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From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: History of Submarines
Keywords: USS Turtle
Message-ID: <1990Jun6.144917.7425@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 6 Jun 90 14:49:17 GMT
References: <16003@cbnews.ATT.COM> <16053@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: boulder!snoopy!scottmi@ncar.UCAR.EDU (SCOTT MICHAEL C)


   Attempted to attach an explosive charge to the underside of HMS Eagle,
the flagship of Lord Howe.  Unfortunately, the Royal Navy had been copper-
sheathing it's ships to control marine growth below the waterline.  It
quite effectively prevented Sgt. Ezra Lee from attaching the charge, which
he needed to set in place with something like an enormous hand drill (which
had a detachable bit, with the sealed charge and clockwork fuse attached
to the bit.)  Lee thought he had encountered iron bracing near the keel,
so he moved several times to try different spots along the bottom of the
ship.  Eventually, he gave up, and while taking the Turtle back upriver,
he was spotted by a party of British in a longboat.  They gave chase, but
since Lee could see them coming (the Turtle had a crude periscope) he was
able to arm and detach the explosive charge.  The detonation occurred rather
near the boatful of British (marines?), discouraging them from further pursuit.
To my knowledge, no further attempts were made to use the Turtle operationally.

 



  
  --don't like snow, miss Deirdre, and wish I was still in Santa Cruz.