John Holland, Irish-American Engineer
John Philip Holland (February 29, 1840 - August 12, 1914) was an Irish engineer. While a teacher in Cork, Holland read an account of the battle between the ironclads Monitor and Merrimack during the American Civil War. He realized that the best way to attack such ships would be through an attack beneath the waterline. He emigrated to the United States in 1873. Initially working for an engineering firm, he returned to teaching again for a further six years in St. John's Catholic School in Paterson, New Jersey. In 1875, his first submarine designs were submitted for consideration by the Navy, but turned down as unworkable. He continued to improve his designs and worked on several experimental boats, prior to his successful efforts with a privately built type, launched in 1897. This was the first submarine having power to run submerged for any considerable distance, and the first to combine electric motors for submerged travel and gasoline engines for use on the surface. She was purchased by the Navy, and after rigorous tests was commissioned on October 12, 1900 as USS Holland. The USS Holland design was also adopted by others, including the Royal Navy in developing the Holland-class submarine. He is widely regarded as the father of the modern submarine for his designs. After spending 57 of his 74 years working with submersibles he died 1914.
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