A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation while fully submerged underwater, traditionally called a boat rather than a ship regardless of its size. The Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel built the earliest submersible for which reliable construction details survive, an oar-propelled vessel completed around 1620 while he served England's King James I, and David Bushnell's hand-powered, acorn-shaped Turtle of 1775 is recognized as the first verified submarine capable of independent underwater movement and the first to use a screw for propulsion. Robert Fulton built the human-powered Nautilus for France in 1800, Wilhelm Bauer's 1850 Brandtaucher survives today as the oldest known submarine in the world, and the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley became the first military submarine to sink an enemy warship when it destroyed the USS Housatonic in 1864, though it was lost immediately afterward.
Facts
Patent or First-Use Date SignificanceThe submarine gave navies a vessel that could approach, attack and withdraw underwater and largely unseen, forcing the development of sonar and anti submarine warfare, and by the twentieth century its ability to carry long range ballistic missiles underwater made it a central part of nuclear deterrence. 2 FAQs
Which submarine was the first to sink a warship?
The H. L. Hunley sank the USS Housatonic in 1864.
The Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley was the first combat submarine to sink a warship, the USS Housatonic, in 1864. The Hunley was not completely submerged during the attack, and she was lost with her crew before she could return to base.
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Associated With
Submersible vessels are designed under ocean engineering
Source Simon Lake (Wikipedia)
In Field
Source Submarine (Wikipedia)
Invented By
Robert Fulton, Engineers Built the human-powered Nautilus submarine for France in 1800, a notable early design within a submarine lineage that predates him by centuries.
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in War and Military Atlas: the same subject.
Sources
1. H. L. Hunley (submarine) (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
On 17 February 1864, Hunley attacked and sank the 1,240-ton United States Navy screw sloop-of-war Housatonic, which had been on Union blockade duty in Charleston's outer harbor.
2. Submarine (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory, early development section
The first military submersible was Turtle (1775), a hand-powered acorn-shaped device designed by the American David Bushnell to accommodate a single person. It was the first verified submarine capable of independent underwater operation and movement, and the first to use screws for propulsion.
In Field: Marine Engineering, Categories
Ship types
View the Source Simon Lake (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Simon Lake, Lead sentence [associated-with]Quote, Associated With: Simon Lake, Lead sentence [associated-with]
competed with John Philip Holland to build the first submarines for the United States Navy
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