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Billy Ryan
Mr. Collison
US History Honors 1
3/21/14
The Submarine
It may seem hard to believe but interesting to learn that submarines were part of the naval arsenal for both the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War. The most widely known vessel was the CSS Hunley. The Hunley was the first submarine in combat to sink an enemy vessel. The Hunley, a Confederate submarine, was not alone in the waters of the Atlantic. Submarine use was considered an abomination in warfare. In the South, command of the fleet was part of the Secret Service, not the Navy. The South’s use of submarines was for offense or attacking. The North, who also had submarines, used their technology to sweep for underwater mines. Because of the illegal associations of submarine warfare, both sides kept their building programs very secretive. The submarines used were very advanced for their time. Some of the features included airlocks, electric motors, air purification features and periscopes.
In the North, Brutus DeVillerio’s was also working on his submarines. Each one had a cost of $15,000. The submarines used a series of powered oars each were required two men to paddle. As the submarine race intensified and navies on both sides set up task forces in 1863 to evaluate the new tactical machinery. The Singer Submarine Company was founded by the South to make torpedoes within the Triton Company of Richmond and began to construct a submarine with divers gear and hoses to transmit air between divers in the ship. Also, two vessels (the Alligator and the Monitor were "lost" en route to Charleston, SC. Later that year a Cambridge professor presented a design that was uncannily similar to the Alligator to the north. His submarine allowed for an electric motor and large tanks of air for the divers. The same year the CSS Hunley was christened and launched in Mobile Alabama. In February 1865 the Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic in resulted in the first ever sinking of a surface vessel by a submarine.
Do you believe that the submarine is truly that big of a contribution in the Civil War? Explain.
Who do you think was the most important engineer was to contribute to the advancement of the submarine? Explain.
Mr. Collison
US History Honors 1
3/21/14
The Submarine
It may seem hard to believe but interesting to learn that submarines were part of the naval arsenal for both the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War. The most widely known vessel was the CSS Hunley. The Hunley was the first submarine in combat to sink an enemy vessel. The Hunley, a Confederate submarine, was not alone in the waters of the Atlantic. Submarine use was considered an abomination in warfare. In the South, command of the fleet was part of the Secret Service, not the Navy. The South’s use of submarines was for offense or attacking. The North, who also had submarines, used their technology to sweep for underwater mines. Because of the illegal associations of submarine warfare, both sides kept their building programs very secretive. The submarines used were very advanced for their time. Some of the features included airlocks, electric motors, air purification features and periscopes.
In the North, Brutus DeVillerio’s was also working on his submarines. Each one had a cost of $15,000. The submarines used a series of powered oars each were required two men to paddle. As the submarine race intensified and navies on both sides set up task forces in 1863 to evaluate the new tactical machinery. The Singer Submarine Company was founded by the South to make torpedoes within the Triton Company of Richmond and began to construct a submarine with divers gear and hoses to transmit air between divers in the ship. Also, two vessels (the Alligator and the Monitor were "lost" en route to Charleston, SC. Later that year a Cambridge professor presented a design that was uncannily similar to the Alligator to the north. His submarine allowed for an electric motor and large tanks of air for the divers. The same year the CSS Hunley was christened and launched in Mobile Alabama. In February 1865 the Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic in resulted in the first ever sinking of a surface vessel by a submarine.
Do you believe that the submarine is truly that big of a contribution in the Civil War? Explain.
Who do you think was the most important engineer was to contribute to the advancement of the submarine? Explain.