Did these ships, made in the mid 1860′s, inspire Verne for the design of his Nautilus?

The cigar ships were designed and built by the Winans family, successful railway engineers from Baltimore, Maryland who moved into marine engineering with enthusiasm and great expenditures of their family wealth, but less success. Their radical marine design concept included an ultra-streamlined spindle-shaped hull with minimum superstructure. The Winans constructed at least four ships between 1858 and 1866. Ross Winans and his sons were, first and foremost, engineers experimenting with innovative concepts. The innovative technology would certainly have attracted Jules Verne’s attention. He may well have seen one of the boats sailing or berthed in England. Verne went on to write “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ” in 1869-70.  Coincidence? Perhaps…

Winan’s Cigar Ships

(submitted by Patron Vectras, via email)