Dreta de l'Eixample in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain — Southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula)
Narcís Monturiol
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 23, 2022
1. Narcís Monturiol Marker
Barcelona a Narcís Monturiol
Inventor de l'Ictíneo
primer submarí que
va navegar submergit
al port de Barcelona
el 28 d juny d 1859
Barcelona honors Narcís Monturiol, the inventor of the Ictíneo, the first submarine that he sailed underwater, from the port of Barcelona on June 28, 1859.
Erected 1963.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is June 28, 1859.
Location. 41° 23.918′ N, 2° 10.008′ E. Marker is in Barcelona, Cataluña (Catalonia). It is in Dreta de l'Eixample. It is at the intersection of Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer de Provença, on the right when traveling west on Avinguda Diagonal. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Barcelona, Cataluña 08037, Spain. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, in Europe, in the European Union, in Atlantic Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, in the Schengen Area, in a coastal Mediterranean country, and in the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Josep Palau i Fabre (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Roger de Lauria (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Santiago Rusiñol (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Frederic Mompou i Dencausse (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Plaça del Cinc d’Oros (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Catalan-Basque Civil War Relations (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Carles G. Vidiella (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Teodoro Moscoso (approx. 0.8 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barcelona.
Also see . . .
1. Narcís Monturiol (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: "Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (28 September 1819 – 6 September 1885) was a Spanish inventor, artist and engineer born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. He was the inventor of the first air-independent and combustion-engine-driven submarine."(Submitted on July 18, 2022.)
2. Exploring the Depths: The First Fully-Functional Submarine (Metropolitan Barcelona). An extended article on Monturiol's efforts with more context than most other articles on the
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 23, 2022
2. Narcís Monturiol Marker - second panel
Excerpt: 'In 1848, with the spectre of a real communist revolution sweeping across Europe, the Spanish government did not take kindly to Monturiol’s ideas and banned his publications. Undeterred, he instead set about inventing things, passionately believing in human improvement through technology. During a stay in Cadaqués, he watched coral divers risking their lives to bring red coral to the surface; while this coral is protected today in Catalunya, it was a valuable commodity in the 19th century, when it was used in jewellery and as a crimson pigment. Monturiol saved one diver who appeared to have drowned and later, from the safety of the headland, watched other divers at work and imagined a machine that would render their labor safe. This machine would serve, as Monturiol put it, “as a prototype for efforts to improve the conditions of the landlocked workers of the world.”'(Submitted on July 18, 2022.)
3. Ictíneo I (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: "During the summer of 1859 Monturiol performed more than 20 test dives in the Ictíneo, with his business partner and shipbuilder as crew. He gradually increased the depth he dived(Submitted on July 18, 2022.)to until he reached his 20 metres (66 ft) limit and learned that the crew could remain dived for about 2 hours using only the oxygen sealed inside the pressure hull, and that their endurance could be doubled using compressed oxygen and his carbon dioxide scrubber. The Ictíneo turned out to possess good handling, but its top speed was disappointing, powered as it was by human muscle power....Ictíneo I was eventually destroyed in January 1862 after some 50 dives, when a cargo vessel ran into it while it was berthed. It was succeeded by the much improved Ictíneo II.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 23, 20223. Narcís Monturiol Marker - wide view, with sculpture of L'Ictineo behind it
4. Ictíneo II (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: "Ictíneo II was a pioneering submarine launched in 1864 by the Spanish engineer Narcís Monturiol and was the first air independent and combustion powered submarine and was the first submarine to overcome the basic problems of machine powered underwater navigation."(Submitted on July 18, 2022.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 23, 2022
4. Monument with a 1/17th scale model of L'Ictineo
Note that the model mounted to the monument more closely resembles the Ictineo II, Monturiol's second submarine - launched in 1864, despite the marker's reference to the first Ictineo. Ictineo II was the first, per Wikipedia, "...air independent and combustion powered submarine and was the first submarine to overcome the basic problems of machine powered underwater navigation."
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 399 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 17, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
