A funeral procession passed in front of us and the Prophet (S.A.W) stood up and we too stood up...
BITS ‘N’ PIECES
Narrated by Jabir bin 'Abdullah (R.A)
A funeral procession passed in front of us and the Prophet (S.A.W) stood up and we too stood up. We said, “O Allah's Apostle! This is the funeral procession of a Jew.” He said, “Whenever you see a funeral procession, you should stand up.”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 398
The invention of the submarine is a fascinating story that spans several centuries of experimentation. The credit for building the world’s first working submarine is commonly given to Cornelis Drebbel, a Dutch inventor and engineer working in England under King James I. Around 1620, Drebbel constructed a wooden submersible boat that could be submerged and manoeuvred beneath the surface of the River Thames. Drebbel built three submarines according to the sketchy information available from that time, each larger than the last and the third being capable of carrying 16 people, of which 12 were the oarsmen.
Drebbel's submarine was essentially a modified rowboat, reinforced and covered in greased leather to make it watertight. It relied on oars for propulsion and used snorkel-like tubes to bring in air from the surface. This vessel could reportedly dive to a depth of about 15 feet and remain submerged for short periods.
During the American Revolutionary War, an American inventor named David Bushnell designed a one-man submersible called the Turtle in 1775. Made of wood and shaped like a clam, the Turtle was manually powered by a hand crank and intended to attach explosives to British ships. Though it failed to succeed in combat, it marked a significant step towards modern military submarines.
The 19th century saw further advancements, particularly with the introduction of steam and later electric power. In 1864, during the American Civil War, the Confederate Navy deployed the H.L. Hunley, a hand-cranked submarine that successfully sank the USS Housatonic - making it the first combat submarine to sink an enemy vessel. Unfortunately, the Hunley also sank, highlighting the risks of early submersible technology.
It wasn’t until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that submarines became viable weapons of war. Irish engineer John Philip Holland made critical contributions by developing the first successful gasoline- and electric-powered submarines. His designs were adopted by the US Navy and later influenced submarine construction worldwide.
Submarines reached a terrifying level of effectiveness during the Second World War, especially at the hands of the German Navy. Known as U-boats (short for Unterseeboote), these submarines were used to devastating effect in the Battle of the Atlantic, where they targeted Allied supply convoys with torpedoes. The goal was to cut off Britain’s lifeline to North America. At their peak, U-boats caused severe losses to Allied shipping and created widespread fear. However, improved sonar, depth charges, and coordinated convoy systems eventually helped turn the tide against them. The U-boat campaign highlighted both the deadly potential and the vulnerabilities of submarine warfare, leaving a lasting impact on naval strategy.
Today’s nuclear-powered submarines are far removed from Drebbel’s leather-covered boat, but they all owe a debt to those early visionaries who dared to imagine life beneath the waves. The invention and evolution of the submarine is a powerful testament to human curiosity, creativity, and persistence.
