First submersible used in combat

First submersible used in combat

Last updated: November 29, 2017 at 5:31 am

The Turtle – American David Bushnell built the first submersible ever used in combat in 1775. The Turtle, which was made of wood and operated by a single crewman, was used unsuccessfully against British ships blockading New York Harbor during the American Revolutionary War in 1776.

SOURCE:

Burns, William E., Science and Technology in Colonial America. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2005

The Turtle. Image by NOAA (Public Domain)

This 19th-century diagram shows the side views of Turtle. It incorrectly depicts the propeller as a screw blade instead of a paddle blade. Image by William Oliver Stevens (Public Domain)

Portrait of Ezra Lee, Turtle's operator (Public Domain)

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