Many other attempts were made, the most successful being that of a Russian mechanic, who in 1855 built a diving-boat which was under such perfect control that he could remain submerged for eight hours. The boat which sank the Housatonic was a remarkable submarine vessel; it was about thirty-five feet long, built of boiler iron, and had a crew of nine men, of whom eight worked the propeller by hand, while the ninth steered and governed the boat. She could be submerged to any desired depth or could be propelled on the surface. After various mishaps she went out of Charleston harbor, attacked and sank the United States steamer Housatonic, then on blockade duty; as she never returned, it is supposed that the reflex action of the torpedo destroyed her.
In the report quoted above the results already attained in submarine navigation are thus summarized by Captain Maguire, U.S.A.:
1. Submarine boats have been built in which several persons have descended (with safety) for a great distance below the surface of the water.
2. Submarine boats have been propelled on and under the surface in all directions.
3. The problem of supplying the necessary amount of respirable air for a crew of several persons for a number of hours has been solved.
4. Steam, compressed air, and electricity have been used as the motive power.
5. The incandescent electric light has been used for illuminating the interior of submarine boats.
6. Seeing apparatus have been made by which the pilot, while under water, may scan the horizon in all directions.
7. A vessel has been in time of war destroyed by a submarine boat. The latter, it is true, was also sunk, but it was for reasons that are no longer in force.