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Submarine built for the Confederate States Navy
![On display beside Bayou St. John, 1890s](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/ConfederateSubmarine_SpanishFort_Mugnier_blocks.jpg/300px-ConfederateSubmarine_SpanishFort_Mugnier_blocks.jpg) The submarine on display beside Bayou St. John, 1890s
|
History
|
CSA
|
Fate
| Scuttled, c. April 25, 1862
|
Status
| Museum ship
|
General characteristics
|
Type
| Submarine
|
Length
| 20 ft (6.1 m)
|
Beam
| 3 ft (0.91 m)
|
Height
| 6 ft (1.8 m)
|
Propulsion
| Hand-cranked propeller
|
Armament
| Spar torpedo
(presumed)
|
On display at the Louisiana State Museum, Baton Rouge, 2008
The
Bayou St. John Confederate Submarine
is an early military
submarine
built for use by the
Confederate States of America
during the
American Civil War
.
Description
[
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]
The submarine is constructed of riveted iron, 20 feet (6.1 m) long, 3 feet (0.91 m) wide and 6 feet (1.8 m) deep, with a hand-cranked propeller.
[1]
History
[
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]
No period documentation for the submarine is known to exist, and its original name and many details about it remain unknown. The submarine was rediscovered in 1878 during the
dredging
of
Bayou St. John
where it joins
Lake Pontchartrain
in
New Orleans
,
Louisiana
, where the submarine was presumably
scuttled
to prevent it falling into
Union
hands after the
capture of New Orleans
. It was put on display beside the Bayou at
Spanish Fort Amusement Park
as a curiosity, incorrectly identified as the Confederate submarine
Pioneer
.
[1]
[2]
The traditional identification as the
Pioneer
was not questioned seriously until historical research in the late 20th century showed the
Pioneer
to be of a different design than the one retrieved from Bayou St. John. The Bayou submarine and the
Pioneer
may have undergone trials at about the same time, and confusion of the two may date back to contemporary accounts; it is not clear which one was constructed first.
[2]
In 1908 the submarine was moved to the grounds of Camp Nicholls Confederate Home on Moss Street, beside Bayou St. John.
[1]
At some point probably in the 1930s the interior of the submarine was filled with
concrete
in an attempt at preservation that later generations of conservators found questionable.
[3]
In 1942 the submarine was acquired by the
Louisiana State Museum
and moved to
Jackson Square
. After being in various displays around the Square it was placed in the shelter of the arcade on the ground floor of
the Presbytere
in 1957, where remained until 1998.
[1]
The submarine was then transported to
Baton Rouge
, where the old concrete was removed as part of restoration efforts. Afterwards, it was placed on display at the
Capitol Park Museum - Baton Rouge
.
[1]
See also
[
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References
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External links
[
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]