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Pérez Fernández R.Corresponding Author

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February 21, 2022
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On the origin, foundational designs and first manufacture of the modern catamaran

Publicated to:International Journal Of Maritime History. 34 (3): 467-493 - 2022-01-01 34(3), DOI: 10.1177/08438714221075417

Authors: Pérez Fernández R; González Redondo FA

Affiliations

Tech Univ Madrid, Madrid, Spain - Author
Univ Complutense Madrid, Madrid, Spain - Author
Universidad Complutense de Madrid - Author
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Author

Abstract

The complete history of the modern catamaran has not yet been written. On 25 November 1916, Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo patented a new kind of ship, which he called the ‘Binave’, the Spanish equivalent of ‘Twin Ship’. For the first time ever, a multihull steel vessel was patented and constructed, driven by two propellers powered by two Hispano-Suiza marine engines. The location of the main engines inside each hull, as well as the propellers, was exactly the same as it is nowadays in modern catamarans. Torres Quevedo’s ‘Twin Ship’ was the first step towards a change of mentality, from the classic monohull vessel to something different. This revolution was required in order to minimize the total resistance of a ship (frictional or wave-making and wave-breaking resistance, for example) and, consequently, to be able to reach the higher speeds that are achieved today. This article traces the history of the catamaran and explains its evolution, taking into special consideration the innovations carried out by Torres Quevedo between 1916 and 1918.

Keywords

leonardo torres quevedomultihull vesselsshipbuilding historyCatamaranLeonardo torres quevedoMultihull vesselsShipbuilding history

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal International Journal Of Maritime History, Q3 Agency Scopus (SJR), its regional focus and specialization in History, give it significant recognition in a specific niche of scientific knowledge at an international level.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-16:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 5 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (PEREZ FERNANDEZ, RODRIGO) .

    the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been PEREZ FERNANDEZ, RODRIGO.