5 Experimental Warships That Changed Naval Warfare Forever

Since we are talking about Experminental Warships that CHANGED Naval Warfare forever, how could the author ever skip world's first submersible? I mean seriously, we are talking Naval History and changes the changed history right?

During my first enlistment, one of my duties was acting as a Tour Guide on Naval Submarine Base, New London (Groton), CT. On Saturday mornings I would board a bus full of people and take them all over the base, sometimes even on a tour of a sub, if we had one available. But we would always begin in the Sub Museum and that included the very first Submersible, no not a submarine by any means, The Turtle - aka American Turtle.

Turtle was basically a TANK made of wood - 10 feet long - 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. made of wood and reinforced with steel bands and covered with tar. Turtle was powered by hand-cranked propellers with ballast tanks and lead ballast as well. Turtle was designed to place explosives against the hull of British warships but never seemed to do so.

If you are going to talk about experimental ships - well this may not be a ship, you need to include American Turtle no matter what.

PO1 Tony Holland When I read this my first thought turns to Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd (7:00 minutes in the video). Like any military endeavor a test platform needs to be developed to prove a technology before spending lives, money and materiel on a new design. I agree with the author in that I hope that Zummwalt becomes a pioneer for new technology as opposed to just another money pit Cough F-35 Cough cough.

https://vimeo.com/182263712

Nice read. Thanks.