world below the surface, making them one of the coolest inventions ever.
The Fascinating History of Submarine Invention. (2024, Jul 16). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-fascinating-history-of-submarine-invention/
