Cornelis+Drebbel

= Cornelis Drebbel =

= = Cornelis Drebbel was a scientist in the 1600s who created the first navigable version of the submarine. He innovated modern warfare with this invention that made people realize that submarines were usable in warfare. Although his version never made it to the front lines, without his version of the submarine it would have taken a lot longer for people to realize the submarine's use in warfare.

Cornelis Drebbel's full name is Cornelis Jacobszoon Drebbel and he was born sometime in 1572. He was born in Alkmaar, Holland. Around the year 1590 he attended the academy in Harlem. In 1595 he married Sophia Jansdochter Goltzius and they had four children. In 1600 he was in Middleburg where [|Hans Lippershey] taught him about lens grinding and optics. He moved to England in 1604 by invitation by King Henry. After King Henry's death, Cornelis Drebbel lived in financial trouble until his death in England in November 7th 1633.

His work on the submarine was important because, even though submarines sort of existed in the past (if you count the ancient versions of it) he made the "first navigable submarine in 1620" (Wikipedia Cornelis Drebbel). It wasn't his first model though, he had 2 earlier models that both got destroyed on the way to water, and every time he made a different one he made it better. It was a steerable submarine with a leather covered wooden frame. Researchers believe that he used his studies of chemistry to make it so that they could make oxygen under water. He did this by burning potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate to make oxygen. He used his knowledge about optics to make a lens that could see above the water. He showed his submarine to the people of London including King James I. This drew a lot of attention, and people started getting very excited about the idea of a submarine. Unfortunately the leaders of the British Navy did not see it as an asset to their warfare, and it wasn't for another 200 years until it's use in warfare would be noticed. Although his model of the submarine never saw any action, he was the one who made this possible for others to start seeing the submarine as a usable thing in the future.

How Cornelis Drebbel Innovated Warfare
Cornelis Drebbel didn't directly innovate warfare with his version of the submarine. But his idea of the submarine is what got noticed by military leaders in the 1800s. He innovated modern warfare by creating the first navigable submarine that was good enough to get the attention of people.