American Diver facts for kids

class="infobox " style="float: right; clear: right; width: 315px; border-spacing: 2px; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"

| colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5em;" |

|} The American Diver, also called the Pioneer II, was an early submarine built for the Confederate military. It was designed to be a secret weapon during the American Civil War. This submarine was the next step after an earlier design called the Pioneer.

The same team of inventors created the American Diver. This team included Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, and Baxter Watson. They first worked in New Orleans. However, they had to move their operations to Mobile, Alabama, when Union forces took over New Orleans in April 1862. Even though the American Diver didn't succeed in battle, it was very important. It helped the team learn and build their next submarine, the famous H. L. Hunley. The H. L. Hunley later became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in combat.

Building a Submarine

The American Diver was designed and built by the team in late 1862. Building a submarine was a big challenge back then. The inventors tried different ways to make the submarine move underwater. They first experimented with an electric engine. This didn't work well. Then, they tried a steam engine. This also failed to provide enough power.

After many attempts and a lot of money spent, they decided on a simpler method. They replaced the steam engine with a hand-crank. This meant the crew inside the submarine would have to turn a handle by hand to make the propeller spin.

First Missions and Sinking

By January 1863, the submarine was ready for testing. It needed four crew members to turn the hand-crank. One person would steer the submarine. The team found that the submarine was very slow. Despite this, they decided to try a mission in February 1863.

The plan was to tow the American Diver down Mobile Bay to Fort Morgan. From there, they hoped to attack the Union ships that were blocking the port of Mobile. However, the weather turned bad. Strong currents and rough waves at the mouth of Mobile Bay caused the submarine to sink. The crew managed to escape safely. Unfortunately, the submarine was never found or recovered.

History
C.S.A.
Name	American Diver
Builder	Horace L. Hunley
Laid down	1862
Launched	January 1863
Out of service	February 1863
Status	Lost
General characteristics
Length	36 ft (11 m)
Beam	3 ft (0.91 m)
Propulsion	Hand-cranked propeller
Complement	5 crew