Scientist of the Day - John Philip Holland
Longitudinal section of the Holland VI, Scientific American, Apr. 9, 1898, vol. 78, p. 233 (Linda Hall Library)
April 11 is National Submarine Day. It is different from other National Days celebrated on Apr. 11, such as National 8-Track Tape Day, National Louie Louie Day, and National Cheese Fondue Day, in that National Submarine Day commemorates a real event, and it goes back 125 years, to the year 1900. On Apr. 11, 1900, the U.S. Navy bought its first submarine. The man who designed the submarine, Holland VI, was John Philip Holland.
John Philip Holland in the conning tower of Holland VI, photograph, 1898 (Wikimedia commons)
Holland was born Feb. 24, 1841, in County Clare, Ireland. Until 1873, he taught school in various Catholic parishes in Ireland. In 1873, he moved to the United States and began designing submarines.
Bow of the Holland VI, showing the aerial torpedo tube and conning tower, Scientific American, Apr. 9, 1898, vol. 78, p. 233 (Linda Hall Library)
The first submarine had been built by Cornelis Drebbel around 1620, but in the ensuing 250 years, no one had really succeeded in making a true submersible ship, one that could move under water and engage an enemy, the way more conventional ships could on the surface. Holland built his first submarine, Holland I, in 1878, and tried to interest the U.S. Navy. They were not impressed.
USS Holland (SS-1), tied up at dock, photograph, early 1900s, U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command (history.navy.mil)
Holland made 4 more models, getting better with each one, without any nibbles from the government, except for Holland V, which the Navy commissioned, then cancelled, when its steam engine proved impractical. In 1897, Holland VI was launched in Elizabeth, New Jersey, designed by Holland’s own firm, Holland Torpedo Boat Company. This one had an electric motor to power it when submerged, and a gasoline engine for use on the surface (first image). It had two forward torpedo tubes in the bow, one aerial and one “whitehead” – this was a warship – and at the stern, it had a “dynamite gun.” It probably helped quite a bit that reporters from Scientific American followed Holland VI around New York Harbor and wrote a glowing 2-page story in the issue for Apr. 9, 1898, complete with photos and a cut-away diagram of the sub (first and third images). Now the Navy was interested, and two years later, on this day, they bought their first submarine from Holland, renamed it USS Holland (SS-1), and immediately declared the day National Submarine Day. It has been celebrated, at least in the submarine corps, ever since.
USS Holland (SS-1) underway, photograph, ca 1900, U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command (history.navy.mil)
Holland built 7 more submarines for the U.S. Navy, at least one for the Royal Navy in Great Britain, and 5 for the Imperial Navy of Japan. His company, which was a design firm, spawned the Electric Boat Company, which actually built Holland's submarines, and, as part of General Dynamics, has continued to construct submarines right up to the present day.
Recreation in bronze of iconic photograph of John Philip Holland, John P. Holland Centre, County Clare, Ireland (theassociationofmodelsubmariners.com)
Holland died on August 12, 1914, but he has not been forgotten, especially by Hibernians everywhere. He is a national hero in Ireland (although I don't know if the Irish celebrate National Submarine Day on Apr. 11). An iconic photo was taken of Holland emerging from the hatch of Holland VI (second image), and it has been rendered in bronze and is on display at the John P. Holland Centre in Liscannor, County Clare, Ireland (last image). I believe there is a copy in the United States, perhaps in Patterson, New Jersey, where Holland taught school for six years, a school that has since been renamed in his honor.
William B. Ashworth, Jr., Consultant for the History of Science, Linda Hall Library and Associate Professor emeritus, Department of History, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Comments or corrections are welcome; please direct to ashworthw@umkc.edu.
