Intelligent Whale

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Career
Intelligent Whale on exhibit at the Navy Museum, Washington Navy Yard
Laid down:	1863
Launched:
Fate:	museum exhibit
General characteristics
Displacement:	4000 lbs
Length:	28 feet 8 inches
Beam:	7 feet
Draft:	9 feet
Propulsion:	see Complement
Speed:	4 knots
Endurance:	10 hours
Complement:	6 to 13 officers and men
Armament:	hatch for diver

Intelligent Whale, an experimental hand-cranked submarine, was built on the design of Scovel S. Meriam in 1863 by Augustus Price and Cornelius S. Bushnell. In 1864 the American Submarine Company was formed, taking over the interests of Bushnell and Price and there followed years of litigation over the ownership of the craft. When title was established by a court the submarine was sold 29 October 1869 to the United States Navy Department, with most of the price to be paid after successful trials. In September 1872 the first trial was held and was unsuccessful, whereupon the Department refused further payments and abandoned the project.

Intelligent Whale submerged by filling water compartments, and expelled the water by pumps and compressed air. It was estimated that it could stay submerged for about ten hours. Thirteen crewmen could be accommodated, but only six were needed to make her operational. The only known trial, reported by submarine pioneer John Holland, was made by a certain General Sweeney and two others. They submerged the boat in 16 feet of water and Sweeney, clad in a diver's suit, emerged through a hole in the bottom, placed a charge under a scow, and reentered the submarine. The charge was exploded by a lanyard and a friction primer attached to the charge sinking the scow.

As of June, 2007, this submarine is on exhibit at the New Jersey National Guard Militia Museum in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.