Documents highlight early work of submarine inventor

A VAST collection of historic documents which sheds light on the early work in Cork of submarine inventor John Phillip Holland was presented to the country’s maritime college yesterday.

The Edward M Graf collection details how Christian Brother John Phillip made his first drawings of his submarine while a teacher at Cork’s North Monastery secondary school. It also details how he carried out the first submerged experiments with scale models and explosives in the school’s ornamental pond in 1858 and later in the Lee. The wooden models were built by the North Mon’s renowned science teacher, Br Burke.

John Phillip Holland is acknowledged as the father of the modern submarine. He designed vessels at the turn of the century for the American, British, Dutch and Japanese governments.

The collection which was presented to the National Maritime College in Cork yesterday comprises over 5,000 photographs, sketches, plans and specifications.

It also includes copies of letters from the American, British and Japanese governments outlining to Holland their requirements.

The collection was presented last year to North Mon teacher Tony Duggan by the Paterson City Museum in New Jersey to honour his work on the twinning of Paterson City and Holland’s birthplace of Liscannor, in Co Clare.

The museum houses the original Holland 1 and the famous Holland 2: The Fenian Ram submarines.

Mr Duggan said he was honoured to receive the gift last year, but felt its best home would be the college.

“The collection enriches our understanding of Holland’s early experiments, both in Cork and in America,” Mr Duggan said.

Mr Duggan said his research has established that Br John Phillip’s father, John Snr, was born in Bantry, Co Cork, and, as a member of the British coastguard, was stationed at Ringabella, close to where the maritime college is located.

John Phillip Holland was born in Liscannor in February 1841 and died of pneumonia on August 12, 1914, a poor man.