NarcÃs Monturiol i Estarriol
Narcis Monturiol i Estarriol ( born September 28, 1819 in Figueres, Spain, † September 6, 1885 in Barcelona) was a Spanish engineer and inventor.
Narcis Monturiol designed and built with the Ictíneo II the first U- boat which had a mechanical drive.
Although Monturiol 1845 his law studies in Barcelona successfully ended, he worked as a lawyer never. Through his friendship with Abdo Terrades he was the Republican Party of Spain closer and joined this. He also sympathized with the socialist ideas of Étienne Cabet. He supported the Catalan independence movement, which finally forced into exile in France in 1848.
After his return, he trained as a typesetter and later published the writings of La madre de familia (1846 ) and La Fraternity ( 1847-1848 ), which was the first communist newspaper in Spain. During his stay in Cadaqués he could watch the divers in their dangerous work of harvesting coral and so also witnessed a fatal accident when a diver was drowned. This experience prompted him to think about the possibilities of a " less dangerous coral harvesting " by underwater vehicles. In September 1857 he returned to Barcelona, where she organized the establishment of the first Spanish trading company for the exploration of submarines. They bore the name Monturiol, Font, Altadill y Cia and had a starting capital of 10,000 pesetas.
1858 Finally, he presented his idea and his project in the scientific treatise Ictíneo or the fish - boat. The first dive trip of his first submarine Ictíneo I took place in the port of Barcelona in September 1859. On 2 October 1864, the Ictíneo II denied her maiden voyage.
An exhibition of work Monturiol is located in the Museu Maritim de Barcelona.