This article is from page 49 of the 2009-12-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 49 JPG
CHILDREN from all over Ireland were this month invited to follow in the footsteps of Liscannor legend John Philip Holland. The inventor, who became world-famous as the man who built the first working sub- marine, was one of the main attrac- tions during National Science Week.
Children were invited to follow in Holland’s footsteps by building their very own submarine at the Irish Ma- rine Institute in Oranmore. Indeed, Holland was one of the central fig- ures being celebrated through the week alongside such world-famous scientists as Einstein, Jacque Coust- eau and Marconi.
The young scientists were asked to dream up a “futuristic” submarine capable of exploring Ireland’s 220 million acres of underwater terri- tory.
John Holland was born 1841 in Lis- cannor. He attended St Macreehy’s National School and the Christian Brothers School in Ennistymon be- fore joining the Christian Brothers in Dito.
He left the Christian Brothers in 1873 and joined his mother and his
two brothers in Boston where he joined an engineering firm. Hol- land’s brother, Michael, had been introduced to the Fenian Movement who had organised a “skirmishing fund” administered by John Devoy.
Devoy helped fund John Holland’s research into the submarine. His first submarine, the Holland No 1, was built in Todd and Raftery’s shop, in New Jersey in 1877.
It was 14 feet long and was pow- ered by a primitive 4hp engine and carried one man.
It was brought down to the Passaic River and launched before a big au- dience. But someone had forgotten to insert the two screw plugs and the sub began to sink underneath the wa- oe
His net attempt, The Fenian Ram, built at Delamater Iron Works in New York in 1881. It was 31 feet long and could travel at 9 mph. over water and 7 under water, displaced 19 tons and was armed with an underwater canon fired by compressed air.
After many frustrating efforts to deal with the American Naval au- thorities Holland won an open com- petition for a submarine design and in 1896 the John Holland Torpedo Boat
Company was set up with Charles A Morris as Chief Engineer.
In 1900, the Holland’s No 6 would prove a major improvement on previ- ous efforts. It was 53-feet long, car- ried a crew of 15 and had a torpedo tube in the bow. It took its first dive on St Patrick’s day, 1898, in New York Harbour and was acclaimed a SECA
Despite inspections and favourable publicity and indeed the recommen- dation of the then Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, the Gov- ernment did not buy the submarine.
Holland made some _ alterations and after a final test in March 1900 the US Government bought the Hol- land No 6 on April 12, 1900, for ny LOR OLOeF
John Philip Holland from Liscannor died on August 12, 1914. He is buried in Totowa, New Jersey, less than one mile from where he launched his first submarine.