Those submarines remind us that there is always a purpose to go beneath the surface and have a look around. And if you say the whole word, submarine, it won’t be long until I’m belting out the old Beetles’ tune about living in a yellow one. When I think of subs, I typically go right to the sandwich counter for a footlong turkey on white with loads of mayo. America has about 70 submarines in its fleet. And there can be as many as 100 people on a nuclear submarine. They can stay underwater for several months at a time. This has significantly increased the ability of the submarine to dive deeper. Modern submarines have hulls made from titanium mostly, to keep them from becoming crushed by the water’s pressure. I would have hated to be that guy.īut today, they are still going strong.

They named it “The Turtle.” It only held one person and was controlled underwater independently. And supposedly, the first known military submarine was built in 1775. I’ve toured at least a handful over the years, most of them extremely small and very metal.īut submarines started out as submersibles in the 1600s, which seems incredible to me. That is, one that was actually running underwater. Unfortunately, many contradict the others. And they collect all sorts of data, and factoids, and trivia, all about the sub. There are more “fan” websites about submarines than you can imagine. I don’t know what these were like, but it has been recorded that “the military troop divers cleared obstructions using primitive kind of submarines.”Īs I write this, what fascinates me about submarines or any other topic we explore, is that there are always a bunch of people who are nuts about the “said topic.” Like submarines. Early records from 415 BC show that, at the Siege of Syracuse, there was organized military use of submarines. Not to mention, there are oodles of drawings and diagrams dating back centuries that show how submarining has always been a dream of humanity. Both Aristotle and Alexander the Great wrote about their fascination with finding out how humans could work underwater. Submarines have been around for centuries. In fact, we probably wouldn’t have come so far, so fast, in the way of submarines if it weren’t for people wishing to build for war.Īs I mentioned. They can propel themselves deep beneath the waves to explore the unknown. They are incredible feats of engineering. The first submarines came about long before this one. This, in the United States by its designer John Philip Holland.ĭon’t be fooled, though. I am only thinking about them because it was on this date, May 16, 1897, when the first successful submarine - one that could run submerged for any considerable distance - used a combination of electric and gasoline engines in its first launch. They all have a purpose, although it varies widely.

To go unseen and unnoticed? Is that the reason? Or could it be to dive deep into the unknown in search of something?

We all live in a yellow submarine