At the onset of the American Revolution, the British expected to quell the rebellion quickly with a show of overwhelming force. In an experiment in asymmtric warfare, David Bushnell created the first submarine vessel designed specifically "for the destruction of vessels of war". On a quiet September night in 1776, sergeant Ezra Lee maneuvered Bushnell's strange little craft out from Manhattan and into the midst of the greatest naval fleet ever assembled in the Americas. Lee's goal was to sink the British flagship HMS Eagle by attaching a powerful explosive to its hull. Although the mission was unsuccessful, Bushnell's concept of submarine warfare was considered by George Washington to have been "an effort of genius."
More than two centuries later, another Turtle would be launched into the same river within sight of Bushnell's first forays with his vessel during the summer of 1775
CONTENTS:
Introduction
Part One: Interpretation:
-Turtle Soup: Two Centuries of Interpretation
-Science, Technology, and a One Room Schoolhouse
-A Novel Idea Takes Shape
-A Secret "Machine"
-How to Feed a Two-ton Turtle.
Part Two: Replication:
-The Turtle Project: Non Just Another Birdhouse
-Propulsion: How to Move a Two-ton Turtle
-The Hull: Was the Turtle Than a Barrel?
-Hatch and Life Support: How to Survive Inside a Turtle
-Navigation: A Compass and a Depth Gauge Guided the Turtle
-Firepower: The Turtle and Its Infernal Machine.
Part Three: Investigation:
-Walking in Bushnell's Shoes: Operational Testing of the Turtle
-Propeller Thrust Horsepower = Manpower
-Hull Resistance: Moving a Two-ton Turtle
-Transit Speed: A Tortoise or a Hare?
-Maneuvering and Submerging: Engraging the Target Undetected
-Pilot Endurance: A Mission Non for the Faint of Heart
-Pilot Ergonomics: By Design or an Afterthought.
Part Four: Speculation:
-The Turtle in the Connecticut River: A Convenient Location
-The Turtle Did Not Operate Alone: Bushnell's Navy
-Bushnell's Biggest Mistake: Too Few Turtle Pilots
-September 6, 1776: The Turtle Sets Out on Its Mission
-The Next Day: Why the Turtle Mission Failed.
Epilogue