Bushnell's Turtle, The World's First Submarine

In 1771, American David Bushnell invented the world's first functioning submarine. He called it "the Turtle" even though it looked more like a giant walnut. The one-man sub's shell was made of oak and reinforced with iron bands. It stood 7 1/2 feet tall and 6 feet wide in the middle. The sub's operator entered through an airtight hatch and sat on a stool inside the primitive craft, which was then maneuvered by hand-cranking a large propeller in the vessel's front and a smaller propelled at the top.

Fresh air was pumped inside the Turtle through a leak-proof valve. The sub floated above water, and it submerged for however long fresh air the lasted.

The Turtle goes to war

In 1776, Bushnell's Turtle served in battle against the British during the Revolutionary War. When the English Navy blockaded New York City, the Turtle was launched in Hudson Bay, its target: the HMS Eagle. While the Turtle came close to the battleship, the sub's operator (it wasn't Bushnell) was unable to attach explosives to the copper-plated hull. The Turtle was used in battle two more times against British ships; and two more times it failed, humiliating its inventor.

David Bushnell

The failure of the Turtle in battle caused Bushnell to abandon any further exploration of submarine technology. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on developing floating landmines.

In 1787, David Bushnell disappeared. Some guessed that he was escaping financial troubles. Others surmised that he could no longer face the humiliation of failure. It was only at the time of his death, in 1826, that it was discovered that Bushnell had fled to Georgia and had taken on a new identity, living the rest of his life as a physician.

The Turtle Resurrected

In 2007, a replica of Bushnell's Turtle was intercepted by a New York City police boat in waters off of Brooklyn's Red Hook area. Its "target" was the British ship Queen Mary 2. At the time of interception, the vessel was dangerously close to the ocean liner's hull.

Inside the Turtle replica was Duke Riley, a Brooklyn performance artist and self-proclaimed "patriot" staging an "incursion" against the British ship. The truth, however, was Riley mostly wanted to come close enough to videotape his tiny Turtle replica next to the huge Queen Mary 2 for an art gallery project.

The police wound up arresting Duke Riley along with the two men who had helped tow the Turtle in the water. His accomplices were Mike Cushing and Jesse Bushnell.

35-year-old Bushnell has claimed to be a descendant of the original Turtle's inventor.

Was the threesome avenging the memory of David Bushnell for his humiliation at the hands of the British in 1776? Or was The New York Post's big bold headline, "SUB MORON", right?

SOURCES:

http://uh.edu/engines/epi1385.htm

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08032007/news/regionalnews/3_arrested_after_sub_found_in_red_hook_regionalnews_.htm

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/bushnelld.html

"Submarine replica found near Queen Mary", Anthony M. DeStefano, Newsday, URL: (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/am-submarine0803,0,1508669.story?coll=ny-homepage-big-pix)

"An artist and his sub surrender", Randy Kennedy, New York Times, URL: (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/arts/design/04voya.html?_r=1&ref=design&oref=slogin)

"Performance artist", Larry McShane, Forbes, URL: (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/04/ap3987777.html)

"Life of Riley", Silke Tudor, Village Voice, URL: (http://dukeriley.info/assets/villageVoice_053006.pdf)