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

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.