Holland submarine, New York, 1890s. Historical artwork of the Holland VI prototype submarine, moored at a dock in New York, USA. It was designed by the Irish engineer John P. Holland (1841-1914). After moving to the USA in 1873, he designed and built several submarines, including the Fenian Ram (1881). His sixth Holland design was launched in 1897. A modified version of this was accepted by the US Navy in 1900 as the basis of its first submarines. The US Navy Holland submarines were about 20 metres long, armed with aerial torpedos (outlet at lower left), underwater Whitehead torpedos, and a dynamite gun. They had a crew of seven, could dive to 12 metres, and reached speeds of 5 knots. Artwork published in 1900.