Doing Away with the Submarine's 

 Storage Battery 



TERRIBLE as the submarine seems, 

 it could be made still more terrible 

 if it were propelled by a system 

 simpler than that at present employed. 

 Although no perfect engine has yet been 

 found which is suitable for both surface 

 and underwater propulsion, naval en- 

 gineers are agreed that were it not for 

 the storage battery the submarine might 

 be made big enough and fast enough to 



battery, is installed on every submarine 

 for underwater propulsion. The weight 

 of that battery is about three hundred 

 and seventy pounds per horsepower per 

 hour. Hydrogen gas, which is in itself 

 not poisonous, but which is highly ex- 

 plosive when mixed with 

 air, is generated as the bat- 

 teries discharge. Hence a 

 ventilating system 



Protective hood 



take its place in the battle-line 

 of a high-sea fleet. Some day we 

 may see squadrons going into 

 battle accompanied by submersi- 

 ble vessels of huge dimensions, 

 which will have armored decks 

 and which will be capable of mak- 

 ing speeds of twenty-five knots and more. 

 Compared with the battle possibilities of 

 these future craft even the largest of 

 present German U-boats will seem puny 

 and toy-like in comparison. But before 

 we shall see them the present type of 

 surface propelling-engine must be vastly 

 improved, and above all the storage bat- 

 tery must be abandoned. 



An oil or any other internal-combus- 

 tion engine cannot be employed to drive 

 a submarine under water because of the 

 poisonous gases generated and because 

 it breathes air more voraciously than any 

 human being. Hence an electric motor, 

 deriving its current from a storage- 



Eliminating the Storage Battery from 

 the Submarine — the Neff System 

 These drawings are a longitudinal 

 vertical section and a sectional plan oj 

 the Neff system. The two small cross- 

 sections at the bottom are takejt through 

 the points marked A and B below the 

 two larger drawings. 

 Both the forward and aft compartments con- 

 tain steel bottles in ivhich air is compressed 

 at 2,500 pounds pressure; other air bottles are 

 placed beneath the floors. The engines drive 

 propellers near the bow of the boat. Protecting 

 fins guard the propellers from injury. 



The engine-room is supplied with air hi two 

 distinct ways; one for surface running and the 

 other for submerged running. The super- 

 structure is open to the sea and serves to hold a 

 considerable amount of air after the submarine 

 has begun to submerge. This trapped air is 

 automatically fed to the engines for the first few 



must be provided. In the lead-type of 

 battery, which is in use side by side with 

 the Edison nickel-iron cell, the greatest 

 care has to be exercised to exclude salt 



654 



