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John HollandAmerican submarine inventor
Date of Birth: 29.02.1840
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of John Holland
John Philip Holland (1840–1914) was an American inventor who designed the first submarine accepted into the United States Navy. He was born on February 29, 1840, in Liscannor, County Clare, Ireland. Holland received his education at the schools of the Christian Brothers in Ennistimon and Limerick, and he worked as a teacher from 1858 onwards.
In 1872, Holland emigrated to the United States and settled in Paterson, New Jersey, where he continued working as a teacher. The idea of creating a submarine had been with Holland since he was young; he believed that Ireland could achieve independence from Britain with its help. He made the first sketch of a submarine in 1870.
In 1879, a group of Irish immigrants from the Fenian Society agreed to finance the construction of a submarine. The first operational submarine, named "Fenian Ram," was launched in 1881. It was 9.4 meters long and incorporated all the basic principles of stability and maneuverability of modern submarines.
In 1898, Holland received an order from the United States Navy to build a submarine. He launched the 16-meter long "Holland," the first submarine with an internal combustion engine for surface navigation and an electric motor powered by batteries for underwater travel. In 1900, the US Navy ordered six more submarines, followed by orders from Britain, Russia, and Japan.
