Ivan
Fedorovich Alexandrovsky

In 1837 the Academy of Arts, the title of class artist of landscape painting for four of a kind: "Mount Elbrus", "Ravaged village" "Camp at mount Turchi-Cottage", "Village Karabudahkent". (Kondakov)

Russian inventor and self-taught in the field of underwater shipbuilding. Since childhood, Alexander showed an aptitude for painting and achieved great success. In 1837 the landscapes presented at the exhibition in St. Petersburg Academy of arts awarded the artist the title of "class artist", allowing him to become a teacher of drawing and sketching first in Mitau, and then in one of the private schools in St. Petersburg. In the early 50s (at the dawn of photography), he learned photography and produced prototypes of photographic devices, including stereoscopic, patented in 1854 the Department of manufactures and trade.

However, it is not a painting and not a photograph defined the life path of Alexander who studied mathematics, physics, chemistry. Inspired by a Patriotic desire to help the Russian fleet, it's almost 50 years of his life devoted to inventions in the field of underwater shipbuilding and armaments.

The first Russian designed (1861-62) submarine with a mechanical engine that runs on the energy of compressed air (design a pioneer of pneumatic equipment Professor S. I. Baranovsky; all submarines built before it, was set in motion by muscular force of their crews). In 1864-66 the SUBMARINE was built at the Baltic shipyard in St. Petersburg.

The engine, compressor, cylinders and tanks-vozduhonagrevateli was installed on the boat under the immediate supervision of V. S. Baranovsky (see Baranovsky). Boat control was carried out by one vertical and two parallel horizontal rudders. The immersion was carried out by filling the ballast tanks, the ascent is by blowing them with compressed air. SUBMARINE armament consisted of two mines connected together with rope and attached to the body; in battle of the mines were summed up under the bottom of the enemy ship and exploded with the current from a galvanic battery. On the boat for the first time in Russia was used the magnetic compass.

The submarine has successfully passed sea trials and in 1868, with a crew of 23чел. (including 7 officers) under the command of captain 1ранга A. N. Andreeva for 17 hours under water at a depth of about 10 meters. In 1871, a further test of hull strength of the SUBMARINE when submerged to a depth of 30 meters with freight (without crew) hull broke and the boat sank. It was lifted only in 1873 and never rebuilt.

Simultaneously with the creation of the boat Alexander has developed and in 1865 presented the project the world's first self-propelled mine-torpedo, managed automatically. In 1868 the project was improved by the author, and in 1871-74 the torpedo was manufactured in the workshops of the Old Admiralty plant. When tested in 1869 a torpedo passed a predetermined distance (750 metres) with great accuracy on the course, keeping the depth of about 2 meters at an initial speed of 8, and the final— 5 knots. The speed of a torpedo in 1875 increased to 10, and in 1879 to 18 knots.

Among other inventions of Alexander— the device for lifting sunken vessels and damaged a SUBMARINE-based inflatable leather bags (the prototype of the modern soft pontoons) as well as the projects of other technical equipment for ships and vessels of the Navy.