⚔️📍 New York Harbor, New York1776
Turtle — First Submarine Combat Mission in History
Sergeant Ezra Lee piloted the Turtle — a one-man wooden submarine built by David Bushnell — in history's first submarine combat mission, attempting to attach a powder charge to HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. The mission failed when the drill couldn't penetrate the ship's copper-sheathed hull.
Though unsuccessful, the Turtle demonstrated that submarine warfare was conceptually feasible and inspired 150 years of submarine development leading to the modern submarine.
Outcome
Mission fails; concept proven; submarine era begins