The Holland IV , also called the Zalinski Boat, was an experimental submarine built by John Philip Holland and financed by United States Army Lieutenant Edmund Zalinski in 1885. For the project Holland and Zalinski founded the Nautilus Submarine Boat Company (1885-1886).[1] [2] [3]
Edmund Zalinski wanted a vessel for the Zalinski dynamite gun. John Philip Holland was a submarine engineer and inventor. Edmund Zalinski and some of his friends and employees put in the funds for the prototype submarine. Holland designed a one-man submarine 50 feet long and 8 feet in diameter built with a wooden hull on an iron frame. On September 4, 1885, the Holland IV was seriously damaged during a launch. The launch wood ship way broke as the sub was being launched. Holland IV then smashed into pier pilings. The Holland IV was raised, reapaired and taken to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. The operator of the Holland IV would stand in the center of the vessel and was able to look out glass windows to maneuver the submarine. The submarine has a single propeller powered by a Brayton cycle gasoline engine. To dive and surface the sub had vertical and horizontal rudders movable by the operator. The Holland IV had compressed air to surface the submarine. Holland IV has a top speed of 9 mph. Initial tests at Hendrick's Reef, near Fort Lafayette, New York, were good as the submarine was able to successfully drive and surfaces. For safety, Holland had designs so the operator could depart the submarine.[1] [2]
Holland's first submarine was the Holland I built and tested in 1878. Holland's second submarine was the Fenian Ram also called the Holland II, built and tested in 1881.[4] The Holland III was built and tested in 1883. The most successful submarine Holland VI, was launched May 17, 1897, later sold to the United States Navy and renamed USS Holland (SS-1).[5] [6] The Holland Torpedo Boat Company was founded 1893.[7]