List of pre-20th century submarines

This list of pre-20th century submarines includes those pioneering submarines constructed prior to the turn of the 20th century, which marks the point when the submarine became a viable weapon of war. This saw the advent of such vessels as the American USS Holland and the French Narval, which set the pattern for submarine design for much of the 20th century.

List

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Name Builder Launched lost or disposed Notes
Drebbel Cornelis Drebbel 1620 ? Propelled by oars.
Papin Denis Papin 1690 ?
Nikonov Yefim Nikonov (ru) 1720 ? Build for Peter the Great in Russia.
Turtle David Bushnell 1775 1777 First submarine vessel used in attempted combat.
Nautilus Robert Fulton 1797 1802 Built for the French Navy.
Villeroi Brutus de Villeroi August 1832 ? Demonstrated at Noirmoutier in France.
Schilder (ru) Karl Schilder (ru) 1834 ? Demonstrated to Tsar Nicholas I in Russia.
Hipopótamo (es) Jose Rodriguez Lavandera (es) 18 Sep 1837 ? Tested in Ecuador.
Brandtaucher Wilhelm Bauer 1850 1 Feb 1851 Sank during trials, model displayed in the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden.
Gern Ottomar Gern 1854 ? Fate unknown.
Ictineo I Narcís Monturiol 1859 January 1862 Destroyed in an accident, completed 50 dives before loss. Replica in Maritime Museum in Barcelona.
Salvage Brutus de Villeroi 1859 1862 Built at Philadelphia, it was the basis for the USS Alligator. Seized by police in 1862.
Garcibuzo (es) Cosme García Sáez 1860 ? Test dived at Alicante. Garcia was unable to find a buyer and the boat was scuttled.
Bayou St. John submarine Unknown 1861 1863 First submarine built for the Confederate States Navy of America. On display at the Capitol Park Museum - Baton Rouge.
Pioneer Horace Lawson Hunley Feb 1862 25 Apr 1862 Built for the Confederate States Navy. A replica is at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.
USS Alligator Neafie & Levy 1 May 1862 2 Apr 1863 First United States Navy of America submarine.
American Diver Horace Lawson Hunley Jan 1863 Feb 1863 Built for the Confederate States Navy, also known as Pioneer II. It sank in Mobile Bay.
Plongeur Siméon Bourgois 16 Apr 1863 2 Feb 1872 Built for the French Navy, converted to water tanker in 1873 and sold for scrap in 1937.
H. L. Hunley Horace Lawson Hunley Jul 1863 17 Feb 1864 Built for the Confederate States Navy, first combat submarine to sink a warship and then sank. Located at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston, South Carolina.
Intelligent Whale Price and Bushnell 1863 Sep 1872 On exhibit at the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey.
Ictíneo II Narcís Monturiol 20 May 1864 Dec 1867 Intended for the Spanish Navy, sold for scrap, replica on display at harbor of Barcelona.
Alexandrovski Ivan Alexandrovski (ru) 1865 ? Demonstrated to Tsar Alexander II in Russia.
Sub Marine Explorer Patterson and Kroehl 1865 1869 Abandoned on shore of the island of San Telmo in the Pearl Islands.
Flach Karl Flach (es) 1866 3 May 1866 Built for Chile, lost in the bay of Valparaiso.
Heyermann Gustavo Heyermann 1866 ? Built for Chile, sank on its maiden voyage.
Gryparis Gryparis 1875 1886 Possibly available to the Hellenic Navy.
Drzewiecki Stefan Drzewiecki 1877 ? Human powered, model in the National Maritime Museum in Gdansk.
Holland I John Philip Holland 22 May 1878 1878 Scuttled and raised in 1927, it is on display at the Paterson Museum in New Jersey.
Resurgam I George Garrett 1878 ? Fate unknown.
Drzewiecki Stefan Drzewiecki 1879 ? Converted from human powered to electric propulsion by Drzewiecki in 1884, it is on display in the Central Naval Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Resurgam II George Garrett 26 Nov 1879 25 Feb 1880 Sank in Liverpool Bay, replica on display near Woodside terminal of Mersey Ferry.
Toro Submarino Blume and Peruvian Navy 1879 16 Jan 1881 Scuttled to avoid capture.
Drzewiecki submarine series (ru) Stefan Drzewiecki 1881 1891 A class of 50 boats built for harbour defence and withdrawn from service in 1891.
Fenian Ram (Holland II) John Philip Holland 1881 1883 On display at the Paterson Museum in New Jersey.
Holland III John Philip Holland 1881 Nov 1883 Stolen and sunk in Hudson river.
Nordenfelt I Thorsten Nordenfelt 1885 1901 Sold to the Hellenic Navy and named Pireas, proved a failure and was scrapped in 1901.
Zalinski Boat (Holland IV) John Philip Holland Sep 1885 1886 Funded by Edmund Zalinski and sold in 1886.
Nautilus Ash and Campbell 1886 ? Became stuck in the mud during trials and was discontinued.
Porpoise James Franklin Waddington 1886 ? Never sold and broken up for scrap.
Abdül Hamid (Nordenfelt II) Barrow shipyard 6 Sep 1886 1910 Nordenfelt class, first submarine attempt to launch a live torpedo underwater and then sank, proved a failure and was scrapped.
Abdül Mecit (Nordenfelt III) Barrow shipyard 1886 1910 Nordenfelt class, proved a failure and was scrapped.
Vuteas Vuteas 1886 ? Possibly available to the Hellenic Navy.
Nordenfelt IV Thorsten Nordenfelt 1887 1887 Sold to the Russian government, proved a failure and was scrapped.
Gymnote Zédé & Krebs 24 Sep 1888 1908 A research submarine that completed over 2,000 dives and then was scrapped.
Peral Isaac Peral 1888 1890 Build for the Spanish Navy, On display at Cartagena Naval Museum.
Delfino Giacinto Pullino (it) 1890 1919 Built for the Italian Regia Marina, it was stricken in 1919.
Gustave Zédé Zédé & Romazzotti 1893 1911 One of the world's earliest effective naval submarines.
Vodobronnogo Stefan Drzewiecki 1893 ?
Argonaut Junior Simon Lake 1894 1895
Argonaut 1 & Argonaut 2 Simon Lake 1897 1901 The Argonaut 2 was an enlarged reconstruction of the Argonaut 1.
Plunger (Holland V) John Philip Holland 7 Aug 1897 1899 Scrapped in 1917.
USS Holland (SS-1) (Holland VI) John Philip Holland 1897 1910 Commissioned in 1900 and decommissioned in 1905.
Versuchs-U-Boot (de) Karl Leps 1897 1898 Scrapped in 1902
Morse Gaston Romazzotti 1899 1909 Stricken following an accident at sea.
Narval Maxime Laubeuf 1899 1920 First double hulled dual propulsion boat, archetype for most European submarine designs in 20th century.
Fulton Crescent shipyard 1901 1905 A prototype of the Plunger-class, also known as A-class. It was sold to Russia in 1905.
Protector Simon Lake 1901 1904 Sold to Russia in 1904.

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References

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