...Originally in the American design this submarine had no periscope at all. The only way of seeing the situation when the submarine was being operated was to break surface and look through one of the scuttles in the small conning tower. In any sea at all this was a most difficult proceeding for the commanding officer. The idea of the periscope was first thought of and designed for our submarines by Captain Bacon, in conjunction with Howard Grubb, head of a firm of opticians in Dublin. This periscope did not rise up and down vertically when in use, and it could only be in two positions: either fully extended vertically, or housed horizontally by a ball and socket joint on the hull of the submarine when not in use. Also, when the submarine captain was looking ahead the object he saw was upright and when he looked astern the object was upside down. Similarly, when he looked on the beam the object was on its side. Nevertheless this invention was a tremendous step in the evolution of the submarine and although the French were the first to design and fit periscopes, let it be recorded that a Brittish naval officer gave us our own and it was Bacon's periscope which was adopted in the American Navy...
