The Story of the Turtle – A Revolutionary War Submarine
The Story of the Turtle – A Revolutionary War Submarine
I am currently writing the seventh book in my series on United States History, 1776, and came across the fascinating story of David Bushnell and his submarine. Bushnell built the first submarine that could operate and maneuver independently in 1776.
Setting the Stage
The story begins in 1775. Bushnell had lived on his father’s farm near Westbrook, Connecticut. When his father passed away, Bushnell sold his share in the farm and decided to attend Yale. It was 1771 and he was 31 years of age. The political atmosphere between the colonies and Great Britain began serious deterioration during this time. Bushnell had always displayed a talent as a mechanic and was quite good at building and repairing things. During his final year at Yale, 1775, he developed a process for exploding gunpowder under water, a feat never before accomplished.
Siege of Boston
In April 1775 British General Thomas Gage, commander of the garrison at Boston, had sent soldiers out into the Massachusetts countryside to confiscate guns and ammunition that the colonists had been stockpiling. The foray turned into a disaster. Not only did they fail to confiscate the weapons, the people of the countryside rose against them, firing and harassing them as they marched. The rout back to Boston turned into a nightmare for the harried British. Word spread over the countryside and militia groups from not only Massachusetts, but from neighboring colonies as well. In all, here were an estimated 18,000 – 19,000 militia men gathered around Boston. The year long Siege of Boston had begun. In July 1775 the Continental Congress appointed George Washington to command what become a disorganized rabble surrounding Boston.
Stalemate
The resulting stalemate lasted a year. General Gage could not leave the city and Washington did not have the cannon he needed to drive them out.
Underwater Bomb
In early 1775 Bushnell’s experiments with exploding gunpowder underwater had succeeded. He realized this was an important development and that he could possibly use the device to sink ships in Boston Harbor, ending the siege. But he needed a way to deliver the bomb to a ship. Thus, he began designing and building a submarine to accomplish this.
Early Submarines
This would not be the first attempt at building a submarine. Since ancient times men had built crude devises to dive under the waves. The best of these operated more like a diving bell and had no ability to move about under water. Others had designed submarines, but never built them. A recent development devised by American inventor James Watt came up with the design for a screw propeller. Bushnell would be the first person to use this propeller, as it was ideal for his submarine.
Building the Craft
Bushnell and his brother Ezra located a secluded island in the Connecticut River, Poverty Island, and began to construct the craft. The craft was made of oak and resembled a turtle, leading to its name, the Turtle. By October or November, they had completed the craft and began making test dives, with Ezra piloting the craft.
Plans to Attack the HMS Asia
A friend of Bushnell’s, Dr. David Gale, had assisted in designing and building the craft. He wrote to Connecticut’s representative in the Continental Congress, Silas Deane. Deane, in turn, wrote about it to the Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull, who in turn contacted General Washington about the ingenious device. Washington and Bushnell began laying plans to attack the British ship, the HMS Asia, that was in Boston Harbor.
Breaking the Siege
Meanwhile, Colonel Henry Knox, one of Washington’s most capable officers, had undertaken an arduous and courageous mission to retrieve cannons captured when Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen had taken Fort Ticonderoga. These cannon reached Boston in early March. Washington had these cannon positioned on the heights above Boston secretly during the night. General Gage awoke to find himself staring down the barrels of what had been British cannons. The British hastily abandoned Boston, as the American guns threatened the British ships and garrison.
Moving the Mission to New York
Over the ensuing months between March and September the British had moved their operation to New York, taking the city in late August. Bushnell now planned to attack the HMS Cerberus, anchored in New York harbor.
How it Worked
Bushnell’s devise really was quite innovative. He had devised a way to explode gunpowder under water, designed and built a delay timer that would set off the bomb about an hour after it was activated. He had built a successful submarine to deliver the bomb to a ship’s hull. The bomb, he called a torpedo, would not move independently. The submarine would have to maneuver the bomb into contact with the ship. Using a screw mechanism, the operator would have to attach the bomb to a side of the ship, set the timer and escape. Bushnell had tested this process in the Connecticut River and proved it could work.
Deploying the Submarine
On the night of September 7, 1776 Bushnell deployed his weapon. Unfortunately, his brother Ezra became ill and could not operate the machine. A Continental Army soldier named Ezra Lee volunteered to undertake the mission. Lee had not practiced with the machine and was not familiar with its operation. As the craft entered the water and he shoved off, he found the river currents were stronger than anticipated. Piloting this machine was very hard work. One operated foot pedals to control the forward motion and a hand crank to move a rudder that turned it from side to side. Lee slowly worked his way towards the ship and at length reached it. Unknown to Bushnell, the Cerberus had been deployed to the Caribbean prior to coming to New York and had had the hull covered with copper sheeting. When Lee tried to attach the torpedo with the screw, the screw could not penetrate the hull. Since dawn was approaching and the risk of detection grew greater, Lee had to admit defeat. He activated the timer and released the torpedo, hoping it would drift close to the ship and explode. He returned to shore.
The bomb did explode, harmlessly, an hour later in New York harbor.
This would be the only time Bushnell would use the Turtle. There are various stories as to its fate. A replica of the Turtle is on display at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex Connecticut.
I cover this incident in much more detail in the book, 1776, which I hope to publish sometime later this year. In the meantime, you can enjoy the other six books in the series.