Running Head: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUBMARINE 0

A Brief History of the Submarine

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The Submarine- A Brief History 1

Abstract

Past scientific studies are a basis for any designer pursuing the use of a certain concept and/ or

the improvement of existing ones. A review of historical literature and designs is unavoidable

since every device`s efficient functioning is as a result of cumulative advancement of existing

technology, and iterative integration of all features. It is from only from such, that the designer

can get an exceptional vantage point, to create a functional and efficient model. The following

section outlines a history of human powered pioneering submarine designs, concepts and ideas,

leading up to the first American submarine, the USS Alligator in 1862.

The Submarine- A Brief History 2

Specific design aspects that influence the hydrodynamic characteristics of the submarine

such as the shape and length-beam ratio as well as the boundary layer, laminar flow, transition,

and turbulence greatly influence the resistance of the submarines. In addition, resistance from

sails, masts, snorkels, and appendages require prudent attention during the design process. The

story of the submarine began in the 12th century, coming through a rigorous journey, from the

diving Bell concept, to human powered vessels, to the diesel engine, and finally giving birth to

the nuclear submarine that it the most advanced as of now (Joubbert 8).

However, the submarine debuted in applicable case scenarios as early as 1776 with

Bushnell and his Turtle followed by Fulton and his Nautilus in 1800. These were American

vessels that were designed to overcome the British blockade during the great civil for in a quest

for independence.

Despite the dangers and challenges presented by underwater sea faring, mankind has

dreamed of venturing below the water surface for a couple of reasons including: war, money, and

curiosity. The military motive reigns most prevalent amongst all ancient accounts. The ability to

move discretely beneath the surface of the sea would give the soldiers a great advantage in

ambushing the enemy and defending their own battalion and infantry. The financial motive

played an inspirational role to early inventors, with some of the earliest submarine ships, being a

creation of entrepreneurs who sought to salvage treasure from sunken ships. As for curiosity,

some marine explorers were driven by the conviction to discover the concealed wonders of the

undersea world. This desire if fulfilled through the application of mini-subs and ROVs

(Remotely operated vehicles) by the scientific community to learn more about the environment

that covers almost 71 percent of the earth`s surface.

The Submarine- A Brief History 3

The military motive gives the first recorded account. An ancient text known as the

Problemata, claims that Alexander the Great, ventured beneath the waves in 322 B.C.E while his

ships were besieging the city of Tyre in the eastern Mediterranean. The general had ventured

below to investigate why his ships had collided while they had moved further onshore for

conquest. Supposedly Alexander, lowered himself into the harbor for a couple of minutes inside

a large glass jar filled with air, only to discover that the enemy had cut loose their ship`s anchors.

Despite the disputed claims to this account, the principle of a diving bell is known to enable a

diver to breathe underwater for a short while (Stefoff, 17).

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), one of history`s most ingenious inventors, claimed to

have figured out a contraption by which man could remain underwater for a prolonged time

period. He however declined to pursue the matter further, holding on to the belief that the device,

if implemented, would turn out to be a weapon of mass destruction. That ended Leonardo`s brief

stint with the submarine, and as fate would have it, the device turned out just as feared would

(Stefoff, 19).

Englishman known as William Bourne published a book called Inventions and Devices

(1578), full of thought provoking ideas and speculative concepts of things that might be invented

in the foreseeable future. Among his propositions, was a

``Shippe or boat that may goe under the water unto the bottom, and so come up again at your

pleasure. ``

Bourne, having neither drawings nor plan to support his concept, discussed in detail the

principle of displacement, as would later be applied on the submarine (Stefoff 21). The principle

purports that, a body placed on water displaces a volume of water that is equal to its own weight.
The Submarine- A Brief History 4

He went on to state how a boat would be made to rise and sink at will by adjusting the volume of

water displaced; if the boat displaced more water, it sinks and less water, it rises. Bourne`s

design plan comprised an enclosed wooden boat that would be covered with waterproof leather.

Inside the boat were screws for alternately tightening and loosening parts of the leather covering.

Winding in the leather would shrink the overall volume of the craft, reducing its displacement

and causing it to sink. Loosening the leather would enlarge the volume of the craft and increase

its displacement, causing it to rise. Bourne also specified the inclusion of a tall hollow mast for

air intake to sustain the diver in the craft while submerged in the waters. Apparently, Bourne had

addressed two design problems: that of controlling the surfacing and sinking of the submarine,

and that of air supply.

The next challenge posed was that of propelling such a craft underwater. This one was to

be met by Cornelis Drebbel in the early 1620s, when he built the first known submersible craft.

Drebbel was a Dutch doctor who worked for King James I of England as court inventor. Among

his many interests, Drebbel speculated that rowers propelling a boat across the water`s surface

might also be used to drive it beneath the surface. Drebbel managed to build an actual submarine

in the form of a wooden fishing boat supported by a framework of timber and covered all over by

waterproofed leather (Stefoff 22). Twelve rowers propelled the boat, using water tight oars that

passed through orifices in the leather skin. The boat utilized an angular front design that enabled

it to dip downwards into the water when propelled at high velocities. The boat rose as the

momentum decreased owing to the rowers reducing their input. This boat depended on water

pressure to stay down, which increased with velocity of the boat. Roved at top speed, it probably

might have reached depths of 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 meters).

The Submarine- A Brief History 5

The submarine made a comeback in 1774 as a money making stunt. This time, the

submariner was an English wheelwright named John Day. Day had already made one

submersible craft by constructing a water tight cabin in the middle of a small boat. Once inside

the floating cabin, helpers suspended heavy stones on the sides of the craft to serve as ballast,

adding weight on the boat so as to make it sink. The stones were attached by bolts such that they

could be released from inside the boat in order to surface. The stunt executed successfully,

sinking Day 30 feet (9meters) into the water. It was upon this feat, that day took Christopher

Blake as a partner (a professional gambler) as his partner in the next phase of submarine exploits.

Blake sponsored the construction of a watertight submersible on a larger boat and they both

waged a bet on the success of their next mission (Stefoff 26). Day made a public announcement

that he would enter this boat and descend to the bottom of Plymouth Harbor, about 100 feet (30

meters) down and emerge unscathed 12 hours later. Betting on Day`s previous success, Blake

made wager with a number of doubters with Day poised to take 10 percent of Blake`s winnings.

After stocking their craft, the helpers attached the ballast, and sank the duo to the bottom of the

harbor. However, the pair had not factored in the ability of the boat to withstand the high

pressures at that depth. The feat was a disaster and the duo was never seen again.

Two years after Day`s disappeared in Plymouth Harbor, the first submarine to attack an

enemy ship was born. At the commencement of the American fight for independence from Great

Britain, summer 1776 David Bushnell put his passion for submersible craft to task in attacking

the British (Stefoff 27). Bushnell first created an underwater mine; a 150 pound (68 kilogram)

keg of gunpowder that was detonated by clockwork timing action. With support and funding

from two American founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, he produced a

stealthy craft to deliver the mine to its target. Bushnell`s craft was called the Turtle owing to its
The Submarine- A Brief History 6

shape. The Turtle had room for just one person, who accessed the submarine from a water tight

hatch at the top. Once submerged, automatically closing air tubes locked in the air to support the

navigator, leaving him with about half an hour`s worth of air. The operator raised and lowered

the Turtle by using a foot pedal that controlled a valve. When the valve let water in, the Turtle

submerged. When it forced the water out again, the Turtle surfaced (Stefoff 29).

The Turtle was designed to navigate on its own both on the surface and when completely

submerged. This aspect did not mean that the craft was easy to use; as its only power source

came from the operator. The navigator used his feet to control the depth, a small viewport and

compass for direction, and a steering with a hand operated rudder that propelled the Turtle`s

cruising direction. The Turtle moved up and down, forward and backward using two propellers,

with one designed for each pair of movement respectively. The Turtle was not meant for long

voyages, because of the great feat of stamina needed to propel and control it. The plan was to

tow it as close as practically possible, to the target area, and then dispatch it into the water to

complete its assigned task. Once on target, the Turtle`s operator had to undertake some more

tasks. He was required to drill into the hull of the enemy`s ship, plant an explosive, and set the

detonator. The operator then had to pedal the submarine to a safe distance before the mine

exploded (Stefoff 28).

The Turtle first and last mission was on September 6, 1776; the British ship anchored of

Staten Island, the Eagle as the target. Staged to take place before dawn, Sergeant Ezra Lee of the

colonial army commandeered the craft and levelled it below the target ship. Historical accounts

vary as to the cause of the mission failure. Some say the screw intended to drill into the Eagle`s

hull met resistance from reinforced material and thus the bomb could not be implanted. During

his retreat at the break of dawn, it is speculated that Sergeant Ezra peddled adrift the surface,
The Submarine- A Brief History 7

probably to access air, and was sighted by the enemy. A chase then ensued and to save himself,

the Sergeant detonated the bomb and escaped safely to shore. Having one of the most

experience personnel fail, the craft was declared inefficient and was never used again.

This encounter rose more excitement rather than discouragement, despite its botched

attack attempt. The next submarine, was also built by an American man named Robert Fulton

who intended to turn the submarine into the ultimate weapon while turning a profit altogether

Fulton`s first offer went to the French, who turned it down, citing concerns that it was a

cowardly approach to warfare and broke the rules of combat that civilized nations like to think

they observed. Contrary to the French opinion, Fulton argued that such a weapon would

eventually create peace by ending naval warfare conclusively.

After much lobbying, the French government agreed to sponsor the building of Fulton`s

submarine in 1799. The Nautilus was born; a 21 foot (6.4 meter) cylinder of copper sheets over

an iron framework, with a hollow iron tube serving as a ballast tank. Like its predecessor the

Turtle, it was driven by a hand cranked propeller when underwater(Stefoff 31). Unlike the

Turtle, though, the Nautilus had a sail on top to propel it by utilizing the power of the wind. It

comprised a three man crew: one to turn the propeller, one to steer, and another to operate the

valves and pumps of the ballast tube that controlled the boat`s depth. The Nautilus towed a single

mine at the end of a line; the idea behind being to sneak up on an enemy ship and make a sharp

turn that would snap the bomb into the ship`s hull.

In addition, the Nautilus featured a couple of important design elements. For guiding the

boat downwards, the Nautilus had diving planes and a pair of fins. This gave the Nautilus

steering capability as it made its descent. Fulton also attached a periscope atop of the submarine
The Submarine- A Brief History 8

for viewing all action adrift of the craft, once the boat rose near the surface. These features are

now standard for any submarine in today`s designs. Despite several successful runs in the Siene

River, the Nautilus was rejected by the French government. The limits of human power rendered

Fulton`s craft too slow and too short ranged for large scale operations. In addition, some

members of the government did not support France in the deployment of a morally dubious naval

weapon, describing it only fit for pirates.

Fulton`s next move saw him travel secretly to England and offered to sell his submarine

plans to the British navy. Prime Minister William Pitt expressed his interest, and immediately

hired Fulton`s service. Fulton`s first task however was not to build a submarine, the Prime

Minister asked him to work first on alternative ways of destroying ships with underwater mines/

torpedoes (Stefoff 32). Upon consent, the inventor designed a wooden raft that floated just below

the surface of the water. Paddled at night by a sailor wearing dark clothing, the raft towed a mine

with a timer. Upon contact with the enemy ship, the sailor would fasten the mine to it and paddle

away. Fulton successfully demonstrated this technique, only for the British public to

outrageously cry foul over the technique, terming it cowardice as well.

Time Line

1580- Englishman William Bourne publishes a brief description of an underwater vessel.

About 1620- Cornelis Drebbel builds the first working underwater boat.

1776- American Davies Bushnell`s Turtle becomes the first submarine to attack an enemy ship.

1800- American inventor Robert Fulton, successfully builds and tests the Nautilus

1850s- German officer Wilhelm Bauer builds working submarines for Germany and Russia.
The Submarine- A Brief History 9

1862- The U.S Navy`s first submarine, the Alligator, enters service; it sinks the next year

References

Joubert, P. N. (2004) Some Aspects of Submarine Design Part 1. Hydrodynamics. No. DSTO-

TR-1622. Defence science and technology organisation victoria (Australia) platform sciences

lab.

Stefoff, Rebecca. & Marshall, Cavendish. (2006) Submarines.

Marshall B., Craig F., (web article), Retrieved March 9 2017 from

http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/submarine.htm