Caitlind L. Alexander - David Bushnell and His Revolutionary War Submarine

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Bushnell, David. Juvenile Literature. 2.History, United States, Revolutionary War. Juvenile Literature. Words: 1592 Reading Level: 2.8 Ages 7 to 10.

He kept scanning the water for signs oflife. At first there was nothing. Suddenly twocurved metal pipes rose out of the water. David smiled. The pipes came toward himslowly. A moment later a large round tube appearedunder the pipes.

The top of the tube flipped open. Out popped ayoung man's head. "I think it's going to work," the mansaid. "How does she handle," David asked. "She's very slow," came the answer. "I wouldhate to use her in a storm.

She tends to wobble back and forth abit." "So she moves like a Turtle?" Davidasked. "Yep," the man said with a smile. This wastheir own little joke. The men called the thing in the water theAmerican Turtle. It was not a Turtle at all. It was asubmarine.

It was the first one that had ever been built inAmerica. This was 1775 and the American Revolutionhad just started. David Bushnell lived in Saybrook, Connecticut. Hehad just made the world's first submarine. The man at the controlswas his brother Ezra. The Turtle was just a small submarine.

Itwas really more like a big barrel. It had two halves sealedtogether. Each half looked like a turtle shell. That was why theycalled it a turtle. It was about six feet tall and four feetwide. A drawing of the Turtle The two pipes at the top were snorkels. A drawing of the Turtle The two pipes at the top were snorkels.

Theylet air come into the Turtle. Inside there was a small seat to sit on. Apilot would sit on the seat. His head would be in a tube at thetop. There was a window in the tube. That way he could see where hewas going.

There were also three cranks. One hand crank was used to turn the paddles.The paddles were at the front. They helped the Turtle move in thewater. There was also a lever. It turned a rudderat the back. The rudder was used to steer.

The sailor sat on the small seat. He heldthe rudder in his left hand. He turned the paddle crank with hisright hand. If he turned real fast, the barrel wouldmove in the water. It could go up to three miles an hour. That isabout the speed that a man walks.

A second crank was in the top. This one ledto a propeller that stuck out of the top. It looked like a hugescrew. If the sailor turned this screw it wouldmake the Turtle go up or down in the water. There was one other crank inside the Turtle.It could be the most important. It led to a drill.

A rope was tied to the drill. It led to theback of the Turtle. Hanging off this rope was a much smallerbarrel. It had gunpowder in it. It was a bomb. Yale College Several years earlier David had gone toschool at Yale.

There he proved that you could blow up gunpowderunder the water. No one thought this could be done, but David didit. Now David would use that kind of bomb with the Turtle. The sailor inside the Turtle had a job todo. He would be towed as close as possible to an enemy ship. Once the tow line was cut he was on hisown.

He would unplug a hole in the bottom of theTurtle. This would let water in. It would make him sink. Then he would crank the paddle as fast as hecould. He would steer through the water to the enemy ship. When he was under the ship he would pump outsome of the water with the pump at his feet.

That would raise himup to the bottom of the ship. Then he would go to work with that lastscrew. He would screw it into the bottom of the enemy ship. Then hewould sink back down and paddle away. At least that was how it was supposed tohappen. The Turtle trying to attack the Eagle Finally David and the Turtle were ready.Ezra was ready too.

He would pilot the Turtle. They sent a letter to General Washington.They told him all about the Turtle. Washington thought about the plan. He didnot think it would work, but he was willing to let them try. The British ships were attacking New York.There were many of them in the harbor. If the Turtle could sink thelead ship it would be a great victory.

Washington asked David to try and sink theship named "The Eagle". David said "Yes" and got the Turtleready. But Ezra would not be going with him. Ezrawas sick. David loaded the Turtle on the back of awagon. Then he drove the wagon to New York.

He got to New York in August of 1776. When he got there the American sailors likedthe Turtle. Some of them volunteered to pilot it. David chose three of them. He trained them at their job. It did nottake long.

There was not that much to learn. Soon they were ready. They would attack theBritish ship that night. Private Ezra Lee the pilot of the firstTurtle mission. David thought about the three men. Then hechose Ezra Lee to pilot the Turtle.

Ezra was a Private in thenavy. It was almost midnight on September 6,1776. The Turtle was tied to the back of a boatand the boat rowed toward the harbor. Soon it had to stop. If it got any closer itwould be seen. Ezra Lee got inside the Turtle and wavedgoodbye.

He did not say anything. They did not wantthe British to hear them. Ezra closed the hatch. Soon the Turtle sunklower in the water. Only the top tube and the snorkels were abovethe water. That way he could see and breathe.

The boat rowed back to shore. David and theother sailors sat down to wait. Inside the Turtle, Ezra was paddling as fastas he could. He was scared. He knew that if he was caught, he wouldbe killed. He turned the screw around and around.