The Secret of the Pearl Islands (19th Centuary SUBMARINE?)

[icymist]

EARLY SUBMARINE DISCOVERY

The Secret of the Pearl Islands

By Sven Röbel

For the past 137 years, a mysterious wreck has emerged at low tide each day on a beach off the coast of Panama. Researchers now know that it's the presumed lost "Sub Marine Explorer," one of the world's first submarines and a vessel that would ultimately kill its German inventor.


The tower was the first thing Jim Delgado saw. Inch by inch, it emerged from the deep-green surf of the Pacific Ocean -- an encrusted piece of black metal covered with barnacles, rust and seaweed, a ghostly apparition slowly rising from the sea.

snip
The design reminded the scientist of an "iron cigar," and he instinctively thought of the "Nautilus," that legendary underwater vessel author Jules Verne described in his novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Delgado had devoured the book as a young boy.

MORE and photos!

[Ecumenist]

1. Truth is stranger than fiction.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Remember the "Turtle"?

http://www.archaeology.org/0505/abstracts/warsub.html

[brainshrub]

3. I read that this afternnon.

What a wild tale!

[benburch]

4. There were MANY 19th century subarines!

Some were moderately successful.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Check out Friends of the Hunley -- the CSS Hunley, Confederate submarine.

http://www.hunley.org

Actually the third submarine built by its Southern inventor. Sank with all hands aboard, after semi-successfully attacking a Northern ship.

Thanks for the post, K&R