Continuing with the Feb. 19, 2010, Chicago Tribune article by George Bushnell "Voyages to the bottom of the sea."
The next American to get involved with submarines was Robert Fulton who was much better known for his steamboat technology than his Nautilus submarine that he built for the French.
When the Napoleonic wars broke out in the 1790s, Fulton was off to France to pursue Bushnell's submarine plan. In 1797, he proposed building a Mechanical Nautilus to fight the British fleet.
By Spring 1800, the Nautilus was taking shape and it was far more advanced than the Turtle. It had copper skin reinforced with iron stays, was 21 feet long, 7 feet in diameter and could carry several crew members although propulsion was still manual. A diving plane made submersion at a slant possible.
A pilot run was made with Fulton at the controls in the Seine River. Its one taste of war came when it scared off two British ships in the English Channel. By June 1801, the Nautilus could stay submerged for an hour, but by then the French government had lost interest.
Fulton had the ship dismantled and key parts completely destroyed. However, he continued improving his submarine in later years, adding a periscope and compressed air tanks.
I never knew that Robert Fulton was involved with submarines, but as a nautical inventor, that is not too surprising.
Fulton, Man of Many Coats. --Cooter
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