During the Revolutionary War, the American submersible craft Turtle attempted to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was the first use of a submarine in warfare.

The Continental Army out armed, outmanned, and outmatched by the British at almost every angle.  This led the American Army to adopt mostly guerilla tactics.  The British Army and Navy were the most well-equipped and highly disciplines fighting forces in the world.  By contrast, Washington’s army was largely self-supported, underfunded, underfed, and poorly led.  In order to survive, much less win, in such an asymmetrical battle, the Americans needed to resort to a variety of unconventional tactics.  The staged ambushes, hit-and-run attacks, and engaged in sabotage.  Washington encouraged the military to raid British supply lines and conduct covert attacks on their adversary. 

The principle aim of this style of fighting is make life difficult for the enemy. By fighting a guerrilla war, the American Army wore down the British Army and forced them to commit resources to defense rather than offensive activities.

One of these guerilla tactics was the invention and deployment of submarines.  David Bushnell was educated in natural philosophy (what we would call chemistry today) at Yale College.  He conducted experiments on how to ignite gunpowder underwater — a feat which generally thought impossible at the time.  prior to his experiments. This led him to ultimately develop mines that could detonate submerged explosives. The only thing Bushnell was missing was a vehicle that could deliver these mines.

In July 1775, Bushnell and brother built a contraption that would transport and plant the mines.   He collaborated with Benjamin Franklin and several noted shipbuilders and sailors.  This new device – the submarine – would fundamentally change naval warfare.

“The external shape of the sub-marine vessel bore some resemblance to two upper tortoise shells of equal size, joined together; the place of entrance into the vessel being represented by the opening made by the swell of the shells, at the head of the animal.”

1787 letter to Thomas Jefferson

By the summer of 1776 the device was ready to test and George Washington met with Bushnell to arrange for the transport and operation of the craft now dubbed the Turtle.

In September of 1776 a plan was made to approach the HMS Eagle and attach a bomb to its underside with the assistance of boring tools.  Due to poor health, Bushnell could not pilot the mission and the volunteer captain, Sergeant Ezra Lee, had only basic training for operating the intricate machinations of the Turtle. Lee struggled to attach the bomb but was unsuccessful.  The first mission failed to harm the HMS Eagle but the psychological impact was made.  Now the British Navy had to be on alert to a foe they could not see. 

Two other attacks were made by the Turtle but these are not as well documented.  The submarine was taken out of commission when the American sloop transporting it was sunk by British forces at the Battle of Fort Lee. The Turtle was salvaged but, due to budget constraints, was not able to be repaired and used again.

Bushnell went on to create a river mine network to harass British ships.  Bushnell’s innovative keg mines were deployed in a January 1778 attacking the British fleet in Philadelphia harbor immortalized by poet Francis Hokinson (creator of the American Flag) as “Battle of the Kegs.” 

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