Hunley, sunk a Union sloop, the USS Housatonic, with a spar torpedo. Despite this, it wasn't until 1864 when a submarine sunk an enemy ship for the first time.ĭuring the American Civil War, a Confederate submarine, the H.L. However, the mere success of its operation in enemy waters proved the military value of a submarine, and the race to develop submarines more capable of battle was on. While the submarine was able to operate successfully, it never did manage to sink any enemy vessels.

The purpose of its design was to allow explosives to be stuck to the bottom of British ships. The first military submarine was made in 1776 by David Bushnell, and it was made of wood and powered by propellers. The first military submarine was invented earlier than most people realize as well, still long before the U-Boat. After all, that's pretty much the only thing submarines were used for until research submarines started being used, and even so, most people imagine military subs. When most people think of submarines, they think of military vessels. While the first submarine may have come about in 1620, it didn't really change much in the world. This seemingly basic yet ingenious invention is the first documented attempt at what we could call a 'submarine,' and it was tested several times on the River Thames between the years of 16.

When you wanted to come back up to the surface, these bladders simply had to be emptied. When filled, the boat would sink below the surface. Finally, the boat had two large bladders on the side that could be filled with water. In order for the crew to breathe, pipes connected the boat to the surface, much like a snorkel. The boat had two holes in either side for the oars, which were covered in a layer of waterproofed leather. He covered the sail in wax so it could be waterproof. Drebbel took a wooden boat, and covered it with parts of the foot (the bottom edge of a sail). Despite how groundbreaking it was at the time, one could call it rudimentary by today's standards. Of course, this original submarine was a lot different from the kind we have today. This was more than 100 years before the United States even became a country, much earlier than most people realize. This is probably going to come as a shock to many people, but the first submarine in the world was actually invented in 1620 by a man called Cornelius Van Drebbel, a Dutch inventor and engineer. So, who actually created the first, working submarine? The World's First Submarine After all, humans have great imaginations and can come up with many concepts, but that's not the same as turning those concepts into reality. While that is still very impressive in its own right, it would be inaccurate to say that he really invented the submarine. However, while Da Vinci is perhaps the first documented individual to come up with the idea of a submarine, his concept was limited to drawings. This man conceptualized many incredible machines long before his time, including tanks, parachutes, helicopters, and yes, submarines. That man was Leonardo Da Vinci, who hopefully needs no introduction. Long before the first submarine ever sailed, one man conceived of it. Ancient civilizations had concepts for many things that humanity would not actually invent for many decades or even centuries, and the concept of the submarine was one of them. Oftentimes, when it comes to technology, an idea comes to mind long before it is possible to truly make it a reality. Of course, the exact answer depends on what you mean when you say the word 'invented.' Do you mean the first person to have come up with an idea at all? Or the first person to actually make that idea a reality? We'll talk about both of those people here today. Many people would be shocked to learn that the submarine was actually invented far earlier. However, that is solely because World War II was the first time submarines were really relevant to important affairs. When it comes to the submarine, most people tend to think that they didn't really become a thing until World War II, with the advent of the German U-Boat.

Who made first submarine