By Mary Bellis
Cornelis Jacobszoon Drebbel (1572-1634) was a Dutch inventor, physicist, and mechanician born in Alkmaar, Holland. Among his many inventions were the first navigable submarine, a scarlet dye, and a thermostat for a self regulating oven. His inventions were so unusual, folklore gave Drebbel a reputation of being a sorcerer. No wonder, in 1604, King James I received Drebbel at his court in England. Drebbel showed the King his perpetual motion machine. It worked through shifts in air temperature and pressure.
In 1598, he was a granted a patent for a pump and a clock with perpetual motion. In 1602, he was granted a patent for a chimney.
In 1620, Drebbel, conceived and built an oared submersible. Drebbels' submarine design was the first to address the problem of air replenishment while submerged. It was the first successful underwater craft, best described as a leather encased wooden rowboat. It was built in England, and designed to carry twelve oarsmen and several passengers below the surface of the Thames River, in a series of trips lasting several hours. Drebbel used air tubes, supported on the surface by floats, to bring oxygen to the boat, underwater.
Cornelius
Drebbel
Dutch Submarines Special on
Drebbel's submarine, includes a biography and information on Drebbel's
other inventions.
Cornelius
Drebbel
Achievements and biography.
Related Information
Submarines
