Engineering Wonders: Submarines and Submersibles

Engineering Wonders: Submarines and Submersibles — page 5
The first working submarine was invented by Corenelis Drebbel in 1620 The Drebbel looked like two rowboats stuck on top of each other People sat inside the Drebbel and used oars to row the craft Drebbel covered his craft with greased leather to keep water out This method did not work very well Drebbel put heavy weights inside his submarine These weights increased the submarine's density which made it sink He got rid of the weights to lessen the density and make the submarine rise A Trip under the Thames In 1623 Drebbel's watercraft carried 16 passengers under the River Thames in London The submarine stayed under water for about three hours but it did not go very deep