Again, you hear a lot about the Confederacy's Hunley submarine, but very little about this one.
According to Wikipedia, it was 30 feet long and 6 or 8 feet in diameter. It's construction was supervised by Brutus DeVilleroi. Originally powered by oars, but in July 1862, the Navy replaced them with a hand crank.
The vessel was launched May 1862 and accepted into service in June. It was to be used against a bridge at Swift Creek, a tributary of the Appomattox River, and also to clear obstructions at Fort Darling on the James River, but it never happened.
The Union sinker of ships, Thomas O. Selfridge was given command and a naval crew assigned to it. After tests, Selfridge declared it a complete failure.
In April 1863, it was being towed to Charleston by the USS Sumpter, but sank off Cape Hatteras.
WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING
That would have been something if the Alligator had engaged the Hunley. The first battle of the submarines.
IT'S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE
The hunt for the Alligator "The US Navy's First Submarine" has a website at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/alligator/. A search was made in 2005 for several days, but the submarine wasn't found. They'll be back to look.
Here a Sub, there a Sub. --B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
Showing posts with label USS Alligator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USS Alligator. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Happenings Last Year-- USS Alligator
Going back through some old stuff.
Most CW buffs have heard lots and lots about the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley, but few know that the North had one as well.
The Jan. 14, 2008, North Attleboro (Ma) Sun Chronicle had an article about Chuck Veit, president of the Navy and Marine Living History Association who received a $4,999 grant to update and distribute posters of the Union Navy's 1862 submarine called the Alligator which was largely forgotten until five years ago.
It was built by the French inventor Brutus de Villeroi who immigrated to the US.
The 47-foot-long, oar-propelled Alligator got its name from what it looked like. Its first mission was to destroy a bridge on the Appomattox and James rivers, but they were too shallow for a complete submerge and there was a fear that Confederates would capture it so the mission was aborted.
It sank in 1863 off Cape Hatteras while being towed for an attack on Charleston.
See www.navyandmarine.org which has a whole page on the Alligator Project.
Wouldn't that be something to find this wreck and possibly recover it. The direct predecessor of today's nuclear subs. Had the Alligator reached Charleston, we might have had the first battle of the submarines.
Just Thinking. --B-Runner
Most CW buffs have heard lots and lots about the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley, but few know that the North had one as well.
The Jan. 14, 2008, North Attleboro (Ma) Sun Chronicle had an article about Chuck Veit, president of the Navy and Marine Living History Association who received a $4,999 grant to update and distribute posters of the Union Navy's 1862 submarine called the Alligator which was largely forgotten until five years ago.
It was built by the French inventor Brutus de Villeroi who immigrated to the US.
The 47-foot-long, oar-propelled Alligator got its name from what it looked like. Its first mission was to destroy a bridge on the Appomattox and James rivers, but they were too shallow for a complete submerge and there was a fear that Confederates would capture it so the mission was aborted.
It sank in 1863 off Cape Hatteras while being towed for an attack on Charleston.
See www.navyandmarine.org which has a whole page on the Alligator Project.
Wouldn't that be something to find this wreck and possibly recover it. The direct predecessor of today's nuclear subs. Had the Alligator reached Charleston, we might have had the first battle of the submarines.
Just Thinking. --B-Runner
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