The First Submarine: Thought by the British, made by the Dutch

You must have seen images of submarines on the internet, newspapers and magazines. These giant underwater carriers can stay below the sea for several days and months. You can also call them manmade fish. Seeing a submarine disappear beneath the surface of the water or appear from underneath it is surely a sight to behold! 

Submarines are usually used in wars to patrol oceans and attack enemy ships. Military submarines are enormous compared to the ones used for research. These monstrous manmade fish are big enough to carry more than 100 people. Scientists use smaller submarines to travel deep into the seas and conduct scientific research. But who thought of these magnificent machines? And how do submarines navigate under water? Curious about the history and origin of submarines? Let us dive in, right away! 

Who first thought of submarine? 
The invention of submarine was a team effort! William Bourne was a British mathematician and writer of naval subjects. He was the first one to devise the concept of a ship meant to navigate beneath the sea in 1578. He thought of an enclosed boat that could navigate under the sea. However, the first working submarine wasn’t built by him. The credit goes to a Dutch scientist, Cornelis Drebbel who gave life to the first one in 1620. He was born in the year 1572 in Alkmaar, Netherlands. The submarine created by Drebbel was a rowboat covered in leather. It could go up to 12 feet below the sea level. Between 1620 and 1624, Drebbel successfully manoeuvred his submarine at depths of 12 to 15 feet (four to five metres) beneath the surface of the Thames River in England in multiple trials. In fact, even King James I of England is said to have gone on this submarine for a short ride! Thereafter, he built two more larger ones.   

The emergence of sink and rise technology 
Research by various inventers continued on submarines. By 1727, nearly 14 different types of submarines had been patented in England. In 1747, an unidentified inventor proposed a novel method to not just submerge but emerge back to the surface! He proposed attaching goatskin bags to the hull. Each bag would be connected to an aperture at the bottom of the submarine. He suggested to submerge the vessel by letting the bags fill up with water and to bring the vessel back to the surface by forcing the water out of the skins with some form of a “twisting rod.” This was the real forerunner of the modern submarines that use ballast tanks to sink and rise. Many other inventors tried gas, steam and batteries to power submarines. By the 1900s, submarines began to be powered using diesel engines as well as battery powered engines.  

War submarines 
Submarines were first used in the war during the American revolution (1775-83). A carrier named Turtle was the first submarine to be used in a war. It was invented by David Bushnell, a student at Yale University. The submarine was built of wood and powered by propellers. The Turtle was used in war against the British ships. However, it was not successful in its mission. The first submarine to successfully disengage an enemy ship was the Hunley. During the American civil war, it became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship called USS Housatonic.