This week marked the anniversary of the first American submarine attack. Not in the English Channel or off of Hamburg but right here in New York harbor on September 7, 1776. Fittingly enough, like modern submarines, there was not a great deal of space inside “The Turtle.” The attack however demonstrated that the far out idea of David Bushnell was workable. It would take a few more decades for the United States Navy to have submarines again but it all began in the waters of the East River.
In September of 1776, things were desperate for the American cause. Brooklyn had been evacuated, the American army was on the run throughout Manhattan and the British dominated the harbor with their large fleet. Desperate times call for desperate measures and as he would throughout the war, Washington took a chance. He ordered Bushnell to launch his submarine called the “Turtle.”
David Bushnell was born in what is now Westbrook, Connecticut sometime in the 1740’s. He attended Yale College in New Haven while there he began experiments in exploding gunpowder under water. In 1775, Yale closed early due to the Battle of Lexington and Concord but Bushnell continued to develop a mechanism to explode gunpowder under water.
Bushnell designed what looked like a floating barrel that enabled the pilot to maneuver and submerge the vessel. The Turtle was submerged by flooding an air-filled chamber with water, controlling the amount to also control the depth of the vessel under the water. To move the vessel forward, Bushnell used a propeller that was operated by a mechanism that looks like a bicycle and was based on the treadles of a spinning wheel. Air came into the chamber through two snorkels and light came in through a hatch. It was designed to float along the top of the water until it reached its intended target and only then would the pilot submerge the vessel.
Bushnell designed a mine which was to be attached to a British vessel by a screw operated by the pilot. The mine, like a modern day bomb, had a timer on it that would allow the Turtle to get away from the exploding ship. Bushnell tested the craft in Connecticut with his brother, Ezra Bushnell as the pilot. When they arrived in New York, Ezra became sick and unable to pilot the vessel. David Bushnell asked for volunteers from the Connecticut 10th Regiment and Ezra Lee of Lyme volunteered.
Lee successful maneuvered the Turtle to the HMS Eagle, the flagship of Admiral Howe but was unable to secure the mine to the hull of the ship. The difficulty in maneuvering the sub meant that it was daylight before Lee could affix the mine to the hull. The British troops on board the ship and at the fort on Governor’s Island had spotted the strange vessel. Guard boats were dispatched to investigate. Lee released the mine exploding it near one of the guard boats effectively stopping their pursuit. Bushnell and Lee would make another attempt on the Hudson River several days later also unsuccessful. By then, the British Navy were on guard against “floating barrels,” and shot at the vessel several times.
After the war, Bushnell would continue to explore the idea of exploding gunpowder under water and at his death was discussing the idea of a torpedo with the U.S. Navy.
Bowery & Canal 