Editing Basil Zaharoff (section)

===Submarines===
[[File:Nordenfelt submarine Abdülhamid.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Nordenfelt''-class [[Ottoman submarine Abdül Hamid|Ottoman submarine ''Abdül Hamid'']] (1886) was the first submarine in history to fire a [[torpedo]] whilst submerged. Two submarines of this class, ''Nordenfelt II'' (''Abdülhamid'', 1886) and ''Nordenfelt III'' (''Abdülmecid'', 1887) joined the [[Ottoman Navy|Ottoman fleet]]. They were built in pieces by Des Vignes ([[Chertsey]]) and [[Vickers]] ([[Sheffield]]) in England, and assembled at the Taşkızak Naval Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey.]]

From 1886 to 1889, at the same time that Zaharoff got the Maxim machine gun, he managed to appropriate [[Isaac Peral]]'s submarine; although these facts are less well known. Zaharoff and Nordenfelt tried at this time to develop a submarine for their own business purposes.

One of the most notorious sales by Zaharoff was that of the ''Nordenfelt I'', a faulty steam-driven submarine model based on a design by the English inventor and clergyman [[George Garrett (inventor)|George Garrett]], which [[Office of Naval Intelligence|US Navy intelligence]] characterized as capable of "dangerous and eccentric movements." Thorsten Nordenfelt had already demonstrated his vessel at an international gathering of the military elite, and while the major powers would have none of it, smaller nations, attracted by the prestige, were a different matter.

It was thus that, with a promise of generous payment terms, Zaharoff sold the first model to the Greeks. He then persuaded the Turks that the Greek submarine posed a threat, selling them two. After that, he persuaded the Russians that there was now a new and significant threat on the Black Sea, and they bought another two.

None of these submarines ever saw action. The mechanics, driven by steam propulsion, were completely inadequate for underwater navigation, and failed demonstrably when undergoing sea trials by the respective navies. Besides the underlying problems of the faulty propulsion system, they were also chronically unstable. One of the Turkish Navy's submarines sank, capsizing during a [[torpedo]] firing test. The vessel reared in a vertical position, from which it sank by the stern.

At this time Spanish inventor Isaac Peral designed and built the first submarine capable of navigating underwater with a decent level of control and with the ability to launch torpedoes both submerged and on the surface. This was the first proper submarine, solving the problems of propulsion, stability and armament all at once. Peral's submarine was driven by electric propulsion, and had a periscope, target practice apparatus, compensating [[compass]] needle, [[gyroscope]], sliding electric torpedo tube launcher and [[servomotor]] (to maintain the stability and the trim of the ship in all circumstances).

Zaharoff found out quickly about this young Spanish Naval officer's invention. Previously in shipbuilding, he had already seen the plans and memorandum reports sent by Peral to the Spanish Navy's HQ at the Defence Ministry.

Later on, during Peral's visit to London, Zaharoff tried meeting with him unsuccessfully, with the help of one of Peral's Spanish Navy fellow officers. Peral refused twice, but after several attempts, he had a meeting with Thorsten Nordenfelt, the company owner, who offered him a deal to purchase the patent of the stability servomotor. Isaac Peral rejected both offers but signed his sentence in that same instant, without knowing it.

Zaharoff then got to work with his own Machiavellian plan. The Spanish inventor, as with Maxim, suffered four sabotages during the tests: the first of them, in the previous test, in the presence of the Head of the Spanish State, but, Peral, more cautious than the North American inventor, proved successful in all of them.

Despite this, Zaharoff used underhand methods, which came to light later, and was able to cause a controversy between the inventor and his own government leading to the Spanish Government's disapproval of this submarine invention, although it would have been a formidable weapon in the conflict with the United States, several years after.

Zaharoff traveled to Spain several times between 1886 and 1890 with three objectives: boycott Peral's submarine, sell weapons to the Spanish Army, and acquire a Spanish munitions factory. He was successful in all three objectives, mainly because his initiation of an amorous relationship with Pilar de Muguiro y Beruete opened many doors for him.

Pilar's father, influential banker Fermín Muguiro, Count of Muguiro, was a close friend of the King, and leader of the Spanish Conservative Party. She was a personal friend and niece of [[Segismundo Moret]], a leading Spanish progressive thinker and the Liberal Party Leader's right-hand man. Unhappily married to [[Alfonso XII of Spain|King Alfonso XII]]'s cousin, the Spanish Grandee, Francisco de Borbón, Duke of Marchena, she had unrestricted access to the Royal Palaces. During one trip, Zaharoff was spotted at the shipyard where the Spanish submarine was being built, but the Spanish authorities "covered up" the matter.

The acquisition of one of the best Spanish armament companies, [[Euskalduna]], located in north Spain and renamed "[[Soraluze-Placencia de las Armas|Placencia de las Armas Co. Ltd]]" was in large part thanks to his love affair (later attributing his professional success to his sexual prowess), and through establishing a powerful network among Spanish politicians, journalists and military commanders, who served his business interests well. This influential group of people took his side against the development of Isaac Peral's submarine, and the Spanish Government, despite the astounding success in sea trials, finally pulled the rug from the project.

After "Placencia de Armas Co. Ltd" swindled the Spanish Government by selling useless arms during the [[Spanish-American War|1898 War]] (also handing Maxim important and "sensitive" information, which reached his government during the conflict), the [[Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval|Sociedad Española de Construcciones Navales]] in Spain, a branch of Vickers were awarded, by the Spanish Government, exclusive naval construction rights for the [[Spanish Navy]].

In the aftermath of this scandal, accusations of bribery and manipulation flew in the direction of this dangerous trafficker of weapons. A Spanish Navy lawyer denounced the Spanish Government for two alleged crimes of "prevarication." The Spanish Government acted expeditiously and especially cruelly against any naval officers who went public with their discontent. The Central Chief of Staff and the head of the Armada Juridic Service were fired, and hundreds of officers were imprisoned and lost their jobs.