Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (Catalan pronunciation: [nəɾˈsiz muntuɾiˈɔl i əstəriˈɔl]; September 28, 1819 – September 6, 1885) was a Spanish lawyer, artist, journalist, newspaper publisher, and engineer born in Figueres, Catalonia. He created the first submarine that did not need air to operate and was powered by an engine.
Biography
Monturiol i Estarriol was born in the city of Figueres, Girona, Spain. He was the son of a cooper. Monturiol attended high school in Cervera and earned a law degree in Mostoles in 1845. However, he never practiced law. Instead, he focused on writing and publishing. In 1846, he started a publishing company and married his wife, Emilia. He created journals and pamphlets that shared his strong opinions on feminism, pacifism, and utopian communism. He also founded the newspaper "La Madre de Familia," which aimed to protect women from unfair treatment by men, and "La Fraternidad," Spain's first communist newspaper.
Monturiol became friends with Abdó Terrades, which led him to join the Republican Party. His circle of friends included musician Josep Anselm Clavé and engineer Ildefons Cerdà. He also admired the ideas of Étienne Cabet, a utopian thinker and socialist. Monturiol promoted Cabet's ideas through "La Fraternidad" and translated Cabet's novel Voyage en Icarie into Spanish. A group connected to "La Fraternidad" raised money to send someone to visit Cabet's utopian community, Icaria.
After the revolutions of 1848, one of his publications was banned by the government. This forced Monturiol into a short period of exile in France. When he returned to Barcelona in 1849, the government limited his publishing work. He then shifted his focus to science and engineering.
During a stay in Cadaqués, Monturiol observed the dangerous work of coral harvesters. He saw a man die while performing this job, which inspired him to think about underwater navigation. In September 1857, he returned to Barcelona and created the first commercial society in Spain dedicated to exploring submarine navigation. The company was named Monturiol, Font, Altadill y Cia. and had a capital of 10,000 pesetas.
In 1858, Monturiol presented his project in a scientific thesis titled The Ictineo (Fish-Ship). The first dive of his first submarine, Ictíneo I, took place in September 1859 in the harbor of Barcelona.
Ictíneo I was 7 meters (23 feet) long, with a width of 2.5 meters (8 feet 2 inches) and a depth of 3.5 meters (11 feet). It was designed to help harvest coral. The front of the submarine had tools for coral harvesting. During the summer of 1859, Monturiol completed more than 20 dives in Ictíneo I with his business partner and shipbuilder as crew. The submarine handled well, but its top speed was slow because it relied on human power.
Ictíneo I was eventually destroyed in January 1862 after about 50 dives. A cargo ship collided with it while it was docked.
A modern replica of Ictíneo I is displayed at the entrance to the Marine Museum in Barcelona.
Ictíneo II was planned as an improved version of the human-powered Ictíneo I. The Spanish Navy supported Monturiol but did not provide funding. To raise money, Monturiol wrote a letter asking for public donations. This effort collected 300,000 pesetas from people in Spain and Cuba. The funds were used to form the company La Navegación Submarina to develop Ictíneo II.
Monturiol's final plan was to build a new submarine with a powerful engine. The vessel would be made entirely of metal, with the engine in its own separate section. However, due to financial problems, this was not possible. Instead, he used funds to install the engine in the wooden Ictíneo II for testing.
On 22 October 1867, Ictíneo II made its first journey on the surface using steam power, averaging 3.5 knots (4.0 mph; 6.5 km/h) with a top speed of 4.5 knots (5.2 mph; 8.3 km/h). On 14 December, Monturiol submerged the vessel and tested the engine that did not require air.
On 23 December, Monturiol's company went bankrupt and could not attract more investment. A creditor demanded payment, and Monturiol had to give up his only asset, Ictíneo II. The creditor sold the submarine to a businessman, who received a tax bill from the authorities. To avoid paying the bill, the businessman took the submarine apart and sold it for scrap. A replica of Ictíneo II can be seen at the harbor of Barcelona.
Later life and legacy
In 1868, Monturiol returned to political life. As a member of the Federal Party, he served as a representative in the Constituent Assembly of the First Spanish Republic (1873). Later, he became the director of the National Stamp Factory in Madrid for a short time, where he developed a method to make adhesive paper faster. Monturiol also created several inventions, including a system for copying letters, a continuous printer, a rapid-firing cannon, a way to improve steam generators, a stone cutter, a method to preserve meat, and a machine for making cigarettes.
Monturiol died in 1885 in Sant Martí de Provençals, which is now part of Barcelona.
Monturiol solved the major challenges of underwater navigation. He invented the first fully functional engine-driven submarine.
No other submarine used an anaerobic propulsion system until 1940, when the German Navy tested a system called the Walter turbine on the experimental V-80 submarine and later on the Type XVII submarines. The problem of air-independent propulsion was finally solved with the creation of the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus.
Spain honored Monturiol on a postage stamp in 1987 (supposedly to mark 100 years since his death; the reason for the difference in dates is unclear).
Monturiol has two monuments: one in Barcelona (Avinguda Diagonal-Carrer Girona) and another at the end of the Rambla in Figueres, his hometown, which is also known for another famous person from Figueres, Salvador Dalí.
In 2013, a crewed submersible capable of reaching depths of 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) was named Ictineu 3, in honor of Monturiol’s earlier inventions, Ictineo I and Ictineo II.
The Spanish Navy has honored Monturiol by naming one of Spain’s first air-independent propulsion submarines the S-82 Narciso Monturiol, launched in 2025. It is also the fourth Spanish Navy ship to bear Monturiol’s name.