During the Revolutionary War, David Bushnell, a patriot of Westbrook, Connecticut, built a submarine torpedo vessel to attack the British ships that were blockading New York City. This submarine torpedo boat was called the "American Turtle."

The American Turtle was operated by a single person using a combination of both hand and foot power. A small vertically mounted propeller is turned by hand to maneuver the vessel up or down while a foot treadle attached to a stern rudder controlled the direction. Surface air is supplied through a standpipe mounted on the top of the hatch. The hatch also contained six portholes for viewing the surrounding water surface. Once the American Turtle was in position under its target, a woodscrew would be driven into the target's hull. Attached to the woodscrew was a halyard that was in turn attached to a torpedo.

The first attempted attack of the American Turtle was on the H.M.S. Eagle, a British warship anchored off Manhattan, New York. Unfortunately, the woodscrew could not be attached to the warship possibly because of the coppering of the target's hull (copper sheathing was attached to the wooden hulls to keep marine growth from occurring). On its second attempt the American Turtle lost its position due to a change of tide and an increase of water currents.

After more than 225 years another Westbrook native, FOSA member Roy Manstan, is assisting in the research and the building of a working replica of the American Turtle. This full scale replica is being constructed by students at the Old Saybrook High School under the direction of Fred Fres'e, the high school Technical Arts instructor. Mr. Fres'e has constructed several replicas that are on display at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex and at the Submarine Base Museum in Groton.

Roy Manstan is a mechanical engineer, recently retired from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and has already devoted three years to this project. Since no mechanical drawings of this craft exist, the main source for details of the mechanisms mounted internally in the American Turtle is through letters written several years after the event. David Bushnell was an engineer who graduated from Yale University in 1775 and Roy has actually studied from some of the textbooks that were utilized by engineering students attending Yale at that time.

Among the many assemblies that Roy researched and designed were the two propeller systems, one for the main propulsion of the vessel and the second to maneuver the vessel up or down. The term propeller had not yet been conceived and in the letters describing the propeller the word "oar" was used: "It had two oars of about 12 inches in length and 4 or 5 inches in width shaped like the arms of a windmill...."

As of this date the hull, made of white oak, has been completed. The hatch and oars have been cast of brass by a local foundry in Mystic. The machining process for the placement of portholes, standpipes and other fittings is well underway.

Roy Manstan developed his interest in history and archaeology at an early age. His grandfather Ty Manstan, an avocational archaeologist, would invite Roy to excavations at Native American sites in Westbrook and neighboring towns. Roy and his family are highly involved today with the Office of State Archaeology and he is a founding member of FOSA.

A footnote for all marine warfare historians: A second American Turtle was built during the War of 1812 by a Norwich patriot. With several British warships controlling Long Island Sound, the H.M.S. Ramilles blockaded the entrance of the Thames River in New London. American Turtle II made an attack on this vessel, but failed because of strong tidal currents.

Fair winds and calm seas to the new Turtle Project and all those involved.