USS Alligator Research

The US Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR) have joined forces to uncover the secrets of a technological marvel of the Civil War era akin to the USS Monitor and the CSS Hunley: the USS Alligator.
Launched in 1862, the Alligator was the US Navy's first submarine. While the vessel represented a significant leap forward in naval engineering, complete information about its design and fate has been elusive. NOAA and ONR have now released findings that help fill large gaps in the history of the all-but-forgotten Union submarine, including details about its inventor, innovative features and loss in April 1863.
Among recent discoveries are the only design drawings of the Alligator found to date. Drafted by French inventor Brutus de Villeroi, the drawings provide new details about the vessel's architecture and breakthrough technologies, including the first diver lockout chamber ever devised for a submarine as a weapons system.
Along with the design drawings, NOAA also found a number of original, hand-written letters exchanged by Villeroi and the French government. The letters document Villeroi's repeated but unsuccessful attempts to persuade the government of his native country to purchase his submarine design.