Julius Kroehl's Sub Marine Explorer

James Delgado lets us in on how he happened to stumble upon Julius Kroehl's Sub Marine Explorer while vacationing in Panama. Built for war but used in peace, it is as yet the only Union-built submarine from the Civil War known to have survived. An amazing technological achievement of the early Industrial Age in America, Explorer represents the intellectual and industrial energy of its age. As a self-propelled craft, with a lock-out capacity, Explorer was employed in pearl diving until problems with decompression sickness (which resulted in debilitating illness and death for the crew, including inventor Kroehl) led to its abandonment near the site of its last pearl harvesting expedition at Isla San Telmo, in the Pearl Islands on Panama's Pacific Coast, in 1869.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Warren Fletcher
• Explorer
• Warren
• submarine
• James P. Delgado
• Mike
• Jim
• Mike Fletcher

[highlands]

Is there a reason they walk backwards into the sea?

I don't trust the sea, I'd want to see what it was doing behind my back....plotting no doubt.

[jbd210947]

@highlands

The scuba gear on your back is quite heavy and changes your center of gravity, making you very "back heavy". The waves are moving toward you as you enter the sea and push you backwards making it likely, with the tanks on your back that you could fall on your back. By entering backwards the waves and the weight of the gear cancel each other out making you more stable as you walk into the water.

JBD

[highlands]

@jbd210947

@jbd210947

Ah, that makes sense, thank you very much.

I only really asked because I started taking an interest in diving after finding a piece of a Merlin engine washed up on a beach and I've been entertaining the idea of learning to dive after I finish up my Private pilots licence. It seems a bit extreme to be flying somedays and diving the next, and I'd have to take into consideration the strains on the body I suppose.

It just seems fascinating.