THE FIRST SUBMARINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12663, 17 September 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE FIRST SUBMARINE.

So many warships have been destroyed by submarine explosions in the Russo-Japanese War that each side has repeatedly accused the other of using a submarine torpedo boat. If that should prove to be the case it would be the first time such a vessd has. ever been successfully used in war by any nation but the United States. , The first submarine vessel ever us-ed to attack a hostile ship in war time descended into th& : Hudson : Hiver at Whitehall, under the ©yes of Washington and his staff, in September, 1776. The British had attacked New York; Long Island had been lost to them and Lord Howe's fleet was anchored in. North River. Pavid-Bushnell, a young engineer just graduated from. Yale College, had invented » spherical copper vessel called the American Turtle, intended for:'sab-' mar-in© use. 'It was propelled by oati? set in watertight sockets, had ; i- tiny conning tower and was just big enough for one man. It had an auger protruding through the. top and the plan of attack was for the 'Submarine worker to drill this into- the bottom of an enemy's ship, A mine was then to be detached from the outside of the submarine and fastened to the enemy by the drill, a clockwork set going and when the dive; had escaped the explosion would follow. Busimell showed this machine to Geir,pi it Parsons and to General Washington, who approved. Ezra Lee, a brave' young sergeant, was detailed to make the attempt- and Bushnell taught him to work the Turtle. At midnight, September 6, he entered the little vessel and was lowed out into the ' river by row-beats. Washington and hie staff watched anxiously for the result-. The prime object of Lee's attack was the sxty-four gun frigate Eagle,-on board which was Lord Howe himself.VHours passed without an explosion and at last when dawn came Washington wag convinced Lee- was lost. Just then,' however, barges were seen putting out from the shore of \ Governor's 'Island. They went : almost to midstream, then scattered and made hastily for shore. A moment later earns a terrific explosion on' the surface close to the Eagle, and, the British fleet in consternation slipped their cables and made out of the harbour. Some time later the top of the Turtle appeared above water, not far away, Rowboats went out and brought her in. Lee was found unharmed. He had reached the bottom of the Eagle without difficulty, r but had found it sheathed with heavy copper, a protection not against mam. but against other submarine enemies. When he attemptto drill through this his vessel bounced away and gave him no purchase. He worked two hours at the Eagle and then visited other vessels with no better luck. At last he released his mine and started home. He came to the surface close to the British barges, then sank again and pulled for Whitehall. The Turtle was used again a year later to attack the Cerberus off New London, but, instead, blew up a schooner lying near the riaate and killed a number of mm. That was the first vessel ever so destroyed. Though Fulton built » successful submarine, none,was': used in war again till the Davids were built for ■ the ';:■ Confederate*. There were several of this class, one of which blew up : the Housatosic ' in 1864. Since then nearly every navy in the world has experimented with submarines. Russia has several on her list of war vessels. France has done the most with them and has the largest number, more than seventy. The United States has second place in numbers and disputes first place in efficiency.--Youth's Companion.