Submarine
"Robert Fulton was unquestionably the first one to design a practical vessel capable of submerging...that could be either on or beneath the surface or that lie safely at anchor under either condition."1
Robert Fulton created the first practical submarine, his "plunging boat" Nautilus, in 1801 to carry his torpedo. He believed these weapons of destruction would be so appalling they would end naval war.
"Should some vessels of war be destroyed by means so novel, so hidden and so incalculable the confidence of the seamen will vanish and the fleet rendered useless from the moment of the first terror." (Robert Fulton 1797) |
Fulton’s submarine was a turning point, introducing stealth to naval warfare and providing the torpedo some mobility. These weapons allowed invisible attacks by a few people to destroy larger warships. Fulton used Nautilus to carry his "Torpedo", which Fulton used to destroy a ship - a first for naval history.
"If at first glance, the means I propose seem revolting, it is only because they are extraordinary. They are anything but inhuman; it is certainly the most powerful and least bloody mode that the philosopher could imagine to overturn the system of plunder and perpetual war, which has always vexed the maritime nations." (Robert Fulton 1797)
Fulton's original sketches from 1797
France and England wanted no part of such dirty warfare but these weapons became part of future wars. Fulton scrapped Nautilus, and designed another larger submarine never built.
"He has contrived a reservoir of air, which will enable eight men to remain under water eight hours. When the boat is above water, it has two sails, and looks just like a common boat..." |
Submarines are vital in today's Navy. Some of Fulton’s innovations still exist. Nautilus' shape, with the first conning tower, was similar to modern submarines. Fulton was first to use a compass underwater, compressed air tanks for breathing, and rudders to steer and dive. "...Impossible at present to see the various modes or the best methods of using a plunging boat or the bomb submarine". |
1 William Barclay Parson from his book "Robert Fulton and the Submarine"