Nautilus

Andrew Campbell and James Ash


Sketch of Campbell & Ash Nautilus

US Patent 344,178 Granted to Andrew Campbell & James Ash in 1886
Great Britain Patent 16915


Length 60 feet
Beam 8 feet
Displacement 50 tons

The Nautilus was built in Tilbury England by Messrs. Wolseley & Lyon and underwent trials in 1886. Her twin screws were powered by electric motors. She submerged by drawing the cylinders (A) into the hull thereby decreasing the displaced volume of the vessel. She surfaced by forcing the cylinders back out.

During trials in Tilbury, the Nautilus submerged and settled deep into the mud at the bottom of the dock. The mud prevented the cylinders from being pushed out until the entire crew moved to one end of the boat causing the other end to come clear of the mud. The cylinders were forced out and the submarine rose to the surface, but the crew had had enough and the submarine did not submerge again.1

  1. Field, Lieutenent-Colonel Cyril, The Story of the Submarine from the Earliest Ages to the Present Day, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1905, page 136-137

Ó2000,2001,2002 Gary McCue


Gary W. McCue
gwmccue@ct.metrocast.net
http://www.geocities.com/gwmccue

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