Diesel-Electric Propulsion

 

 

One of the greatest limitations of early submarines was the lack of a suitable means of propulsion. In 1880, British clergyman George W. Garrett successfully piloted a submarine using steam from a coal-fired boiler with a retractable chimney. Although the fires had to be put out before the vessel sank (otherwise the submarine would run out of air), enough steam remained in the boiler to propel it several miles underwater.

 

Similarly, Swedish weapons designer Torsten Nordenfeldt designed a steam-powered submarine with twin propellers. His boat could be immersed to a depth of 50 feet using a vertical propeller and had one of the first practical torpedo tubes. Several countries built submarines based on Nordenfeld's design. To solve the propulsion problem, two French naval officers built Le Plongeur, a 146-foot-long submarine with an 80-horsepower air engine, in 1864. However, the ship's air tanks were quickly exhausted with each voyage. The development of electric motors finally made electric propulsion practical.

 

The Nautilus submarine, built by two British men in 1886, was an all-electric boat. The Nautilus was powered by two 50 horsepower electric motors powered by a 100-cell battery, achieving a surface speed of 6 knots (nautical miles per hour, 1 knot being equivalent to 1.15 land miles per hour or 1.85 kilometers per hour). However, the batteries required frequent charging and overhauling, and the vehicle could not travel more than 80 miles without recharging. In France, Gustave Zéde introduced the Gymnauto in 1888. It was also powered by an electric motor and was very maneuverable, but had a tendency to spin out of control while submerged.

The Narval made numerous successful dives. Further advances in French submarines were notable with the four Sirènes-class steam-powered submarines completed between 1900 and 1901, and the Aigrette, the Navy's first diesel-powered submarine, completed in 1905.