54:
295:. Air was supplied from the surface by two tubes with floats, connected to an air pump located inside the submarine; it was the first operational submarine to have an air purifying system. The boat had a forward airlock, and was the first operational submarine with the capability for a diver to leave and return while both remained submerged. Divers could affix mines to a target, then return and detonate them by connecting the mine's insulated copper wire to a battery inside the vessel.
33:
255:
336:
735:
282:
The boat was about 47 feet (14 m) long, with a beam of 4 feet 8 inches (1.42 m) and height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m). "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".
326:
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 a contract for her construction. Nevertheless, the work proceeded so slowly that more than 180 days had elapsed when the novel
449:
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
527:. She either immediately sank or drifted for a while before sinking, ending the career of the United States Navy's first submarine. An attempt to find it in 2005 was not successful.
279:, who also acted as a supervisor during the first phase of the construction (de Villeroi had designed and built submarines in France and one after immigrating to the United States).
1758:
577:
643:
1783:
1763:
1748:
745:
1768:
1778:
1773:
835:
536:
1743:
403:, which was to act as her tender during her service with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. A spring 1862 newspaper report called the vessel
796:
437:
should that ironclad be completed on time and sent downstream to attack Union forces. Consequently, the submarine was sent up the James to
585:
344:
1788:
1753:
1274:
469:
and she was assigned a naval crew. The tests proved unsatisfactory, and
Selfridge pronounced "the enterprise ... a failure".
298:
The Union Navy wanted such a vessel to counter the threat posed to its wooden-hulled blockaders by the former screw frigate
490:, who had become interested in the submarine while in command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard early in the war, decided that
828:
750:
669:
606:
382:
312:
355:
635:
1716:
1709:
1590:
845:
509:
495:
229:
1402:
821:
804:
541:
241:
462:
237:
479:
s oars with a hand-cranked screw propeller, thereby increasing her speed to about 4 knots (7.4 km/h).
1513:
1350:
1045:
487:
415:
410:
Several tasks were considered for the vessel: destroying a bridge across Swift Creek, a tributary of the
1363:
1146:
499:
441:
where she arrived on the 25th. Commander John
Rodgers, the senior naval officer in that area, examined
454:
fall into enemy hands. He therefore requested permission to send the submarine back to
Hampton Roads.
1438:
1071:
1033:
548:
458:
438:
397:
299:
288:
223:
145:
4 ft 8 in (1.42 m) (excluding oars); height of hull 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
1738:
1641:
1602:
1451:
929:
903:
890:
423:
359:
1628:
1615:
1551:
1538:
1426:
1248:
1184:
1171:
981:
427:
276:
219:
772:
407:, in part because of its green color, a moniker which soon appeared in official correspondence.
1667:
1577:
1564:
1500:
1376:
1337:
1299:
1210:
1158:
1121:
942:
390:
358:
to be fitted out and manned. Two weeks later, she was placed under command of a civilian, Mr.
791:
291:
had the paddles replaced by a hand-cranked propeller, which improved its speed to about four
1679:
1475:
1313:
1286:
1096:
968:
916:
813:
411:
266:
233:
98:
236:, vice Navy, in 1776 against British vessels in New York harbor). During the Civil War the
1654:
1235:
955:
808:
480:
431:
283:
She was designed to carry 18 men. For propulsion, she was equipped with 16 hand-powered
1525:
1463:
1414:
1134:
1084:
394:
386:
378:
705:
32:
1732:
1691:
1020:
1007:
877:
741:
524:
370:
304:
which, according to intelligence reports, the
Norfolk Navy Yard was rebuilding as an
208:
20:
1058:
673:
446:
419:
323:
316:
254:
764:
694:
1324:
1261:
994:
503:
335:
292:
193:
1389:
865:
308:
258:
Brutus de
Villeroi's first submarine in 1861, which served as inspiration for
457:
The ship headed downriver on the 29th and then was ordered to proceed to the
339:
Plan of his submarine, by Brutus de
Villeroi, describing the oar arrangement.
215:
78:
786:
584:, vol. 8, no. 3, United States Navy, Spring 2006, archived from
343:
1197:
781:
647:
374:
305:
273:
1222:
422:, which had prevented Union gunboats from steaming upstream to support
389:
for the last leg of the voyage, reaching
Hampton Roads on the 23rd. At
211:
515:
The next day, both encountered bad weather which, on 2 April, forced
284:
270:
801:
672:. Navy & Marine Living History Association, Inc. Archived from
613:. Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Navy Department
578:"Alligator: The Forgotten Torchbearer of the U.S. Submarine Force"
342:
377:. The two vessels got underway on 19 June and proceeded down the
184:
12 - One officer, one helmsman, one or two divers, and 8 oarsmen
817:
168:
1862: 2 knots (3.7 km/h); 1863: 4 knots (7.4 km/h)
265:
In the autumn of 1861, the Union Navy asked the firm of
483:
observed the submarine in operation on 18 March 1863.
269:
to construct a small submersible ship designed by the
636:"National Marine Sanctuaries: Hunt for the Alligator"
461:
for more experimentation and testing. In August, Lt.
1488:
853:
362:. On 13 June, the Navy formally accepted the boat.
494:might be useful in carrying out his plans to take
214:ship of that name, is the first known U.S. Navy
787:Navy & Marine LHA history site on Alligator
644:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
354:Soon after her launching, she was towed to the
287:protruding from the sides. On 3 July 1862, the
797:UNDERSEA WARFARE Magazine article on Alligator
829:
802:Comprehensive site on world submarine history
572:
570:
568:
566:
498:, the birthplace of secession. Acting Master
8:
1759:19th-century submarines of the United States
746:Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
611:Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
222:(the first American underwater vehicle was
836:
822:
814:
327:craft finally was launched on 1 May 1862.
846:Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1863
715:Veit, Chuck, "The Innovative, Mysterious
393:, the submarine was moored alongside the
740:This article incorporates text from the
537:French weapons in the American Civil War
445:and reported that neither the James off
414:; clearing away the obstructions in the
334:
253:
19:For other ships with the same name, see
792:Full Story of the Appomattox River Raid
562:
472:On 3 July 1862, the Navy Yard replaced
322:). The Union Navy's agreement with the
723:magazine (August 2010), pp. 26–29
630:
628:
508:, was ordered to tow the submarine to
27:
512:. The pair got underway on 31 March.
50:
7:
1784:Shipwrecks of the American Civil War
1764:Lost submarines of the United States
1749:Submarines of the United States Navy
369:was engaged to tow the submarine to
240:would also build its own submarine,
37:Contemporary artist's rendering of
347:Samuel Eakins, first commander of
14:
1769:United States submarine accidents
426:'s drive up the peninsula toward
385:, through which they entered the
1779:Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast
1774:Maritime incidents in April 1863
733:
52:
31:
1744:Ships built by Neafie and Levy
486:About this time, Rear Admiral
16:Submarine of the United States
1:
782:NOAA search for the Alligator
749:. The entry can be found
383:Delaware and Chesapeake Canal
670:"The Story of the Alligator"
218:, and was active during the
158:1863: Hand-cranked propeller
155:1862: 18 × hand-powered oars
640:National Marine Sanctuaries
1805:
706:The Hunt for the Alligator
607:"Alligator (Submarine) iv"
510:Port Royal, South Carolina
496:Charleston, South Carolina
232:, and was operated by the
80:Alligator mississippiensis
18:
1704:
582:Undersea Warfare Magazine
128:
45:
30:
176:6.8 ft (2.1 m)
1789:Hand-cranked submarines
1754:Ships of the Union Navy
463:Thomas O. Selfridge Jr.
238:Confederate States Navy
129:General characteristics
488:Samuel Francis du Pont
356:Philadelphia Navy Yard
351:
340:
262:
137:47 ft (14 m)
124:Foundered 2 April 1863
695:Submarine Photo Index
502:, who then commanded
465:was given command of
346:
338:
257:
1187:G. L. Brockenborough
775:on the hunt for the
459:Washington Navy Yard
365:Next, the steam tug
289:Washington Navy Yard
1212:Margaret and Jessie
807:2 July 2014 at the
765:navsource.org: USS
331:Operational history
1276:Pride of the Yarra
588:on 11 October 2015
500:John F. Winchester
352:
341:
277:Brutus de Villeroi
263:
220:American Civil War
1726:
1725:
481:President Lincoln
430:; and blowing up
424:General McClellan
395:sidewheel steamer
267:Neafie & Levy
230:Revolutionary War
199:
198:
99:Neafie & Levy
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1719:
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1349:
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1330:
1323:
1317:
1314:William J. Romer
1311:
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1098:Star of the West
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1026:
1019:
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831:
824:
815:
737:
736:
708:
703:
697:
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686:
685:
683:
681:
676:on 12 March 2016
666:
660:
659:
657:
655:
646:. Archived from
632:
623:
622:
620:
618:
603:
597:
596:
595:
593:
574:
478:
412:Appomattox River
234:Continental Army
60:
57:
56:
55:
35:
28:
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1497:
1496:
1489:Other incidents
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809:Wayback Machine
761:
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663:
653:
651:
650:on 3 March 2016
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90:1 November 1861
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1631:Prince Consort
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1318:
1306:
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1255:
1242:
1229:
1216:
1204:
1191:
1178:
1174:Shepherd Knapp
1165:
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1140:
1128:
1115:
1102:
1090:
1078:
1065:
1052:
1039:
1027:
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975:
962:
949:
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759:External links
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387:Chesapeake Bay
379:Delaware River
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1374:9 or 10 Sept:
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945:Morning Light
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777:USS Alligator
774:
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743:
742:public domain
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721:Naval History
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371:Hampton Roads
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59:United States
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21:USS Alligator
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1515:Carrier Dove
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586:the original
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543:H. L. Hunley
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250:Construction
243:H. L. Hunley
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194:limpet mines
116:13 June 1862
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1148:Anglo Saxon
1136:Ada Hancock
1048:Mississippi
1035:Rattlesnake
958:Isaac Smith
728:Attribution
523:adrift off
434:Virginia II
416:James River
313:Confederacy
228:during the
1739:1862 ships
1733:Categories
1669:Chesapeake
1501:USRC
1366:Bainbridge
854:Shipwrecks
557:References
439:City Point
181:Complement
173:Test depth
150:Propulsion
113:In service
108:1 May 1862
1655:HMS
1642:USS
1629:HMS
1616:HMS
1603:HMS
1592:Pervenets
1578:HMS
1565:USS
1552:USS
1539:USS
1477:Beejapore
1441:Weehawken
1439:USS
1390:USS
1364:USS
1338:USS
1325:USS
1300:USS
1287:USS
1262:USS
1249:USS
1223:CSS
1198:USS
1185:USS
1172:USS
1159:USS
1122:USS
1111:Alligator
1109:USS
1074:Lancaster
1072:USS
1061:Georgiana
1059:CSS
1046:USS
1023:Indianola
1021:USS
1010:Indianola
1008:USS
995:USS
982:HMS
969:USS
956:USS
943:USS
930:USS
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891:USS
880:Westfield
878:USS
773:NPR story
767:Alligator
717:Alligator
521:Alligator
492:Alligator
474:Alligator
467:Alligator
452:Alligator
443:Alligator
432:CSS
405:Alligator
400:Satellite
398:USS
367:Fred Kopp
349:Alligator
317:CSS
301:Merrimack
260:Alligator
216:submarine
204:Alligator
69:Alligator
39:Alligator
1644:Camanche
1605:Warspite
1526:SS
932:Columbia
906:Columbia
893:Hatteras
805:Archived
680:13 March
654:13 March
592:13 March
531:See also
428:Richmond
375:Virginia
319:Virginia
311:for the
306:ironclad
274:engineer
189:Armament
105:Launched
75:Namesake
1639:15 Nov:
1626:30 Oct:
1618:Malacca
1613:14 Oct:
1562:14 Jul:
1554:Choctaw
1549:28 May:
1541:Wyoming
1536:10 May:
1523:28 Feb:
1465:Montana
1461:30 Dec:
1453:Hooghly
1449:10 Dec:
1416:Blossom
1412:19 Oct:
1400:15 Oct:
1387:11 Oct:
1361:21 Aug:
1348:18 Aug:
1335:17 Aug:
1327:Paw Paw
1310:20 Jul:
1297:14 Jul:
1284:13 Jul:
1264:Sumpter
1259:24 Jun:
1251:Atlanta
1246:17 Jun:
1220:c. May:
1208:30 May:
1195:28 May:
1182:27 May:
1169:18 May:
1156:27 Apr:
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1094:c. Mar:
1086:Absalom
1082:29 Mar:
1069:25 Mar:
1056:19 Mar:
1043:14 Mar:
1031:28 Feb:
1018:25 Feb:
1005:24 Feb:
997:Kinsman
992:23 Feb:
984:Orpheus
953:30 Jan:
940:23 Jan:
927:17 Jan:
914:15 Jan:
901:14 Jan:
888:11 Jan:
867:Neptune
617:15 June
519:to cut
517:Sumpter
505:Sumpter
391:Norfolk
381:to the
285:paddles
95:Builder
87:Ordered
46:History
1717:1864 →
1710:← 1862
1677:8 Dec:
1665:7 Dec:
1652:3 Dec:
1600:6 Aug:
1588:6 Aug:
1580:Racoon
1567:Antona
1498:1 Jan:
1436:6 Dec:
1428:Curlew
1424:5 Nov:
1392:Madgie
1353:Oconee
1340:Crocus
1322:6 Aug:
1302:Sciota
1272:6 Jul:
1233:5 Jun:
1161:Preble
1124:Keokuk
1119:8 Apr:
1106:2 Apr:
979:7 Feb:
966:7 Feb:
875:1 Jan:
863:1 Jan:
738:
550:Turtle
271:French
225:Turtle
134:Length
1689:Unkn:
1473:Unkn:
1238:Stono
971:Glide
477:'
293:knots
165:Speed
1657:Ajax
1575:Jul:
1528:Aden
1511:Feb:
1377:CSS
1351:CSS
1236:CSS
1200:Lily
917:CSS
751:here
719:" -
682:2016
656:2016
619:2015
594:2016
212:Navy
202:USS
192:2 ×
142:Beam
121:Fate
65:Name
1225:Ivy
418:at
309:ram
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