Ictineo II

Replica of the Ictíneo II at the Port of Barcelona

The Ictíneo II was next to the French Plongeur one of the first submarines with a mechanical propulsion and was designed and built by the Catalans Narcis Monturiol as a follow - draft Ictíneo I. The boat was powered by a anaerobically operated with magnesium, zinc and potassium chlorate engine. On 2 October 1864, she was launched, initially driven manually, on her maiden voyage in the port of Barcelona.

The Ictíneo II was 14 m long, 2 m wide, 3 m high and weighed around 46 tons.

One of the peculiarities of Ictíneo II was the attempt of an anaerobic drive and the problem of how oxygen could be replaced in a hermetically sealed room. The magnesiumperoxidbasierte engine, the Monturiol had designed, produced during the chemical reaction enough heat to generate steam. As a waste product fell to oxygen, which was collected in special tanks, and then made ​​this way for breathing air.

A replica of the Ictíneo II is on display at the Port Vell in Barcelona today.

Swell

• La ingeniería y el proyecto del Ictíneo de Monturiol, 1857-1868 (in Spanish )