The British engineer Robert Whitehead (3 January 1823 Bolton, Lancashire-14 November 1905 Shrivenham, Berkshire) worked at Toulon, Miland and Trieste before in 1856 becoming manager of the firm Stabilimento Tecnico di Fiume at Fiume (nowadays Rijkea in Crotia) where marine steam boilers and engines were manufactured, for instance the Austro-Hungarian navy. Several years he developed with the Italian engineer Giovanni Luppis Baron von Rammer (27 August 1813 Fiume-11 January 1875 Laglio) a former navy officer, into an effective weapon. Two years after the plant where he worked went bankrupt started Whitehead in 1875 a company specialized in producing torpedoed which became known as the Whitehead&Co,, Societa in Azioni. After his retirement was the firm sold to the British companies Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth.
Whitehead&Co built submarines using the Holland-design. (1) The U-5 and the U-6 were partially manufactured in the USA but finished at Fiume while their sister ship the SS-3 was completely built at Fiume. She was just like the Dutch O 1 built by the shipyard without having an order but was finally also purchased by the Austro-Hungarian navy where she was commissioned as the U-12. She was without success offered to other countries like Peru and Bulgaria but without success.
However it’s not all a British-Italian story. In 1906 was a Dutch navy lieutenant 1st class appointed as director general of the department submarines at Whiteheads’ company at Fiume (the newspaper Middelburgsche Courant dated 14 September). This lieutenant Paul Koster (11 December 1868 Delft-1941) was well known in Flushing and at the shipyard De Schelde. He was the men who commanded what would become the first submarine of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The Luctor et Emergo or O 1 was built by the shipyard without having any orders to do so.(2) At first she was a failure until Koster proved she was capable to perform her duties in the navy. The newspaper Vlissingse Courant dated 18 September wrote that the department submarines was founded by Vickers Sons, Armstrong&Co, the Electric Boat Company, Whitehead and other companies in the submarines building industry. Koster was not the only Dutchman working at Fiume. The edition dated 17 August 1907 wrote that mr. De Kat which worked as technical draughtsman at the De Schelde was appointed in the same job since 1 September at Fiume. The newspaper De Zeeuw dated 22 August reported that some labourers of the De Schelde were working at Fiume on very favourable conditions. The newspaper Vlissingse Courant dated 8 April 1908 reported that a day before four labourers of De Schelde were underway to Fiume. This drain of skilled craftsmen must be promoted by De Koster. The newspaper De Zeeuw dated 5 August 1908 referred to a Dutch magazine dealing with the torpedo plant and the building of submarines which was a Dutch affair. There were around thirty Dutch labourers working all well experienced in the shipbuilding industry as engineers, shipbuilders, riveters and electricians. Head of the building office was Pieter de Kreek former foreman of the labourers at the shipyard De Schelde! The newspaper Vlissingse Courant dated 8 October 1934 which published an item dealing with the problems between Koster and the Kon. Vereeniging Onze Vloot wrote that the submarines department at Fiume was closed in 1913. Koster moved to Paris where he became director of the continental affairs or agent of the Electric Boat Company. The latter company was responsible for the Holland-submarine which design was bought by the De Schelde and which became the first Dutch submarine the O1.
Notes
1. See for instance http://warshipsresearch.blogspot.nl/2012/05/dutch-interest-in-american-submarine.html
2. See for instance the note “Nederlandse Marine wel of niet geïnteresseerd in een eigen onderzeese torpedoboot in 1899", Den Spiegel, nr. 4, p.24-28. Another former Dutch navy officer Cornelis Hendrik van Asperen, (17 June 1869 Batavia) was well known to Koster, both of the same year class. Van Asperen represented the American engineer and designer Holland when the latter almost was appointed by the Dutch shipyard De Schelde!
