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David Bushnell's submersible Turtle, designed by Bushnell and built in Old Saybrook, Connecticut in 1775, was so named because it looked like a turtle due to its shape. It was manually powered, constructed of wood, heavily covered in pitch and reinforced with metal bands. Though it is considered the first submarine used in combat (Revolutionary War) its attacks on British warships were never successful. This was due in large part because it didn't have a way to penetrate the copper cladding around the lower part of British warship hulls. It was sunk by the British while attached to its tender.

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12y ago

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