Submarine made by K.A. Schilder (1834)

In 1834, at the Alexandrovsky foundry in Petersburg, following the project elaborated by naval engineer K.A. Schilder, a submarine equipped with missile launchers (three from each board) was built. The ship was set in motion with four special oars designed on the principle of a duck’s leg and fixed in pairs on each side of the ship. They were set in motion by oars-men, but, despite tremendous efforts of the crew, the speed submerged did not exceed 0.5 km per hour. Schilder hoped to replace the oars with electric runners. Unfortunately, back in those days, the scientific progress in electrical engineering was very slow, and, in 1841, the submarine modification activity stopped.

Submarine made by I.F. Alexandrovsky (1866)

Russian inventor I.F. Alexandrovsky made a conclusion that the solution to the existing underwater navigation problem could not be found without a mechanical engine. Having examined all the engines known at that time, he focused his attention and efforts on the engine that operated on compressed air. Though in 1866 the submarine under Alexandrovsky’s project was finished, the engine installed in her was capable of generating a speed of only 1.5 knots and her endurance did not exceed 3 miles.