Abstract
SUBMARINE navigation has engaged the attention of inventors and attracted general interest for a very long period. Its practical application to purposes of war was made about 130 years ago. Under the conditions which prevailed a century ago in regard to materials of construction, propelling apparatus, and explosives, the construction of submarines necessarily proceeded on a limited scale, and the type practically died out of use, almost at its birth. Enough had been done, however, to demonstrate its practicability and to make it a favourite field of investigation for inventors, some of whom contemplated wide extensions of submarine navigation. Every naval war gave fresh incentive to these proposals, and led to the construction of experimental vessels. This was the case during the Crimean War, when the Admiralty had a submarine vessel secretly built and tried by a special committee, on which, amongst others, Mr. Scott-Russell and Sir Charles Fox served. Again, during the Civil War in America, the Confederates constructed a submarine vessel, and used it against the blockading squadron off Charles-town. After several abortive attempts, and a considerable loss of life, they succeeded in destroying the Federal Housatonic, but their submarine with all its crew perished in the enterprise.
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Submarine Navigation 1 . Nature 72, 209–212 (1905). https://doi.org/10.1038/072209a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/072209a0