1776 David Bushnell’s American Turtle

September 7 1776: The world's first submarine attack was carried out by David Bushnell’s American Turtle. Piloted by Ezra Lee, Bushnell's brilliant creation was towed into position before submerging and was hand cranked to move forward. Lee was unable to attach the explosive charge (like a mine) to the HMS Eagle and so failed to damage his target. Even without seeing success in the attack this was the first time a submarine was used in battle.