David Bushnell was not healthy enough to take the Turtle out himself so he trained his brother David to do it. But, at the time of the attack, Ezra was ill and Sgt. Ezra Lee of the Continental Army was selected by Washington at Brig. General Samuel Holden Parson's recommendation. (Ezra Lee was Parson' brother-in-law.)
At midnight September 7, 1776, the Turtle approached the HMS Eagle, a third rate ship-of-the-line mounting 64 guns and flagship of British Admiral Howe, moored off Governor's Island.
Lee got to the ship undetected, but found that he couldn't drill through the ship's copper-clad hull. The crew saw what was going on, so, under fire, Lee dropped the bomb and left as quickly as the 1 mph Turtle could go, aided by the confusion when the bomb went off.
The first mission was a failure, but did serve to give the British something to worry about.
Bushnell tried two more times to sink British ships, including the frigate Cerberus in December of 1777. The British eventually captured the Turtle and on a raid on Norwalk captured Bushnell, but traded him in 1779 for a British prisoner.
Robert Fulton Up Next. --Cooter
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