The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Douglas Brunt;

Author:Douglas Brunt;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2023-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

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Ironically, while the greatest engineering expertise in Diesel technology always resided within Germany, and in particular within M.A.N., during the early years, adoption of Diesel marine in other countries exceeded adoption in Germany. A frustrated Rudolf had written to his partner Heinrich Buz in 1902, “If one has come that far in France, so hopefully will the authorities of our Fatherland then gain the same opinion of the importance of our engine.”

The French Navy’s embrace of Diesel technology, especially for the submarine, placed them leaps ahead of their German counterpart. Even the Swedes and Russians had made greater progress. To Rudolf, and to anyone paying attention, the facts were plain. The Diesel motor was already the far superior choice for surface marine applications of small and midsize ships, and was the only choice for submarine application. What could hold up the Germans who had the famed inventor himself living and working in the city of Augsburg?

The answer is twofold. First, the Otto gasoline engine was also of German design, and powerful, entrenched German firms, such as Deutz (which was founded by Nicolaus Otto in 1864 and employed the soon-to-be famous engineers Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach), manufactured and marketed the lightweight Otto-cycle engine as well as steam engines. Deutz was wary of the costly process of overhauling its manufacturing plants to back a new venture. Business was simpler and more profitable if the Otto engine could remain on top. Deutz initially resisted Diesel proliferation. Additional demand for the Otto design came from early success in the automotive field, led by inventors such as Daimler and Benz, where the lighter-weight, simple design and lower cost of the gasoline-model engines of that era were a good fit.

Second, Kaiser Wilhelm II wasn’t thinking much about submarines in 1902. He had adopted the Tirpitz Plan, which called for a near-exclusive emphasis on the colossal battleship, and Diesel power had not yet scaled to meet such a massive assignment. Prior to 1910, the typical marine Diesel engine was no more than several hundred horsepower and was installed in ships meant for work on canals, lakes, or regional work across seas. The transoceanic Diesel vessel had not arrived. Though engine manufacturers such as Sulzer in Switzerland, Burmeister & Wain in Denmark, and M.A.N. were experimenting with larger engine designs, there was no Diesel motor that could fit the requirements of a battleship at that time, other than to provide auxiliary power (electric power for the ship provided by an alternate source from the primary engines).

But as the end of the decade approached, the German navy realized it couldn’t focus only on the battleship and ignore the submarine weapon any longer. After hearing of the successful performance of the French submarines Circé and Calypso in 1907, the German navy finally placed an order with M.A.N. in December 1908VIII for a single submarine Diesel engine of 850-horsepower, much more powerful than the 300-horsepower engines in the French subs.

M.A.N. completed successful testing of this engine in April 1910.

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