The Submarine in War and Peace: Its Development and its PossibilitiesLake, Simon
History
The Submarine in War and Peace: Its Development and its Possibilities
Lake, Simon
Submarines (Ships)
I submitted designs of a twin-screw vessel eighty feet long, ten feet
beam, and one hundred fifteen tons displacement, with 400-horsepower
steam engines for surface propulsion and 70-horsepower motors for
submerged work. This design introduced several new and striking
features into the art of submarine navigation which have been the cause
of considerable scientific discussion. The design called for a _double
hull_ vessel, the spaces between the inner and outer hulls forming
water-ballast tanks; the design also called for twin screws and four
torpedo tubes, two firing forward and two aft.
[Illustration: LAKE DESIGN AS SUBMITTED TO THE U. S. NAVY DEPARTMENT IN
1893
Novel features consisted in: (A) wheels for running on the bottom; (B)
rudder forming also a steering wheel when navigating on the bottom;
(C-C) propellers for holding vessel to depth when not under way; (D-D)
depth regulating vanes or hydroplanes for causing vessel to change
depth while under way and to accomplish the changes of depth on an
even keel; (E-E) horizontal rudders or "leveling vanes" designed to
automatically hold the vessel on a level keel when under way; (F) a
weight automatically controlled by a pendulum; (P) mechanism to correct
trim; (G) gun arranged in watertight revolving turret for defense
purposes or attack on unarmored surface craft; (L) propeller in tube
for swinging vessel at rest to facilitate "pointing" her torpedoes; (M)
conning tower; (N) telescoping smokestack; (O) observing instrument
arranged to turn down on deck when under way; (T-T) torpedo tubes, two
firing forward and two aft; (W-W) anchoring weights to hold the vessel
at rest at any desired depth between the surface and bottom; (X) an
"emergency keel" which would be automatically released if the vessel
reached an unsafe depth. She was a double-hull vessel, water being
admitted to the space between the inner and outer hulls and in trim
tanks forward and aft to effect submergence. A diving compartment was
also provided to enable the crew to leave or enter the vessel while
submerged.]
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