tom wicker
Contributor
With the weather not being the most pleasant it dont hurt to plan a dive or should I say dream a dive. How many of you have ever heard of the American Diver? Im not talking about some live aboard venturing out to some Blue water Island or a new Dive Boat. Well I correct myself it is a Dive Boat just not the type were custom to. The American Diver is right here in our own backyard waiting to be found.
Three inventors moved to Mobile, Alabama, in 1862 and teamed up with Thomas Park and Thomas Lyons, owners of the Park & Lyons machine shop. They soon began development of a second submarine, American Diver. Their efforts were supported by the Confederate States Army; Lieutenant William Alexander of the 21st Alabama Volunteer Regiment was assigned to duty at Park & Lyons. The men experimented with electromagnetic and steam propulsion for the new submarine before falling back on a simpler hand-cranked propulsion system. American Diver was ready for harbor trials by January 1863, but proved to be too slow to be practical. One attempted attack on the Union blockade was made in February 1863, but was unsuccessful. American Diver sank in the mouth of Mobile Bay during a storm later the same month, and was not recovered. So says the History Books
Low Viz shark infested waters some may think I know I did at first. Curiously I kept reading up on the Sub because it was in an area Ive been trying to trace for some time not. I have been looking for the rout the Union land forces took from Fort when the headed for the upper Forts on the Bay. Anyways a friend of mine directed me to a collection of personal letters home from the Confederate boys Plus some Bar Pilots (Bingo)
There was trouble with the Dreamer out on the Bay and it was brought into none other than Navy Cove so says the letters. A couple of the Bar Pilots were involved with the project. In their letters home they tell of the Sub docked at Navy Cove a storm blew over and the waves flooded the Dreamer taking her to her resting place. Navy Cove was the first deepwater port inside the bar at Mobile Point where ships were unloaded to smaller vessels before the channel was dredged to Mobile.
Anyone ever given any thought to trying to locate the American Dreamer? It could be buried under several feet of sand or just maybe could be waiting there to be seen once again.
Three inventors moved to Mobile, Alabama, in 1862 and teamed up with Thomas Park and Thomas Lyons, owners of the Park & Lyons machine shop. They soon began development of a second submarine, American Diver. Their efforts were supported by the Confederate States Army; Lieutenant William Alexander of the 21st Alabama Volunteer Regiment was assigned to duty at Park & Lyons. The men experimented with electromagnetic and steam propulsion for the new submarine before falling back on a simpler hand-cranked propulsion system. American Diver was ready for harbor trials by January 1863, but proved to be too slow to be practical. One attempted attack on the Union blockade was made in February 1863, but was unsuccessful. American Diver sank in the mouth of Mobile Bay during a storm later the same month, and was not recovered. So says the History Books
Low Viz shark infested waters some may think I know I did at first. Curiously I kept reading up on the Sub because it was in an area Ive been trying to trace for some time not. I have been looking for the rout the Union land forces took from Fort when the headed for the upper Forts on the Bay. Anyways a friend of mine directed me to a collection of personal letters home from the Confederate boys Plus some Bar Pilots (Bingo)
There was trouble with the Dreamer out on the Bay and it was brought into none other than Navy Cove so says the letters. A couple of the Bar Pilots were involved with the project. In their letters home they tell of the Sub docked at Navy Cove a storm blew over and the waves flooded the Dreamer taking her to her resting place. Navy Cove was the first deepwater port inside the bar at Mobile Point where ships were unloaded to smaller vessels before the channel was dredged to Mobile.
Anyone ever given any thought to trying to locate the American Dreamer? It could be buried under several feet of sand or just maybe could be waiting there to be seen once again.
