The definition of the submersible's role relative to the larger military and naval strategy within which it was to be operated remained largely unchanged. However, before the concept of employing a manned submersible vessel in combat could fulfill its potential, three parallel concepts needed to reach maturity: the design and construction of a submersible platform, the design and construction of the weapon to be employed by the platform, and the tactical system of weapon delivery. Nevertheless, between the wars it was Robert Fulton's Nautilus which successfully demonstrated that a stable platform capable of controlled underwater navigation could be constructed and employed to meet limited military objectives (Parsons 1922, Hutcheon 1981). Americans had previously attempted to use submersible vessels to help fulfill military aims with varying degrees of unsuccessful performance in both the War for Independence (Abbot 1966 Morgan 1972, 1499-1511 Roland 1978, 62-88) and the War of 1812 (Field 1908, 73-76 DeKay 1990, 131 Dudley 1992, 211-212). The concept of a vessel capable of submerged navigation was not a new idea in America at the time the Civil War began. Prelude: Antebellum American Submersible Vessel Development McClintock, Watson, Their Coalition of Supporters, and their Boats.The Circumstances Which Produced the H.Prelude: Antebellum American Submersible Vessel Development.Navy and foreign navies, including those of Britain, Russia, and Japan. The record of American Civil War submersibles on both sides inspired the next generation of American submarine visionaries, namely John Phillip Holland and Simon Lake, and set the stage for the future emergence of an American naval-industrial complex capable of designing and delivering operational submarines to the U.S. By the late nineteenth century the submersible vessel, once mated with the self-propelling torpedo, finally achieved recognition as a viable (though still often misunderstood) component of naval warfare. But while the Federal efforts did not prove themselves to be as successful as those of the Confederates, they did capture a substantial degree of official naval interest in terms of funding, research, and development. Meriam and Oliver Halstead (indeed, one of the original missions outlined for Alligator was for it to be transported to Hampton Roads in order to face the ironclad CSS Virginia, and if not for logistical problems, the history of the Hampton Roads engagement may have borne itself out in a quite different manner). Hunley, and others were being built by enterprising individuals within the struggling Southern Confederacy, similar efforts were being undertaken within the Union in the form of Brutus de Villeroi's Alligator, and later the Intelligent Whaleof Scovel S. While vessels like Pioneer, American Diver, H. Navy and the Southern Confederacy embarked on parallel paths of submersible craft development which, while they may have differed in the manner in which they were executed, in retrospect essentially comprised a race of sorts to produce a successful offensive submersible weapon. Hunley).Īt the outset of the Civil War, the U.S. Significantly, Americans were involved in the first use of a submersible vessel in combat against an enemy warship (David Bushnell's Turtle), the development of the first practical navigable submersible vessel (Robert Fulton's Nautilus), and the first successful use of a submersible to destroy an enemy naval vessel under combat conditions (James McClintock's H. This enhancement of status was made possible by a series of decisive events in which American technological and tactical experimentation figured prominently. Navy truly began to recognize the submersible vessel for its potential as an undersea weapon and provided it with an operational role within its strategic organization. However, it wasn't until the end of the nineteenth century that the U.S. In the past century of naval warfare, the submarine has emerged as one of the world's premiere weapons of military combat and deterrence. (Material contained herein is made available for the purpose of peer review and discussion and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.) By Rich Wills, former Assistant Underwater Archaeologist, Naval Historical Center
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