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Answer:
John P. History
John Philip Holland was born in Ireland in 1841. He emigrated to America where his first successful submarine design was paid for by Irish nationalists seeking Ireland's liberation from Britain. Holland's first experimental submarine convinced his backers to pay for a bigger vessel, which was launched in 1878 and named the Fenian Ram.
In 1900 after decades of struggle and disappointment the US Navy accepted Holland's Type 6 design which one US newspaper described as "Uncle Sam's Devil of the Deep". The Holland Type 6 was the culmination of decades of research and design. The father of the submarine John P. Holland had triumphed at last.
At the beginning of the 20th Century. The giant battleships of the Royal Navy played a vital role in defending "the Empire". British admirals laughed at the idea that a submarine could be a serious threat to their "grand fleet".
Nevertheless they kept an eye on developments in other countries. Then in 1900 the "wait and see" policy finally came to an end. The Admiralty struck a deal with the American Electric Boat Company to build five Holland design submarines under license at the Vickers Maxim shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness at a cost of £35,000 each. Electric Boat supplied drawings and components for an improved design that was bigger and more powerful than the US Navy's first submarine the Holland Type 6. They also agreed to send some experienced submariners to train the first British crew. Eight months later Britain's first submarine was pushed out of Yacht Shed No. 1 and down the slip way.
" It is understood that no ceremony will take place at the forthcoming launch of the first British submarine at Barrow- in- Furness. The Admiralty regards these boats as wholly in the nature of an experiment and like all other experiments carried out from time to time this one will be carried out with every privacy"
"The launch of Holland I was carried out in secrecy but Holland 2 was given a proper launching ceremony, February 1902".
In September 1902 the First Submarine Flotilla, commanded by Captain Reginald Bacon arrived in Portsmouth. It consisted of two completed Holland boats and the gunboat H.M.S. Hazard that served as a floating submarine base. Captain Bacon recognized how dangerous the new submarines could be and proceeded cautiously with training his small band of volunteer officers and men. There were accidents and disappointments but just a few months later Captain Bacon reported that:
"Even these Little Boats would be a terror to any ship attempting to remain or pass near a harbour holding them".
".....the ingenious designer in New York evidently did not realize that the average Naval Officer has only two eyes and two hands: the little conning tower was simply plastered with wheels, levers and gauges with which some superman was to fire torpedoes, dive and steer and do everything else at the same time..."
From the 1902 diary of Lt. Arnold Fosters Royal Navy's first submarine commander.
To hear an audio clip click here
A reconstruction of the interior of Holland I by the artist Geoff Hunt.
On the 5th November 1913 the Naval and Military Record reported:
"Obsolete Submarine Sunk - Accident of the Eddy stone About a mile and a half of the Eddystone there was lost on Thursday submarine H- 1 but happily the accident was not attended by loss of life....."
Sunk by accident while under tow to a breakers yard in Wales; so ended the career of the Navy's first submarine.
In 1980 with the assistance of Royal Navy mine sweepers the Museum initiated a search for the wreck of Holland I. The following year on the 14 April 1981 H.M.S.Bossington reported a possible contact. A naval diving team were immediately brought to the site. At 2.15 in the morning the Diving Officer sent the following signal.
"(the wreck) confirmed as a submarine of correct dimensions for Holland Class"
A year later a salvage vessel carefully placed Holland I on the bottom of No 12 Dock, Devonport . As the water slowly drained down daylight shone onto the conning tower of Submarine No.1 for the first time in 69 years.
Following her salvage Holland I was cleaned, treated with an anti-corrosion chemical and put on display at the Museum. But by 1993 the boat was badly rusting all over and attempts at repainting proved futile. The anti-corrosion treatment had failed and a new solution was needed! In 1994 the Museum began building a giant glassfibre tank to enclose the submarine. The tank was filled with 800,000 litres of sodium carbonate. Soaking the submarine in this way would remove the chloride ions that were the cause of the uncontrollable corrosion. In December 1998, the soaking tank was drained down and final tests carried out. Chloride levels were now found to be extremely low - the treatment had worked!
When Holland I was originally displayed 1983 it was "restored" to its operational appearance. The idea was to take people back in time by pretending the boat was really as good as new. After four years of chemical soaking the submarine again needed refurbishment. This time the Museum chose to present the boat as it really is. Many important pieces of equipment would have been removed before she took her final voyage to the breakers yard, but still intact are all the essential components of a submarine warship: engine, motor, propeller shaft, ballast tanks and torpedo tube. Also evident is 69 years of decay on the seabed visible in the corroded form of many components and plates.When visitors enter the new gallery they breathe moisture into the dry atmosphere, which if it were allowed to build up could stimulate more corrosion. The gallery has therefore been equipped with a powerful dehumidification system that keeps the humidity below 40% relative humidity - this low level of humidity prevents moisture from setting off the corrosion cycle.
Click here to find out more about Ian Clark Restoration.
Click here to read the conservation documentation.
-Ernesto A. Mares Jr.
First answer by ID1281445473.
Last edit by ID1281445473.
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