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The birth of Isaac Peral

Cartagena, Campo de Cartagena, Murcia

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The birth of Isaac Peral

Historical milestone · Cartagena, Campo de Cartagena, Murcia

Image of Cartagena, not of the place itself.

The sailor, scientist and inventor Isaac Peral y Caballero was born in Cartagena on 1 June 1851, a lieutenant of the Navy and creator of the first fully functional electrically propelled torpedo submarine, known as the Peral submarine. In 1885 he informed his superiors that he had solved the challenge of underwater navigation, a project approved by the Navy's scientists, though he met with indifference and hostility from successive ministers of the Navy. With the support of the regent queen María Cristina, the submarine was launched in 1888 and, despite passing its trials, the authorities discarded it; a smear campaign forced Peral to request his discharge. The hull of his vessel is preserved today in his home city after decades of official neglect.

1 de junio de 1851

Photo: Ismael Olea (CC BY 4.0)

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