His boat sank twice in training missions killing 11 crew members, including Hunley himself. However, during the Civil War, both Union and Confederate forces experimented with submarines. Fulton's design introduced elements that may be found in modern submarines, such as adjustable diving planes for easy vertical maneuvering underwater, a dual system of propulsion, and a compressed air system that allowed the crew about four hours of underwater travel.Īs naval surface ships continued to develop throughout the nineteenth century, submarines were still considered experimental and unsafe for the U.S. In 1800, Fulton completed his version of a submarine, Nautilus. Despite Turtle's failures, Bushnell proved that a boat could be used for underwater surprise attacks.īetween the American Revolution and the Civil War many individuals experimented with submarine technology, including American Robert Fulton, an innovator and promoter of the steam engine. Lee escaped, but tried again to attack the British one month later without success. Turtle's pilot Ezra Lee crept up on HMS Asia and attempted to attach explosives to the side of the wooden ship, but failed to do so before losing control of the boat. Turtle was sent to New York harbor in September 1776 to surprise the British ships blockading the city. Bushnell's Turtle featured a hand-cranked screw-like oar that moved the boat forward and back underwater, air pipes that brought fresh air into the boat, ballast tanks that took on water to dive and emptied to ascend, and a primitive torpedo to attack enemy ships.Įncouraged by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Bushnell adapted his vessel to use against the British during the war. He designed and built a one-man submersible vessel that he called Turtle. The first American submarine was designed before the Revolutionary War by David Bushnell, a young inventor from Connecticut.
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