Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-11-14
SUBMARINE HOLLAND
OFF TO JUNK PILE
Conveyed by Tug She Starts for
Petty Island.
WAS FIRST OF HER TYPE.
But is Entire Obsolete After Thirteen
Years Of Service Named After
Builder.

EuNOrta
After thirteen years of service
the old submarine torpedo boat Hol-
land. parent of the modern submarine
boats, has been dispensed of by the
Government, and is to be broken up.
Conveyed by tug the old craft lett
Annapolis yesterday for Petty Island,
where, in accordance with an agrees :
me Mt between the Navy Department
and the firm which recently purchased
her for 81, 075, she is to be dsmolish-
ed.
OF practically no more use, the
Holl and had been moored to a dock at
the Naval Academy for over year,
more of curio than anything else.
The departure of the Holland recalls
intere sting incidents in connection
with submarine shipbuilding For
more than two centuries unsuccess-
| full attempts have been made to de-
sign a submarine boat that would be
capable of sinking warships, and
among American inventors who con-
Quoted experiments along those lines
was Robert Fulton, the inventor of
the steamboat.
1t was not until the nineteenth
century was drawing to close that
practicable systems of submarine
| navigation were evolved by two citi-
zens of the United States, who in the
course of their experiments had
been working Independently of each
other. These rival inventors were
Simon Lake and John P. Holland.
Both of these inventors made ineffec-
| tusl attempts to secure governmen Mt
aid in the development of their ideas,
and were compelled to seek financial
aid among friends.
This finally was found, and it was
two of the new vessels first revealed
their formidable qualities. With
funds provided by wseslthy woman
of New York, Holland began the con-
struction of his first torpedo beat at
Perth Amboy, NJ j. About the same
time Mr.. Lake, resident of Bslti-
more, persuaded several capitalists
of that city to finance his venture,
and the work of constructing a craft
in accordance with his designs was
intrusted to the Columbian Iron
Works, of Baltimore.
The Perth Amboy vessel was to
bear the name of its inventor, while
that built for Mr.. Lake was named
the Argonaut. Baltimoreans will re-
member the interest excited by the
first workout of the Argonaut in the
waters of Spring Garden. Carrying
seven passengers, most of whom
We're representatives of Baltimore
newspapers, the Argonaut was sue
cessfully submerged and made an ex-
tended trip under the water.
But Mr.. Lakes efforts TO get the
Cove rnment to buy his boat were IN
uccessful, or to officials who wit
messed tests of both crafts the merits
of the Holland appeared 20 be the
most striking, and so it was the Hol-
land that became. the first submarine
to find service in the united State
| Navy. Shortly afterward the Colum-
bian Iron Works received contract
for the construction of Mr.. Holland g
second submarine, the Plunger, in
which Pre- sident Roosevelt made his
first trip under water.
Shortly after the Holland was
brought to Annapolis in order that
the midshipmen might receive in
struction concerning the manner in
which the little craft was handled.
And now it is from Annapolis that
the old Holland is being towed to her
last berth. The latest submarine,
all developed from the original ideas
that found expression in the Holland,
are of size that make the Holland
appear little more than a pygmy be
side them For the Holland the Gov
eminent paid $50, 000