John P. Holland, 1841-1914

A classic of maritime history updated with new information, John P. Holland, 1841–1914 is the sole full-length biography of the man whose technological innovations led to the launching of the first modern submarine in May 1897. While David Bushnell may be considered the father of the submarine, Holland devised the technical improvements that enabled a craft to operate equally effectively whether submerged or surfaced, and it was his design that the U.S. Navy purchased in 1900. Richard Knowles Morris draws on diaries and papers left by his grandfather, a longtime friend of Holland and an superintending engineer of the Holland Torpedo Boat Company (later Electric Boat), to trace the inventor's eventful life. Morris recounts Holland's early years, his frustration in dealing with the Fenians and the U.S. Navy, and his company's negotiations with Japan, Great Britain, and Russia for Holland boats. Of particular interest is the selection of photographs that offer an enlightening pictorial of early submarine history.