The USS Aligator

[leftyhunter]

Wiki has an article on the USS Aligator
a submersible craft based on a French design and built by an American firm in Philidelphia for the Union Navy.
Did the Wiki article leave out any major details?
Other then captured Captured vessels did the Union import any warships?
Thanks,
Leftyhunter

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

I'm not aware of any importation of foreign-built warships off the top of my head. (Indeed, shipyards in the Northern states were even building warships for the export market.) There was an offer to buy the "Laird Rams" to keep them from the Confederacy, but since that would have been as much a violation of Britain's neutrality as their being delivered to the South, the offer was not very seriously considered.

 

[Bruce Vail]

At the risk of appearing overly pedantic, the proper spelling is Alligator.

FYI -- The wreck is still missing:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/alligator/

Is anybody looking for it?

 

[redbob]

The craft was originally fitted with oars, but they were later replaced by a hand cranked propeller...row, row, row your submarine; gently down the stream...merrily, merrily, merrily ,merrily, life is but a dream. The fact that it had a airlock for a diver is pretty impressive though.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Is anybody looking for it?

...and off of Hatteras, with 8 billion other wrecks...she's lying on some Spanish ship with a WWII tanker on top of her...man - that will be a hunt...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA