SUBMARINE

SUBMARINE My project is on the submarine. David Bushnell invented the first submarine that was used in the Revolutionary War. The submarine that he invented in 1771 was called the "Turtle." You will learn more about David Bushnell and his "˜Turtle," in the paragraphs that follow.

David Bushnell was born in 1740. He was born in West Saybrook, Connecticut, where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound. David worked on his family's farm until he reached the lucky age of 31. When he turned 31 he entered Yale College. It was during his first year in Yale that he came up with the idea of an undersea vessel called the "Turtle," which I have stated above.

The invention that David Bushnell invented (as you probably already know) is the submarine. It is called the "Turtle." However, it is not shaped like a turtle.

A photo of a full-size model of the Turtle submari...

An engraving depicting the destruction of a small ...

Turtle Submersible

It looks like a big walnut. The "Turtle" is made of oak covered in iron bands. The "Turtle" could float on the water's surface and pump in oxygen through a valve before submerging. The one thing that was a bit displeasing about the "Turtle" was the fact that it could only stay under water until that fresh air it collected through the valve became stale. The "Turtle" attacked by sneaking under an enemy ship. Then it would drill a hole into the keel of the enemy ship. The hole had to be deep enough so that they could anchor it. Then they detached the mine (bomb). Then they'd light up the fuse and drive away as quickly as possible. The basic idea was for the mine to explode and sink the enemy ship.

The submarine had a great effect on...