History of Submarines Timeline

(1620 - Present)

The history of submarines traces humanity's quest to travel underwater, from Cornelius Drebbel's early experimental vessel in the 1620s through David Bushnell's Turtle in the American Revolution, to the first combat submarines of World War I, and finally to today's nuclear-powered submarines capable of months submerged beneath the oceans. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Concepts and Experiments

Bushnell's Turtle attacks HMS Eagle

Sep 6, 1776

During the American Revolutionary War, Sergeant Ezra Lee piloted David Bushnell's one-man submersible Turtle in the first combat use of a submarine, attempting to attach explosive charges to the British ship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. The attack failed but marked a milestone in naval warfare.

Image source: Turtle (submersible)

Fulton's Nautilus demonstrated in France

1800

American inventor Robert Fulton built the Nautilus for France, a hand-cranked submarine with a copper hull and sail for surface travel. It successfully destroyed a small ship in trials, demonstrating the potential of submarines as weapons of war.

Image source: Nautilus (1800 submarine)

Fulton's Nautilus demonstrated in France

Ictíneo II uses an early air-independent engine

1864

Spanish engineer Narcís Monturiol launched Ictíneo II, featuring a pioneering air-independent propulsion system based on a chemical reaction that generated steam and oxygen. It was one of the most advanced submarines of the nineteenth century despite limited commercial success.

Image source: Ictíneo II

Hunley sinks USS Housatonic

Feb 17, 1864

The Confederate hand-cranked submarine H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in combat, destroying the Union sloop USS Housatonic off Charleston Harbor using a spar torpedo. The Hunley itself sank shortly after, killing its crew of eight.

Image source: H. L. Hunley

Gymnote, the first electric submarine, launches

Sep 24, 1888

France launched Gymnote, the world's first practical all-electric submarine, powered by storage batteries and equipped with electric torpedoes. Its success spurred further French development of electric submarines.

Image source: French submarine Gymnote (Q1)

John Philip Holland launches USS Holland

May 17, 1897

Irish-American engineer John Philip Holland launched Holland VI, which was commissioned by the United States Navy as USS Holland in 1900, becoming the first modern submarine adopted by a major navy. It combined gasoline surface propulsion with electric battery power for submerged operation.

Image source: USS Holland (SS-1)

Royal Navy commissions HMS Holland 1

Oct 5, 1901

Britain's Royal Navy ordered five Holland-class boats from Vickers, commissioning HMS Holland 1 in 1903 as its first submarine, marking the start of British undersea warfare capability.

Image source: HMS Holland 1

Germany launches U-boat U-1

Aug 4, 1906

The Imperial German Navy commissioned its first submarine, U-1, designed by Krupp based on Karp-class designs. This began Germany's U-boat program, which would become legendary during both World Wars.

Image source: SM U-1 (Austria-Hungary)

World Wars

Sinking of RMS Lusitania by German U-boat

May 7, 1915

German submarine U-20 torpedoed the British ocean liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people including 128 Americans. The attack inflamed public opinion in the United States and contributed to America's eventual entry into World War I.

Image source: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania

Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare

Feb 1, 1917

Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare against Allied and neutral shipping, hoping to starve Britain into submission. The campaign sank enormous tonnage but provoked the United States to declare war on Germany in April 1917.

Image source: Unrestricted submarine warfare

Convoy system defeats the U-boat threat

May 1917 - Nov 1918

The Allies introduced escorted convoy systems to protect merchant shipping from U-boats. The measure dramatically reduced losses and helped neutralize the German submarine campaign, contributing to Allied victory in World War I.

Image source: Convoys in World War I

Battle of the Atlantic begins

Sep 3, 1939 - May 8, 1945

The longest continuous military campaign of World War II pitted German U-boats against Allied convoys across the Atlantic. At its height, wolfpack tactics threatened to sever Britain's supply lines before improved radar, sonar, escort carriers, and codebreaking turned the tide.

Image source: Battle of the Atlantic

Sinking of HMS Royal Oak at Scapa Flow

Oct 14, 1939

German U-47, commanded by Günther Prien, penetrated the supposedly secure anchorage at Scapa Flow and sank the British battleship HMS Royal Oak, killing over 800 sailors. The audacious raid shocked Britain early in World War II.

Image source: HMS Royal Oak (08)

US Pacific Fleet submarine campaign against Japan

Dec 1941 - Aug 1945

American submarines waged a devastating campaign against Japanese merchant and naval shipping, sinking over half of Japan's merchant marine. Despite early torpedo problems, the campaign strangled Japan's economy and remains one of history's most effective blockades.

Attack on Pearl Harbor includes midget submarines

Dec 7, 1941

Japan deployed five Ko-hyoteki midget submarines alongside carrier aircraft in the attack on Pearl Harbor. All were lost or failed in their missions, but they represented Japan's growing investment in submarine warfare.

Image source: Attack on Pearl Harbor

Nuclear Age

USS Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, launches

Jan 21, 1954

The United States launched USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, developed under Admiral Hyman Rickover. Nuclear propulsion allowed submarines to remain submerged indefinitely, revolutionizing naval warfare.

Image source: USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

USS Nautilus reaches the North Pole

Aug 3, 1958

USS Nautilus completed Operation Sunshine, becoming the first vessel to reach the geographic North Pole while traveling submerged beneath the Arctic ice pack, demonstrating the global reach of nuclear submarines.

First launch of a Polaris missile from a submarine

Jul 20, 1960

USS George Washington successfully fired two Polaris ballistic missiles while submerged off Cape Canaveral, proving the concept of the sea-based leg of nuclear deterrence and creating the strategic triad.

Image source: UGM-27 Polaris

USS George Washington, first ballistic missile submarine, enters service

Nov 15, 1960

The United States commissioned USS George Washington, the first ballistic missile submarine, capable of launching nuclear missiles from hidden positions at sea. SSBNs became the most survivable component of nuclear deterrence.

Image source: USS George Washington (SSBN-598)

K-19 nuclear accident tests Soviet crews

Jul 4, 1961

The Soviet ballistic missile submarine K-19 suffered a coolant leak in its reactor while on patrol in the North Atlantic. Crew members improvised repairs at the cost of severe radiation exposure, averting a possible reactor meltdown.

Image source: Soviet submarine K-19

Loss of USS Thresher prompts SUBSAFE program

Apr 10, 1963

USS Thresher sank with all 129 aboard during deep-diving tests off Cape Cod, likely due to flooding and a loss of power. The disaster led the US Navy to create the rigorous SUBSAFE quality assurance program.

Image source: USS Thresher (SSN-593)

Modern Era

Bathyscaphe Trieste dives to Challenger Deep

Jan 23, 1960

Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh descended nearly 11 kilometers in the bathyscaphe Trieste to the bottom of the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep, the deepest point in Earth's oceans, a record unbroken until 2012.

Image source: Trieste (bathyscaphe)

Alvin deep-sea submersible begins operations

Jun 5, 1964

The research submersible DSV Alvin entered service, enabling decades of scientific exploration including the discovery of hydrothermal vents in 1977 and surveys of the Titanic wreck in 1986.

Image source: DSV Alvin

Sinking of INS Khukri in Indo-Pakistani War

Dec 9, 1971

Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor sank the Indian frigate INS Khukri during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, marking the first submarine kill since World War II and demonstrating the continued lethality of conventional submarines.

Image source: INS Khukri (F149)

Sinking of ARA General Belgrano

May 2, 1982

British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War, killing 323 sailors. It was the first sinking of a warship by a nuclear submarine in combat.

Image source: Sinking of ARA General Belgrano

Launch of Virginia-class attack submarines

Aug 1998

Construction began on the Virginia class, a new generation of American fast-attack submarines optimized for littoral operations, intelligence gathering, and special forces support, entering service in 2004 as successors to the Los Angeles class.

Image source: Virginia-class submarine

Sinking of ROKS Cheonan attributed to torpedo

Mar 26, 2010

The South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan sank near the maritime border with North Korea after an international investigation concluded it was struck by a North Korean torpedo, highlighting ongoing submarine tensions in East Asia.

Image source: Sinking of ROKS Cheonan

Deepsea Challenger solo dive to Mariana Trench

Mar 26, 2012

Filmmaker James Cameron piloted the Deepsea Challenger submersible on a solo descent to the Challenger Deep, becoming the first person to complete the dive alone and returning with footage and samples from the deepest ocean floor.

Image source: Deepsea Challenger

AUKUS pact to share nuclear submarine technology

Sep 15, 2021

Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced the AUKUS security partnership, which will provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, reshaping strategic balances in the Indo-Pacific region.

Image source: AUKUS

Key Facts

Cornelius Drebbel built one of the first navigable submarines around 1620, which was tested in the River Thames in England.
David Bushnell's 'Turtle' (1776) was the first submarine used in combat, attempting to attach explosives to British ships during the American Revolutionary War.
The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in 1864 during the American Civil War.
World War I saw submarines become major naval weapons, with German U-boats sinking thousands of Allied ships using torpedoes.
In 1954, the USS Nautilus became the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, allowing vessels to remain submerged for months at a time.

Source

This History of Submarines timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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