• The first American submarine was the Turtle designed and built by Connecticut inventor David Bushnell during the American Revolution. The Turtle was a one-man hand-powered wooden submarine. It resembled the shape of an almond, or two turtle shells placed together.
• The Turtle was the first submarine in history used in combat.
• Just after midnight, September 7, 1776, the Turtle unsuccessfully attacked the HMS Eagle in New York Harbor.
• George Washington was so impressed with the Turtle's performance; he called Bushnell a "man of great mechanical powers, fertile in invention and a master of execution."

Sources:

• Military Journal of Dr. James Thacher
• The Voyage of the "Turtle"
• Connecticut River Museum

Links:

• The First Submarine Used in War
• Military Journal of Dr. James Thacher
• The Submarine Turtle: Naval Documents of the Revolutionary War