marco@ncsc.navy.mil (Barbarisi) (06/06/90)
From: marco@ncsc.navy.mil (Barbarisi) A recent thread on the digest has concerned early submarines such as the Turtle of the American Revolutionary War (ca. 1776), invented by David Buchnell. Though he denied it, Bushnell probably based his design on work done in France in the early 1700's. The Turtle's only action occurred when Sergeant Ezra Lee piloted the craft against the HMS Eagle, which was anchored off Governors Island. As other's had noted the attack failed and Lee was forced to retreat. The Turtle can probably lay claim to being the first operational self- propelled submarine. It is best described as a egg-shaped thing, with the pointy end of the egg pointing down (get the point?). There is a small conning tower at the top, fitted with portholes. The occupant sits on a bicycle seat with his head in the "conning tower". Propulsion is provided by two hand-cranked screws: one vertical to aid in depth control and one bow mounted screw for for and aft movement. A rudder on a tiller provedes directional control. Snorkels provide breathing air. A variable water ballast tank is fitted in the keel. Hand operated pumps adjust the ballast level. The mine is fixed to the upper portion of the stern and is encased to conform to the shell of the sub. A cord runs from the mine to the drill bit, which is mounted vertically just in front of the conning tower. Except for the mine, the Turtle has all the funtional features of typical modern submersibles (e.g., the Alvin or Cousteau's diving saucers). For a cut-away view of the Turtle, refer to page 52 of James B. Sweeney's "A Pictorial History of Oceanographic Submersibles", 1970, Crown Publishers, New York. This book is available in most libraries may still be in print (I think I saw a copy in the cheap book section of B. Daltons). Sweeney mentions some other earlier submarine designs, which included: Year Name Inventor Final Status 1578 ? Willaim Bourne (Eng.) Verbal Description 1645 ? Cornelis Van Drebbel (Dut.) Prototype Tested 1634 ? Fournier & Mersenne (Fra.) Submarine Components 1653 De Son's Boat De Son (Fra.) Drawings 1644 Rotterdam ? Unsuccessful Prototype 1685 ? G.A. Borelli (Ita.) Plans 1775 Turtle David Bushnell Operational Sub 1798 Nautilus Robert Fulton (US) Successful Prototype 1814 Mute Robert Fulton (US) 80 ft. Sub, Unscuccessful 1822 L'Invisible Capt. Montgery (Fra.) Concept for combat sub 1823 ? Shuldam (US) Failed Prototype 1825 Invincible ? (Fra.) Detailed plans, never built 1827 "work boat" M. Catera (Fra.) Prototype? 1831 ? Cervo (Spa.) Sunk during maiden voyage 1834 ? Petit (Fra.) Lost after submerging 1846 Bateau-Cloche Payerne (Fra.) First practical salvage sub In the 1850's submarine development proceeded quickly. The Southern states of the American Civil War of the 1860's produced many operational submarines, most of which were intended to break the Northern states' blockade. They were of little significance in combat. Submarine development proceeded through the latter half of the 1800's, culminating in the Holland of 1899. Designed and built by John Holland, it was sold to the US Navy. The Holland had all the features of a modern submarine; the basic functional design has not changed since. I encourage all submarine fans to get a copy of Sweeney's book. It's worth the price just for all the rare photos of early subs. I especially like the ones showing subs cruising through harbors filled with sailing vessels! Marco Barbarisi Naval Coastal Systems Center marco@ncsc.navy.mil all respects it represented the submarine as we know it today.