America in World War I: Prototype of the Modern Submarine (b/w photo)

Prototype of the Modern Submarine. "The man who desidgned the type of submarine which has become the standard in all modern navies, John P Holland, similarly advocated it as the only means of destroying the British navy," says Rear Admiral Sims, "Holland was an American of Irish origin, he was a member of the Fenian brotherhood and it was his idea that his vessel could be used to destroy the British navy, blockade the British coast, and, as an inevitable consequence, secure freedom for Ireland. This is the reason why his first successful boat was known as the Fenian Ram, despite the fact that it was not a 'ram' at all. And the point on which Holland always insisted was that the submarine vessel was a unique vessel in naval warfare, because there was no 'answer' to it. 'There is nothing that you can send against it,' he gleefully exclaimed, 'not even itself.'" The picture shows the "Holland," the first successful submarine built by the inventor. It was accepted by the United States Government in 1897. Illustration for US Official Pictures of the World War, showing America's Participation, selected from the official files of the War Department by William E Moore and James C Russell (Pictoria Bureau, 1920). Gravure printed.