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Wilhelm Bauer from
Wikipedia
Had the Brandtaucher been built according to Bauer's original designs, it would have achieved submersion by filling several tanks with sea water. But in the changed version the vessel itself was to be partly flooded with water, thus rendering the submarine dangerously unstable. Also the thickness of the hull and the dimensions of the pumps had to be greatly reduced. First trials of the submarine took place in December 1850. Although Bauer wanted to make several improvements of the submarine, the military ordered a public show on 1 February 1851. This public demonstration almost ended in a disaster. After reaching a depth of 30 ft the craft began to lay down by the stern. As the submarine sank down the thin walls could not take the water pressure any more and started to crack. The water pressure proved too much for the weak pumps and the propeller wheel was damaged when the vessel began to keel over. The submarine slowly sank to the ground of the Kiel harbour. For six hours Bauer and his sailors had to wait inside the sunken craft, until enough water had seeped in. This increased the air pressure inside the submarine and finally allowed the men to open the blocked hatchway. As the submarine stayed buried on the ground of the sea, its crew came to the surface unharmed. This was the first submarine escape to be witnessed and reported. The sunken submarine was raised in 1887 and can now be visited at the museum of military history at Dresden, Germany (Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr) The Seeteufel ("Sea Devil") Submarine After the sinking of the Brandtaucher, Bauer instantly began to make plans for an improved, larger submarine. But the government of Schleswig-Holstein refused to support Bauer after their bad experience with Bauer's first submarine. So Bauer left Schleswig-Holstein. In the following years he tried to obtain support for his invention in several countries, like the Austria-Hungary, the British Empire or France. Finally, in 1855, Bauer made a contract with the grand prince of St. Petersburg (Russia).During that year Bauer built his second submarine, the Seeteufel (Sea Devil or Angler) in St. Petersburg. Much less information is known about this submarine than of the Brandtaucher. However, it is said to have been twice as long as its predecessor, its iron walls 1/2' thick with 21 windows in them. It had three big cylinders to hold water as diving ballast and was designed for a crew of 12. Having learned from his first boat's disaster, Bauer provided the Sea Devil with a newly invented rescue device: the diver's chamber. Through this chamber, which worked like an airlock, divers could leave and enter the submerged vessel. The Sea Devil proved to be a very good design. It made 133 successful diving runs within four months. But during the 134th dive, the submarine got stuck in the sand of the seafloor. By emptying the water cylinders with the pumps, the crew managed to raise the submarine high enough so that the hatchway was above the waterline. The whole crew (including Bauer) was saved, but unfortunately, the submarine sank back to the bottom of the sea. Legacy After the end of the sea devil Bauer soon left Russia. When he realized he would not find support for another submarine he took to other projects. In 1863 Bauer managed to raise a sunken ship by means of inflatable balloons made of canvas. But all his more ambitious plans failed because of a complete lack of funding. Disappointed by this Bauer died in 1875 in Munich. It would be wrong to claim that the German submarine fleet of the world wars was directly descended from Wilhelm Bauer's prototypes. The modern submarine began its history with the inventions of Simon Lake and John Philip Holland. The submarine pioneers of the 19th century however - de Villeroi, Monturiol, Hunley and others - were well aware of Bauer’s invention and derived inspiration and many ideas from it. And without these men, we would not have the technically advanced submarines we have today. In 1960 the German navy Bundesmarine renamed a Type XXI submarine Wilhelm Bauer Film about Bauer The filmmaker from Kiel Zoran Simic described
in his film"Submarine Ingenieur", the life and work of Wilhelm Bauer, and
also the principles upon which he built the "Incendiary diver". In many
3D graphics sequences he illustrates the functioning of the submarine.
On 3 February 2008 the 57-minute version of the film "Submarine Ingenieur"
was shown in the local cinema, in the event centre KoKi, in Kiel.
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