Crew Complement and Accommodations

Verne provides little evidence of the crew complement other than periodic references to working party and excursion sizes. This becomes an important plot element as Ned evaluates escape options but leaves important gaps in determining crew size and accommodations. The largest party specified consists of twenty sailors but actual crew size would as a minimum include additional crew still remaining at vital watch stations. There is mention of the 5 meter crew’s quarters as well as reference to two smaller cabins: a two-man cabin that is assigned to Ned and Conseil, and the cabin near the crew’s quarters where Aronnax examines the injured crewman. From the interior layout I was able to fit in additional cabins for junior and petty officers, and one for the first officer just aft of the chart room.

The 5 meter cabin was able to fit 2 x 3-bunk stacks on the inboard wall and 2 x 2-bunk stacks along the hull (there being insufficient overhead space due to the curvature of the hull for an additional bunk) for a total of 10 bunks with several lockers for personal effects. If utilizing “hot bunking” with two watch sections there is room for 20 seamen. The four additional two-man cabins would provide quarters for two junior officers standing two-section officer of the deck and six petty officers: e.g. Quartermaster, Chef, Boatswain, Engineman, Electrician, and Coxswain. In the Dining Room I provided four chairs allowing Nemo to dine with all his officers as was customary of the time.

With the captain and first officer this totals 30 crewmen when the Nautilus first went to sea. At the time the protagonists came aboard there had been at least two crewmen lost to leave a vacant cabin for Ned and Conseil. This is confirmed when attending the funeral in the coral cemetery as there had been other crewmen previously interred at his location.

Aronnax's Cabin

Because of the limited space the furnishings are built-in instead of free standing. Due to the extreme taper, the flat floor is only 1.8 meters wide at the aft cabin bulkhead leaving only enough room for the two required doors. This left the only space for the bed as mounted athwartships on the forward bulkhead. The length of the bed set the minimum hull width as 2.3 meters at this point with 2 meters for the bunk and an additional 0.15 meters for the thickness of the hull at each side. Despite these restrictions there is still adequate space for a Twin XL size bunk, a full-height wardrobe built into the larboard side and a washstand and mid-height locker build into the starboard side. As the bunk is mounted at mid height of the forward bulkhead there is sufficient space below to stow a small dressing stool.

Nemo's Office (Cabin)

Although I had not previously considered it, I agree with Michael Crisafulli’s theory that Aronnax’s cabin was originally the Captain's sleeping quarters and this space was originally Nemo's office/workspace. This set the direction of the furnishing of this room. There is a desk and chair at the aft bulkhead, and along the starboard wall forward is Nemo's instrument board and aft built into the wall is a small settee described as a bench during Aronnax’s tour. These are the original furnishings. When Nemo vacated his sleeping quarters to Aronnax he moved a small iron bed (basically a cot) and a small washstand into this space. The additional items make for a crowded room.

Grand Salon

In order to accommodate the hull slope due to the raising of the hull line to the bow, the floor is terraced. One advantage of this is that the height of the ceiling and the forward end is still nearly 5 meters above the floor level where entering at the aft end making for a more open impression. Although the ceiling is partly covered to conceal ventilation ducting and the protuberances caused by the deck features, the walls are left bare to follow the curvature of the hull though paneled and wall papered. From the side view the amount of available wall space for hanging paintings, arms and tapestry is apparent though approximately the upper third would be unusable for this purpose due to the inward hull curvature. Initially I intended there to be sliding panels to cover the observation ports but this proved unsatisfactory as they either would absorb wall space if mounted internal to the salon or required a thicker hull section if they were to retract into the walls. I finally decided the panels would be mounted external to the hull which would also provide protection to the glass ports during collision.

At each corner of the room are panels cutting off the corners of the space. Set into each of these corner panels are recesses which contain the marble and bronze statues. On the upper terrace at the forward bulkhead is the pipe organ and stool. Behind is the "costly mosaic table". Next to that facing aft is one of the display cases built into the terrace. On the mid terrace are two divans. Though not indicated they are mounted on central pivots and swing arms allowing them to be swung out or rotated to face out the ports located immediately behind them. At the aft end of the mid terrace is a 2 meter pedestal upon which sits the clamshell fountain. The pedestal also conceals the pressure chamber containing the anchor winch and chain locker which is open to sea pressure through the chain chute and keel of the boat. On the lower terrace built into the aft side of the pedestal and on each wall are additional display cases. On the aft bulkhead is the ladder to the upper deck. Placing the ladder at this point permits Aronnax and Nemo to transit from the forward part of the boat to the upper deck passageway during their tour. It also allows Nemo rapid access to the conn from the forward areas if required. 

Pilot House and Chart Room

The Pilot House consists of a 2 meter square lower room with a movable cylindrical cell above. The cell consists of a tapered cylindrical cupola with an open basket suspended blow for the occupants to stand. The cupola slides in a guide sleeve with a seal between. Retraction and extension of the cell requires only a simple mechanical jack as the operation is performed on the surface when there is no external pressure. When in position the cell is secured from movement by a lip around the lower edge of the guide sleeve when retracted or by blocks when in the extended position. The cell is accessed by a collapsible straight ladder and hatch in the basket floor when either raised or retracted. The cell contains the ship's wheel forward, the engine order telegraph to larboard and the diving planes control wheel to starboard. Both wheels operate telescoping shafts through bevel gears through the floor of the basket to operate the control surfaces.

Aft of the pilot house on either side are panels to control the trim, drain, and ballast systems on the larboard side and to control the ventilation and air supply systems to starboard.

In the center of the chart room retracted into the overhead is the periscope (see my arguments for the existence of a periscope). Further aft is a large chart table and locker.

Electrical Compartment

The power cells described in the chapter “Everything by Electricity” are more akin to fuel cells as the chemical components are replaced as they are consumed in order to continue generating power. Compared to a primary battery where once the reactants are expended it is disposed of, or a secondary battery where the chemical process is reversed by recharging, the power can be generated indefinitely as long as sufficient replacement reactants are available and the waste products are removed from the cells. For this purpose additional equipment is installed.

To starboard is the cell conditioning equipment to extract the amalgam from the cells, remove the expended reactants, replenish the sodium, and return the reconstituted amalgam to the cells.

On the larboard side is an instrument board to monitor individual cell voltages, temperatures, and reactant levels. Also to larboard is a switchboard for isolating and bypassing individual cells and controlling distribution of electricity to the rest of the boat.

Aft are the power cells with a catwalk running between the two banks and aft to the Motor Room bulkhead. In the deck is a hatch and below a ladder to access the bilge area and the bottom drain cocks on the power cells.

Motor Compartment

For the main propulsion motor I initially considered a rotating armature type. While this type in its primitive form had been invented in the 1830s and I believe Verne would have recognized its greater potential, I decided a reciprocating design would better fit the description in the book.

In order to pack the most motor into the cramped space at the aft end of the engine room I used a radial design similar to air-cooled radial aircraft engines. The reciprocating motor uses electromagnets in four rows of fixed water-cooled stator rings with iron core slugs in place of the pistons driving connecting rods and a common crankshaft. Located at the aft end is the distributor which controls the timing of the magnets. The distributor timing is shifted to reverse rotation.

At the forward end is an open 4-speed reduction gearbox to permit the motor to operate at its most efficient rpm regardless of the shaft speed. Ships bells are answered by shifting to the appropriate gear for the bell ordered. Levers on each side operate the gear train and clutch; the gear train transferring power to the main shaft which passes below the motor and out through the shaft seals. The motor, gearbox, its operating levers and associated linkages roughly conform to the description in the related passage in the book.  

At the forward bulkhead is a board to monitor motor operating conditions and on either side are two cooling water pumps to circulate cooling water heated by the motor and power cells to the radiators mounted externally on the hull.

Crew’s Mess (Cell)

It is unlikely that a room of this size would be set aside just for a brig. The only other reasonable use as others have noted would be as the crew’s common area for dining and recreation. To comply with the text the room’s placement required having a door near the base of the central stairway and a door 10 meters from the door to the Dining Room. This places the aft wall of the room at the forward engine room bulkhead. It also required a 2.75 meter ceiling high enough to be out of the reach of Ned Land.

Diving Compartment

This compartment contains the Diving Chamber with internal hatch and external combined hatch and boarding ladder. To larboard is the Diving Locker for storage of the diving suits, helmets and breathing apparatuses. To starboard is a small arms locker for ready storage of the pneumatic guns. I wanted this area to be large enough to fit four to six divers in the prep area and another four in the chamber. The locker would also need to store sufficient number of diving suits to equip the sixteen men that participated in the funeral precession.

The Periscope

Arguments for a periscope on the Nautilus:

·         The simple periscope is credited as being invented in 1647 and the submarine periscope in 1854.

·         Optical technology of the time was advanced enough to overcome much of the image brightness and quality issues that had been experienced. Advanced multi-element optical eyepieces and objective lenses had been developed associated with astronomical telescopes by this time. It would have been an issue more of application than capability.

·         Aronnax is in the pilot house/chart room only for the transit through the Arabian Tunnel and therefore never observes how the Nautilus is navigated with the cupola retracted.

·         In a biography of Verne in regards to “From the Earth to the Moon” the author stated that Verne avoided using technology that to the public appeared immature (rockets) in favor of technology more well-known (cannon) to create a more believable story even if the former provided a superior solution. In this case I believe Verne would have included the periscope if it had been more well-known. Instead he just avoided the subject by not allowing Aronnax access to the pilot house during the attack; the only action requiring its use.

·         Although a practical rotating submarine periscope had not been developed, a fixed (non-rotating) periscope could be fabricated; using multiple tubes to view various directions.

Though not entirely impossible, a long fixed periscope that extended above the surface would still pose many issues including extending down through the library when retracted, misalignment of the mirrors due to tube flexing, longer time to retract into the hull prior to impact, and greater light loss, and excessive drag associated with a multiple tube design compared to one that extended just above the hull. A short periscope could be quickly retracted shortly before impact to prevent damage.

The periscope I have decided to use is a fixed multiple-aperture periscope similar to that used on armored vehicles covering the 180 degree forward arc. This would provide visibility not significantly inferior to the extended pilot house with the exception of vertical field of view and to the aft. The upper assembly is extended to protrude approximately 25cm above the deck and the lower assembly with the viewing ports is retracted into the overhead of the chart room when not in use. It would therefore not have been visible to Aronnax during his brief time in the room.

Bulkheads and Watertight Compartments

In the text the Nautilus is divided into four, possibly five water tight compartments. Verne specifically identifies the bulkhead between the forward cabin area and the salon, between the library and the dining room, and at the forward end of the engine room. He also alludes to another when he states the ladder to the dinghy is between two watertight bulkheads. As it is mentioned prior to entering the crew compartment it is not a reference to the engine room bulkhead. This would place another bulkhead between the dining room compartment and crew compartment. Note that these doors and bulkheads are not referred to as being watertight when Aronnax initially walks through the forward areas; it is only on his return trip through the boat that this is stated. He also states the engine room is divided “by function” into two areas but it would also be reasonable that it also be divided by another bulkhead. This would minimize the volume that could be flooded without isolation. This would also apply to the door between the library and the salon – which is also a very large volume.

Because of the low reserve buoyancy (150 tons – 10%) it would be logical to have greater subdivision in the event of flooding. I have therefore separated the Nautilus into seven watertight compartments adding the two bulkheads mentioned. I have also interpreted the “double door” between the dining room and library as two doors face to face, opening opposite each other from opposite sides of the bulkhead. This configuration would ensure that regardless of which compartment on either side of the bulkhead flooded, the water pressure would positively seal the hatch on that side without having to rely on the dogs. This is not required on modern submarine doors but would be beneficial considering the materials technology of the time and the extreme diving depths the Nautilus is capable of. I also used the double-door configuration at the engine room bulkhead. This placement as well as the direction of the doors was based on evaluating each compartment’s vulnerability to flooding and how critical the compartment was to recovering from the casualty or saving the crew.

Other Miscellaneous Details

·         The Dining Room, Library and Galley follow the book descriptions with additional details previously given.

·         At the foot of the first flight of the central stairway is the tackle locker containing the nets, blocks, and line for the trawling gear.

·         On either side of the forward upper deck are lockers for storing the sodium reserves in oil-filled canisters.

·         Ladder access to the longboat is on the starboard passageway between the first officer’s cabin and the tackle locker.

·         In addition to the arms locker in the Diving Compartment there is a larger armory in the upper gallery located near the gangway to facilitate repelling boarders.

·         The Blower Room located under the central stairway contains the ventilation air blowers and air compressors.

·         Midships under the lower deck, accessed from the Blower Room is the Pump Room containing the Trim, Drain, and Ballast Pumps.

·         A dumb waiter is located near the central stairway easily accessible from the Galley on the upper deck and the Crew’s Mess and Dining Room below.

·         The Aux Trim Tanks, Forward Trim Tank, and Aft Trim Tank constitute the additional 100 tons of ballast tankage described by Nemo.

·         A potable water storage tank is located beneath the floor of the Salon.