Wilhelm Bauer (1822 to 1875) was a German marine engineer and inventor who built several hand-powered submarines. Born in Dillingen in the Kingdom of Bavaria, the son of a cavalry sergeant, he trained as a wood turner before joining the army, where he served as an artillery engineer and saw the Schleswig-Holstein war against Denmark. Watching the Danish navy blockade the coast, he set out to design a submersible that could break a blockade, studied hydraulics and ship construction, and won help from Werner von Siemens and others to build a model. His full-size Brandtaucher, built by August Howaldt, was about 28 feet long and driven by two men turning a treadwheel, a mark of how little practical power was available for underwater craft in that era.
Facts
FAQs
What happened to the crew when Wilhelm Bauer's Brandtaucher sank?
All of the crew escaped when the Brandtaucher sank in Kiel Harbour on 1 February 1851.
All of the crew were able to escape. The Brandtaucher sank in Kiel Harbour on 1 February 1851, according to the Guinness World Records entry for the oldest submarine wreck recovered, as a result of instability caused by an inadequate system for controlling the vessel's ballast.
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Sources
1. Wilhelm Bauer (Wikipedia)
Lead, birth date
Wilhelm Bauer (German: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈbaʊɐ]; 23 December 1822-20 June 1875)
Lead, death date
Wilhelm Bauer (German: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈbaʊɐ]; 23 December 1822-20 June 1875) was a German marine engineer
Lead, occupation phrase
was a German marine engineer and inventor who built several hand-powered submarines
In Group: Submarine Pioneers, Lead sentence
Wilhelm Bauer (German: [ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈbaʊɐ]; 23 December 1822-20 June 1875) was a German marine engineer and inventor who built several hand-powered submarines.
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