History of the steam engine This boat could typically make 7 to 8 miles per hour, and traveled more than during its short length of service. The Fitch steamboat was not a commercial success, as this route was adequately covered by relatively good wagon roads. In 1802 William Symington built a practical steamboat, and in 1807 Robert Fulton used a Watt steam engine to power the first commercially successful steamboat. Oliver Evans in his turn was in favour of "strong steam" which he applied to boat engines and to stationary uses. He was a pioneer of cylindrical boilers; however Evans' boilers did suffer several serious
Submarines in the United States Navy that was to forever change the nature of the submarine arm occurred. That revolution was . The was the first nuclear-powered submarine. "Nautilus" put to sea for the first time on 17 January 1955, transmitting the historic message, ""Under way on nuclear power."" Up until that point, submarines had been torpedo boats tied to the surface by the need to charge their batteries using diesel engines relatively often. The nuclear power plant of the "Nautilus" meant that the boat could stay underwater for literally months at a time, the only operational limit being the amount of food that the boat