{
  "id": 5592904,
  "title": "In 1776, a rebel built a bomb-carrying submarine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/in-1776-a-rebel-built-a-bomb-carrying-submarine",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-04T15:52:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/during-the-american-revolution-in-1776-a-rebel-inventor-devised-a-daring-weapon-against-the-british-navy-a-bomb-carrying-submarine/articleshow/133769084.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1776, American inventor David Bushnell designed a small, one-man submarine called the Turtle. The goal was to sneak up on a British warship, the HMS Eagle, and attach a timed explosive to its hull. This was one of the first attempts at underwater warfare.Bushnell believed that attacking a British ship in a way it couldn't easily defend would be effective, rather than fighting in a direct confrontation. He worked with his brother Ezra and other craftsmen to create the Turtle, which was small enough for just one person to operate. It was made of wood and reinforced with iron hoops, and included pumps, valves, a compass and a barometer for navigation.The Turtle was designed to attach a large powder charge to an enemy ship. The pilot used a pedal-operated propeller and hand crank to move the submarine, and had to pump out water to surface. Breathing was a challenge, as the pilot had to pedal and operate equipment while controlling the air supply.The Turtle was sent after HMS Eagle on the night of September 6-7, 1776. Pilot Ezra Lee reached the ship and got underneath it, hearing and seeing the crew. However, the submarine's fastening mechanism failed to penetrate the ship's metal hull, and the explosive was left behind. It later detonated in the harbor, but did not damage the Eagle.The Turtle was tried in two more attacks, but failed again. The submarine's fate is unclear, with some accounts suggesting it was lost when a British ship sank the sloop carrying it. Despite its failures, the Turtle represented a groundbreaking idea. It showed that an attacker could try to approach a warship from below, rather than fighting directly. However, the technology needed for practical submarines was still over a century away. The Turtle's story is significant as it occurred during a period when Britain's naval power dominated the seas, yet a single person and a bomb attempted to challenge this supremacy from below.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}