Ictíneo I
 Replica of the Ictíneo I in front of the Museu Marítim in Barcelona
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The Ictíneo I was a submarine designed by the Spanish inventor Narcís Monturiol from Barcelona , which first appeared in 1859.
description
The boat was 7 m long, 3.5 m high and 2.5 m in diameter. The outer shell had a fish-like shape with an elliptical cross-section that was based on the fire diver , Wilhelm Bauer 's submarine prototype from 1851. The inner shell of the Ictíneo I was spherical, had a volume of approx. 7 m 3 and was up to 8 bar pressure stable and could dive to a depth of 50 m. Between the outer and inner hulls there were diving tanks, an oxygen tank for breathing air and a hydrogen tank for supplying the boat's lighting.
It is driven by a screw that was set in motion by a four-man crew. The ascent and descent was controlled by means of a horizontal screw that could be turned in both directions, as well as pumps, which ensured the stabilization of the boat. In addition, the Ictíneo I was equipped with a number of special tools because Monturiol wanted to use it for harvesting corals .
history
After the first test runs, the maiden voyage of the Ictíneo I took place on September 23, 1859 in front of the public in the port of Barcelona. However, it turned out that the boat could not withstand the current of water when submerged and was therefore not navigable. However, this setback did not diminish the level of public interest the project aroused. In the following years Monturiol was able to collect 300,000 pesetas through a subscription in Spain and Cuba and with this capital he founded the company La Navegación Submarina (Spanish for "Underwater Navigation") with which he subsequently developed the Ictíneo II , one of the first U -Motor-driven boats.
Monturiol revised the Ictíneo I again and on May 7, 1861 he presented the possibilities of his diving boat in the sea off Alicante for the ministers for navy and development and a commission of deputies and senators and members of the Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales . This time the conditions were ideal for the demonstration and the public representatives were convinced of Monturiol's concept.
The Ictíneo I was rammed and badly damaged by a cargo ship in January 1862 when she was at anchor. A modern replica of the Ictíneo I stands today in front of the entrance to the Museu Marítim in Barcelona.
literature
- Narciso Monturiol: Ensayo sobre el arte de navegar bajo el agua , Barcelona 1891 ( online )
- Submarines. The history of the submarines. Garant Verlag, Renningen 2017, ISBN 978-3-7359-1338-8 , p. 19
