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USS Alligator (1862)
Encyclopedia
The fourth United States
Navy ship called Alligator is the first known U.S. Navy submarine
, and was active during the American Civil War
. The first American submarine, built in the Revolutionary War era, was the Turtle
; however, this craft never served in the U.S. Navy.
to construct a small submersible ship designed by the French
engineer
Brutus DeVilleroi, who also acted as a supervisor during the first phase of the construction.
The ship was about 30 ft (9 m) long and 6 ft (1.8 m) or 8 ft (2.4 m) in diameter. "It was made of iron, with the upper part pierced for small circular plates of glass, for light, and in it were several water tight compartments." For propulsion, she was equipped with sixteen hand-powered paddle
s protruding from the sides, but on 3 July 1862, the Washington Navy Yard
had the paddles replaced by a hand-cranked propeller, which improved its speed up to seven knots. Air was to be supplied from the surface by two tubes with floats, connected to an air pump inside the submarine.
The Navy wanted such a vessel to counter the threat posed to its wooden-hulled blockaders by the former screw frigate Merrimack
which, according to intelligence reports, the Norfolk Navy Yard was rebuilding as an ironclad ram for the Confederacy
(the CSS Virginia
). The Navy's agreement with the Philadelphia shipbuilder specified that the submarine was to be finished in not more than 40 days, its keel was laid down almost immediately following the signing on 1 November 1861 of the contract for her construction. Nevertheless, the work proceeded so slowly that more than 180 days had elapsed when the novel craft finally was launched on 1 May 1862.
to be fitted out and manned. A fortnight later, a civilian, Mr. Samuel Eakins, was placed in charge of her; and, on 13 June, the Navy formally accepted the small, but unique, ship.
Next, the steam tug Fred Kopp was engaged to tow the submarine to Hampton Roads
, Virginia
. The two vessels got underway on 19 June and proceeded down the Delaware River
to the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal through which they entered the Chesapeake Bay
for the last leg of the voyage. At Norfolk
, the submarine was moored alongside the sidewheel steamer
, Satellite, her tender during her duty with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. A short while after reaching Hampton Roads on the 23rd, the submarine picked up the name Alligator, a term which soon appeared in official correspondence.
Several tasks were considered for the strange vessel: destroying a bridge across Swift Creek, a tributary of the Appomattox River
; clearing away the obstructions in the James River
at Fort Darling
which had prevented Union gunboats from steaming upstream to support General McClellan
's drive up the peninsula toward Richmond
; and blowing up Virginia II
if that ironclad were completed on time and sent downstream to attack Union forces. Consequently, the submarine was sent up the James to City Point
where she arrived on the 25th. Commander John Rodgers, the senior naval officer in that area, examined Alligator and reported that neither the James off Fort Darling
nor the Appomattox near the bridge was deep enough to permit the submarine to submerge completely. Moreover, he feared that, while his theater of operation contained no targets accessible to the submarine, the Union gunboats under his command would be highly vulnerable to her attacks should Alligator fall into enemy hands. As a result, he requested permission to send the submarine back to Hampton Roads.
The ship headed downriver on the 29th and then was ordered to proceed to the Washington Navy Yard
for more experimentation and testing. In August, Lt. Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
was given command of Alligator and she was assigned a naval crew. The tests proved to be unsatisfactory, and Selfridge pronounced "the enterprise… a failure."
The Navy Yard later removed Alligator's oars and installed a screw propeller in their stead. This change increased her speed to about 7 knots (13.7 km/h). On 18 March 1863, President Lincoln
observed the submarine in operation.
About this time, Rear Admiral Samuel Francis du Pont
—who had become interested in the submarine while in command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard early in the war—decided that Alligator might be useful in carrying out his plans to take Charleston, South Carolina
, the birthplace of secession. Acting Master John F. Winchester, who then commanded the Sumpter
, was ordered to tow the submarine to Port Royal, South Carolina
. The odd pair got underway on 31 March.
The next day, the two ships encountered bad weather which, on 2 April, forced Sumpter to cut Alligator adrift off Cape Hatteras
. She either immediately sank or drifted for a while before sinking, ending the career of the United States Navy's first submarine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy ship called Alligator is the first known U.S. Navy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, and was active during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The first American submarine, built in the Revolutionary War era, was the Turtle
Turtle (submarine)
The Turtle was the world's first submersible with a documented record of use in combat. It was built in Old Saybrook, Connecticut in 1775 by American Patriot David Bushnell as a means of attaching explosive charges to ships in a harbor...
; however, this craft never served in the U.S. Navy.
Construction
In the autumn of 1861, the Navy asked the firm of Neafie & LevyNeafie & Levy
Neafie, Levy & Co., commonly known as Neafie & Levy, was a Philadelphia shipbuilding and engineering firm that existed from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century...
to construct a small submersible ship designed by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Brutus DeVilleroi, who also acted as a supervisor during the first phase of the construction.
The ship was about 30 ft (9 m) long and 6 ft (1.8 m) or 8 ft (2.4 m) in diameter. "It was made of iron, with the upper part pierced for small circular plates of glass, for light, and in it were several water tight compartments." For propulsion, she was equipped with sixteen hand-powered paddle
Paddle
A paddle is a tool used for pushing against liquids, either as a form of propulsion in a boat or as an implement for mixing.-Materials and designs:...
s protruding from the sides, but on 3 July 1862, the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
had the paddles replaced by a hand-cranked propeller, which improved its speed up to seven knots. Air was to be supplied from the surface by two tubes with floats, connected to an air pump inside the submarine.
The Navy wanted such a vessel to counter the threat posed to its wooden-hulled blockaders by the former screw frigate Merrimack
USS Merrimack (1855)
USS Merrimack was a frigate and sailing vessel of the United States Navy, best known as the hull upon which the ironclad warship, CSS Virginia was constructed during the American Civil War...
which, according to intelligence reports, the Norfolk Navy Yard was rebuilding as an ironclad ram for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
(the CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy, built during the first year of the American Civil War; she was constructed as a casemate ironclad using the raised and cut down original lower hull and steam engines of the scuttled . Virginia was one of the...
). The Navy's agreement with the Philadelphia shipbuilder specified that the submarine was to be finished in not more than 40 days, its keel was laid down almost immediately following the signing on 1 November 1861 of the contract for her construction. Nevertheless, the work proceeded so slowly that more than 180 days had elapsed when the novel craft finally was launched on 1 May 1862.
Operational history
Soon after being launched, she was towed to the Philadelphia Navy YardPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...
to be fitted out and manned. A fortnight later, a civilian, Mr. Samuel Eakins, was placed in charge of her; and, on 13 June, the Navy formally accepted the small, but unique, ship.
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The two vessels got underway on 19 June and proceeded down the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
to the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal through which they entered the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
for the last leg of the voyage. At Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, the submarine was moored alongside the sidewheel steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, Satellite, her tender during her duty with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. A short while after reaching Hampton Roads on the 23rd, the submarine picked up the name Alligator, a term which soon appeared in official correspondence.
Several tasks were considered for the strange vessel: destroying a bridge across Swift Creek, a tributary of the Appomattox River
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long, in central and eastern Virginia in the United States, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century...
; clearing away the obstructions in the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
at Fort Darling
Fort Darling
Fort Darling was a Confederate military installation during the American Civil War located at Drewry’s Bluff, a high point overlooking a bend in the James River south of Richmond in Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was the site of the 1862 Battle of Drewry's Bluff.It also served as the base of...
which had prevented Union gunboats from steaming upstream to support General McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
's drive up the peninsula toward Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
; and blowing up Virginia II
CSS Virginia II
CSS Virginia II was a Confederate Navy steam-powered ironclad ram laid down in 1862 at the William Graves' shipyard in Richmond, Virginia. Acting Constructor William A. Graves, CSN, was the superintendent in charge of her building. In order to conserve scarce iron plating, he ordered the ship's...
if that ironclad were completed on time and sent downstream to attack Union forces. Consequently, the submarine was sent up the James to City Point
City Point, Virginia
City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. It served as headquarters of the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War.- History :...
where she arrived on the 25th. Commander John Rodgers, the senior naval officer in that area, examined Alligator and reported that neither the James off Fort Darling
Fort Darling
Fort Darling was a Confederate military installation during the American Civil War located at Drewry’s Bluff, a high point overlooking a bend in the James River south of Richmond in Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was the site of the 1862 Battle of Drewry's Bluff.It also served as the base of...
nor the Appomattox near the bridge was deep enough to permit the submarine to submerge completely. Moreover, he feared that, while his theater of operation contained no targets accessible to the submarine, the Union gunboats under his command would be highly vulnerable to her attacks should Alligator fall into enemy hands. As a result, he requested permission to send the submarine back to Hampton Roads.
The ship headed downriver on the 29th and then was ordered to proceed to the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
for more experimentation and testing. In August, Lt. Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr.
Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. , son of Thomas O. Selfridge, was an officer in the United States Navy.Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Selfridge graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1854.-Civil War:...
was given command of Alligator and she was assigned a naval crew. The tests proved to be unsatisfactory, and Selfridge pronounced "the enterprise… a failure."
The Navy Yard later removed Alligator's oars and installed a screw propeller in their stead. This change increased her speed to about 7 knots (13.7 km/h). On 18 March 1863, President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
observed the submarine in operation.
About this time, Rear Admiral Samuel Francis du Pont
Samuel Francis du Pont
Samuel Francis Du Pont was an American naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family; he was the only member of his generation to use a capital D...
—who had become interested in the submarine while in command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard early in the war—decided that Alligator might be useful in carrying out his plans to take Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, the birthplace of secession. Acting Master John F. Winchester, who then commanded the Sumpter
USS Sumpter (1853)
USS Sumpter was a steamship in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Sumpter or Sumter, ex-Atlanta, ex-Parker Vein, was built in 1853 by Hillman and Streaker, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, was ordered to tow the submarine to Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
. The odd pair got underway on 31 March.
The next day, the two ships encountered bad weather which, on 2 April, forced Sumpter to cut Alligator adrift off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
. She either immediately sank or drifted for a while before sinking, ending the career of the United States Navy's first submarine.