Here we have Monsieur Goubet and his submarine. The image looks very little like his submarine so I presume it is just a submarine, and they could not find a picture of his. His submarine was a strange device, it took two people, and it was reputedly powered by electricity - though it was actually a battery to provide the power and an electric motor to drive the propellor and also keep a light on inside the craft. It was about sixteen and a half feet long, and the people sat back to back, looking out of a glass which was a bit like a short periscope
Despite all these marvels, when it was tested, in the River Seine, it was not a success, but only because it was not able to maintain a constant depth, and occasionally veered off course, which was actually not the craft`s fault, for the men did the steering, and their vision was limited, as they could only see one way at a time, so when they were looking to one side they could not see the other. Anyway, the machine was scrapped.
We can see what it looked like thanks to Murray`s "The Story of Ships", card 45/50, the text of which tells us that it was "...built by M. Goubet in Paris, was driven by current stored in batteries; but there was no means on board of recharging the batteries. The main body of the boat was a single bronze casting, with a glass and metal dome at the top. A universal joint on the propeller shaft enabled the screw to be set at an angle to the line of motion, thus dispensing with a rudder. Submersion was effected by admitting water ballast. The crew of two sat back to back with their heads in the dome. Abaft the dome was a "torpedo", it was to be released under a vessel, and rising attach itself by spikes, unreeling a wire behind it. The submarine would retire to a distance, and explode the torpedo through the wire"
This set is easy to spot but I know very little about it, not even the title. At first I thought it was "Inventeurs" (or Inventors) but as I saw more cards I realised they were all manner of people connected to the sea. Since starting this, and asking about, I have been told that the set is called "Ships", and the people are incidental, which is why they are in a smaller section than the ship. There is also a card of a primitive tribal chief, so they are not even all famous people. And then I got this list, supplied by Mr. Pryce. for which many thanks.
- Ade Suffren de St. Tropez - Fregate du XVIIIeme Siecle [frigate of the 18th century]
- Agrippa - Unireme Romaine Vent Arriere [Roman unireme with rear ventilation]
- Amiral Aube - Torpilleur de Haute Mer : [torpedo boat]
- Amiral Courbet - Cuirasse Escadre : [warship]
- Amiral Dumont d`Urville - Trois Mats Moderne (France) : [modern three master]
- Amiral Makarov, inventeur - Navire Brise-Glace : [icebreaker]
- Andrea Doria - Galere du XVIe Siecle [galleon of the sixteenth century]
- Bab Aroudj - Corsaire Mauresque : [Moorish corsair]
- Chef de Tribu - Embarcations des Primitifs : [primitive sailors]
- Christophe Columb - Caravelle Espagnole : [Spanish Caravelle]
- Commandant Deloncle - Paquebot [mail boat]
- Connetable Burkard - Chelande du IXeme Siecle {Byzantine super galley of the 9th century]
- Denis Papin - Premier Bateau a Vapeur : [first steam boat]
- Dracke - Vaisseau de Guerre Anglaise a trois Mats : [Francis Drake - English warship with three masts]
- Jean Bart - Vaisseau a Trois Ponts (XVIIe Siecle) : [three masted vessel 17th century)
- L`Ingenieur Goubet - Sous Marin : [submarine]
- Mandarin Amiral - Gondole de Mandarin Chinois [Mandarin Chinese gondola]
- Nansen - Bateaux Norvegien Au Pole Nord : [Norwegian boat at the North Pole]
- Navigateur Indou - Bateau de Transport sur le Gange [Boat on the Ganges]
- Pharaon - Barque Egyptienne sur le Nil [Egyptian barque on the Nile]
- Rolf le Genereux - Drakkar Normand [Norman Viking ship]
- Saint Louis - Selandre du XIIIeme Siecle [French East Indiaman of the thirteenth century
- Surcouf - Lougre Corsair [privateer lugger]
- Themistocle - Triere Athenienne [Athenian trireme]
- Vasco de Gama - Caraque Portugaise [Portuguese Carrack]