Argonaut Junior
Encyclopedia
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
built by engineer Simon Lake
Simon Lake
Simon Lake was a Quaker American mechanical engineer and naval architect who obtained over two hundred patents for advances in naval design and competed with John Philip Holland to build the first submarines for the United States Navy.Born in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Lake joined his father's...
. Her main attribute like that of the sub in built by Lake in 1897 Argonaut (submarine)
Argonaut (submarine)
The Argonaut was a class of submarines built by engineer Simon Lake. When used without clarification generally refers to the second built and larger one launched in 1897 at Baltimore. She was long, cigar shaped and built of steel. She had a gas engine and propeller, dynamo, searchlight, and pumps...
; was an air lock
Air lock
An air lock is gas trapped in a high point of a liquid-filled pipe system. The gas, being lighter than the liquid, rises to the highest point and restricts the flow of liquid...
. Her dimensions were length 14ft, beam 4 ft, depth 5 ft. Different sources incorrectly identify "Argonaut No 1", and "Argonaut No 2" as the name of this vessel. "Argonaut No 1" was built in 1897 and is 36 feet in length, "Argonaut No 2" was a reconstruction of "Argonaut No 1" finishing in 1900 with a length of 60 feet and significantly different profile.
The Argonaut Junior was built as a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
by Lake after he was unfavorably received by the U.S. Navy. It was triangular, made of wood (Yellow Pine
Yellow pine
Yellow pine may refer to the following:*Certain pines in the subgenus Pinus subgenus Pinus:**In American forestry, a term for several closely related species of pine with yellow tinted wood, including the Southern Yellow Pines , and the non-Southern yellow pines and several others...
), and had three wheels to keep it from getting stuck to the sea bottom. She moved along the bottom of Sandy Hook Bay by one or two men cranking the axle of the two driving wheels. Which sufficient air pressure in the cabin, a bottom door (air lock) could be opened and no water would come into the boat. Then by putting on a pair of rubber boots the operator could walk around on the sea bottom and push the boat along with him and pick up objects from the sea bottom.