Pioneer (submarine) facts for kids
The Confederate submarine Pioneer drawn by Ensign David M. Stauffer of the Mississippi Squadron, 1865
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Confederate States of America |
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| Name | Pioneer |
| Builder | Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, and Baxter Watson |
| Laid down | 1861 |
| Launched | 1862 |
| Fate |
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| General characteristics | |
The Pioneer was one of the first submarines ever built. It was created during the American Civil War by three men: Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, and Baxter Watson. They paid for it themselves.
Contents
Building a Secret Submarine
While the United States Navy was making its first submarine, the USS Alligator, the Confederates were also trying to build one. Hunley, McClintock, and Watson built the Pioneer in New Orleans, Louisiana.
They tested the Pioneer in February 1862 in the Mississippi River. Later, they moved it to Lake Pontchartrain for more tests.
The Pioneer's Short Life
In March 1862, the Union army started moving towards New Orleans. Because of this, the builders had to stop working on the Pioneer.
They decided to scuttle the submarine. To scuttle means to sink a ship on purpose to stop it from being captured. They sank the Pioneer in the New Basin Canal on April 25, 1862.
After this, the team moved to Mobile, Alabama. There, they built another submarine called the American Diver.
What Happened to the Pioneer?
Union troops found the Pioneer after it was scuttled. They raised it out of the water and looked at it.
Years later, in 1868, a newspaper in New Orleans reported that the Pioneer had been sold for scrap. This means it was taken apart for its materials.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
For many years, another old submarine, called the Bayou St. John submarine, was thought to be the Pioneer. This submarine is now at the Louisiana State Museum.
It's possible that both submarines were being tested around the same time. This might be why people got them mixed up. No one is completely sure which submarine was built first.
See the Pioneer Today
You can see a life-size model of the Pioneer submarine. It is on display at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville, Louisiana. You can even explore it!
See also
In Spanish: Pioneer (submarino) para niños
