Between 1958 and 1959, inventor Narcis Monturiol built the Ictíneo I, the first submersible for non-military use, in the original workshops on Carrer Tallers and Carrer Sant Pau de La Maquinista. It was 7 m long, 2.5 m wide, and had a draft of 3.5 m. Its initial purpose was to facilitate coral fishing. The name Ictíneo was the result of combining the Greek words ichtus (fish) and naus (ship). In Monturiol’s words, it was a “fish-ship.”
It was made mainly of wood and consisted of two separate hulls: the inner or pressure hull was spherical and had a capacity of 7 m³, while the outer or light hull had the aforementioned fish shape. In the space between the two were the flotation tanks, a tank that supplied oxygen for breathing and lighting, and another hydrogen tank that powered an oxyhydrogen lamp to illuminate the depths of the sea. The vessel had a flat fin propeller powered by four crew members.
On September 23, 1859, Narcís Monturiol and four companions tested the Ictíneo in the Port of Barcelona, descending to different depths for two and a half hours. The test was a success and, to a certain extent, sparked interest in the naval sector and became another compelling reason to justify the relocation of the La Maquinista workshops two years later to a site near the sea in Barceloneta.
