And the early submarine pioneers

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the world's major navies started to give serious consideration to arming themselves with a new form of vessel - the submarine.
The French were ahead of the field at that time because of government interest and backing, whilst in Britain, Admiralty disdain and short-sightedness resulted in their first submarine designs being imported.

However, there had been no lack of inventiveness in the United Kingdom and numerous submarines had been build over the preceding years. 
Perhaps the best-known British inventor was George William Garrett, who designed and built a steam-driven submarine in 1879 and later helped to build others which were exported.