The First Submarine

The "Turtle" was the first verified submarine capable of independent underwater operation and movement, and the first to use screws for propulsion. It was also the first military submarine as it was designed during the American Revolutionary War and meant to drill into a ship's hull and plant a keg of powder, which would be detonated by a time fuse.

Turtle was invented in Connecticut in 1775 by David Bushnell. Named for its shape, Turtle resembled a large clam as much as a turtle; it was 7.5 feet (2.3 m) long, 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, and about 3 feet (0.9 m) wide, consisting of two wooden shells covered with tar. It submerged by allowing water into the hull and ascended by pushing water out through a hand pump, similarly to the use of ballast tanks in modern submarines, and was propelled vertically and horizontally by hand-cranked propellers, the first recorded use of the screw propeller for ships. It was manned and operated by only one person.

External view of the submarine.

How the Turtle is operated.

Inside the Turtle.

On September 7, 1776, Turtle, under the guidance of Army volunteer Sergeant Ezra Lee, attacked HMS Eagle, which was moored off what is today called Liberty Island, but it could not manage to bore through the hull. When he attempted another spot in the hull, he lost the ship, and eventually abandoned the attempt.

In 1976, a recreation was designed by Joseph Leary and constructed by Fred Frese as a Bicentennial project. It was christened by Connecticut's governor, Ella Grasso, and later tested in the Connecticut River. It is owned by the Connecticut River Museum and is currently on loan to Old Saybrook High School in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where students under the direction of Fred Frese are currently building a working recreation of that model.

Turtle recreation.

Testing the Turtle in the pool.

In the Connecticut River.