Turtle vs. Eagle - the Mission - September 7th, 1776
September 7th, 1776
The bad news was actually good news in a way. The bad news was that the British had seized the Continental battery on Governor’s Island. The good news was that, having secured the position, the flagship HMS Eagle had come north the two miles from her station off New Jersey to anchor just west of the newly captured island. The Continental submarine Turtle now had a prime target, and it was that much closer!
Bushnell’s plan had been to attack on the 11th, in the confident darkness of the new Moon. With the uncertainty of the impending British invasion, moving the plan up four days had seemed prudent.
The Battery of Manhattan lay off the port bow, and Sergeant Ezra Lee’s turn to rest in the sternsheets of the cutter was almost over. For the past two hours, the boat’s crew had been riding the Hudson’s mighty ebb south while gently towing the Turtle down the river. Tethered twenty feet astern, David Bushnell rode inside the submarine using its rudder to keep the ungainly craft following properly astern of the rowers.
The boat crew rested their oars and Lee cautiously pulled the towline hand over hand to bring the Turtle gently alongside. As soon as the submarine tapped the hull, its hatch quickly opened, and with strain showing on his face, its inventor clambered out. Whilst able to imagine and create such an extraordinary machine, spending time in the confined space that was the reality of its interior was not easy for him.
Ezra lowered himself into the submarine. Peering to the southeast, even in the full darkness an hour before midnight, he could make out the loom of Governor’s Island just over 4 cables away. Sharp lookouts in the cutter’s crew had alerted him that the British had three sentry boats watching for any Continental foolishness. As he closed the hatch, could hear the excitement in Bushnell’s voice as he murmured a “Good luck!”
As he ran in place, working the treadle that turned the water screw, he pondered the lookout’s report. One patrol boat, or three really didn’t make a difference to the Turtle, Ezra told himself. He’d run on the surface as long as possible, and when it became necessary, use his vessel’s unique abilities.
Ezra was just estimating that he was about a cable from the middle sentry boat when he heard a distant shout, even through the copper wall of the hatch. They must have spotted him! He smiled as he thought how well sound traveled over and through the water. “Well, that’s it for running on the surface,” he thought as he opened the petcock to flood the ballast tank.
The bit of phosphorescence floating in the depth barometer showed he had brought the Turtle down to a depth of ten feet. The interior of the Turtle was filled with a high pitched, rhythmic sound which could only be the strokes of the men pulling the oars of the sentry cutter looking for him. The sound faded.
The ebb was beginning to fade. He was past the sentries. It was all going like clockwork. The thought made him ponder the clockwork in the cask riding on the outside of the submarine. Fifteen minutes after he drilled into the hull, its mechanism would activate the flintlock and if everything worked, the Continentals would achieve a major victory.
Ezra saw the dimly glowing compass card start to swing as an eddy threw the Turtle off course by a point to port.
Ten minutes in to the mission and less than a cable to go. It was hard work, but it was seeming like it was possible. Slack tide has begun and the next five minutes are the easiest to install the torpedo, if the Eagle can be reached...
Getting closer…
Another eddy throws the submarine’s bow to port. This close, correcting for that might be a challenge, and the dash across the East River cost a lot of exertion.
Slowing down allows for sharper maneuvering, but uses up the valuable slacktide. Two minutes remain before the flood starts.
The Turtle reaches the Eagle! With only four Exertion points remaining, Ezra decides to use two more to improve his chances on his first attempt to screw into the ship’s bottom. He meets with Success!
Using his last reserves, Ezra treadles away from the Eagle. The torpedo’s clock is ticking.
The flood has begun, and a half a knot of northerly current helps the Turtle move clear as Ezra rests.
Worn out but feeling successful, Ezra brings the submarine back to the surface to let in some fresh air.
*This was the “official” 20 turn end of the engagement, which I listed as a partial Continental victory, since I had stipulated that the Turtle had to be greater than C/D range from the Eagle at the conclusion for a full victory. Of course, I was curious if Ezra could elude the patrol boats, so I played an additional 6 turns.
No sooner was he on the surface, but the two most southerly sentry boats spotted him and started making toward the submarine. Amazingly, the lookouts from the Eagle, less than half a cable away, saw nothing! With two cutters bearing down on him, to Ezra it seemed like a good time to rest. Why close range and make their work easier. He let the Turtle drift.
The northern sentry was in on the act now. Still nothing from the flagship. Now that the first two patrols were getting close, it was time to really set them to scratching their heads about what they saw. Ezra opened the ballast petcock and let the submarine submerge.
Ezra smiled at the thought of the British crews searching desperately for something that was quite literally under their feet. It was a game of cat and mouse, but the Turtle was one slow mouse.
He was worn out and his shirt was soaked with sweat, but he was clear of the sentries. Now it was just a question of getting back to the Battery before the flood tide carried him up the East River. A thought occurred to him. “Nine minutes until the World is introduced to a new type of warfare!”
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Originally Posted by Bligh
Hahahaha I have to admit, I was disappointed when there was no big bang. :)
). He also has a part workday on Sunday writing about fans watching American football in London. There is a pub called "Passayunk Avenue" which serves Philadelphia cheese steaks and has football games on Sunday evenings. My wife has her shopping and touring day and my requirement was the day trip to the Naval Dockyard. 
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