 Peral in 1888
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain | |
| Name | Peral |
| Builder | Isaac Peral In Arsenal de la Carraca (Navantia now) |
| Laid down | 7 October 1887 |
| Commissioned | 1889 |
| Decommissioned | 1890 |
| Status | Museum ship since 2013 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 22 m (72 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 x electric motors, 2 x 30 hp (22 kW), two shaft |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Armament | one 14 in (360 mm) torpedo tube (bow; three Schwarzkopf torpedoes) |
Peral was the first successful submarine to be entirely powered by electric batteries and the first fully military-capable submarine in history.[clarification needed][1] It was built by the Spanish engineer and sailor Isaac Peral for the Spanish Navy at the Arsenal de la Carraca (now Navantia),[2][3] the submarine was launched on 8 September 1888.
She had one torpedo tube (and two torpedoes) and an air regeneration system. Her hull shape, propeller, periscope, torpedo launcher and cruciform external controls anticipated later designs.[4][5] Her underwater speed was 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). With fully charged batteries, she was the fastest submarine yet built,[6] with underwater performance levels (except for range) that matched those of First World War U-boats for a very short period, before her batteries began to drain. For example, the SM U-9, a pre-war German U-boat built in 1908, had an underwater speed of 8.1 knots (15.0 km/h; 9.3 mph), and an underwater range of 150 km (81 nmi) at 5.8 knots (10.7 km/h; 6.7 mph), before having to resurface to recharge her batteries.[citation needed]
Although advanced in many ways, Peral lacked a means of charging batteries while underway, such as an internal combustion engine, thus had a very limited endurance and range. In June 1890, Peral's submarine launched a torpedo while submerged. It was also the first submarine to incorporate a fully reliable underwater navigation system. However, conservatives in the Spanish naval hierarchy terminated the project despite two years of successful tests. Her operational abilities have led some to call her the first U-boat.[7]
Peral was withdrawn from service in 1890 and is now preserved at the Cartagena Naval Museum.
- ^ elmundo.es. "Isaac Peral, el genio frustrado". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ Humble 1981, p. 174.
- ^ Cornwell 1979, p. 146.
- ^ Angleviel & Jolly 2007, p. 185.
- ^ Delgado & Cussler 2011, p. 89.
- ^ Blackman, Tony (2011). Nimrod Rise and Fall. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-909166-34-9.
- ^ Almodóvar 2009, p. 138.