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"The trouble with too much genre SF is that it's so obviously the product of the conscious mind."
- William Gibson
 |
| Ship That Swims Under Water (Submarine) | ||
| A Ship that could swim under Water. |
As far as I know, the first description of an underwater craft; see comments below.
| At last the Duchess desired the Empress to send for her Ship-wrights, and all her Architects, which were Giants; who being called, the Duchess told them how some in her own World had been so ingenious, as to contrive Ships that could swim under Water, and asked, Whether they could do the like? The Giants answered, They had never heard of that Invention; nevertheless, they would try what might be done by Art, and spare no labour or industry to find it out...
The Empress, who loved the Duchess as her own Soul, did so; the Giants returned soon after, and told her Majesty, that they had found out the Art which the Duchess had mentioned, to make such Ships as could swim under water... |
| Technovelgy from The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World,
by Margaret Cavendish. Published by Anne Maxwell in 1666 Additional resources -
|
The first scientific references to a submarine vessel date to the 16th century. William Bourne (1580) wrote:
Suppose you had a fully enclosed boat that just floats; it floats because it displaces its weight in water. Decrease the size of the vessel enough, and it will sink; once underwater, you increase its size again (he devised leather expanding joints to accomplish this) and it will again rise to the surface.
Compare to the more famous Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875) by Jules Verne.
"It is possible to make a Ship or Boate that may goe under the water unto the bottome, and so to come up again at your pleasure. [If] Any magnitude of body that is in the water . . . having alwaies but one weight, may be made bigger or lesser, then it Shall swimme when you would, and sinke when you list . . . ."
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