USS Alligator
Submarine · United States · Lost 1863 · The Outer Banks
The U.S. Navy's first submarine, lost in a storm off Cape Hatteras while under tow, has never been found.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Alligator was the Union Navy's first submarine, an experimental hand-propelled vessel designed by French engineer Brutus de Villeroi. After operations in Virginia waters and a demonstration for President Lincoln, she was ordered south to support operations against Charleston. Under tow by USS Sumpter, she was cut adrift in a gale off Cape Hatteras on 2 April 1863 and sank, unmanned. Her wreck has never been conclusively located despite modern search efforts.
Vessel
- 1862
- Neafie & Levy
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Iron
- 47 ft
- 4.7 ft
- Not established
- Hand-cranked propeller (originally hand-powered oars)
- United States Navy
Loss
- April 2, 1863
- Storm
- At sea off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
- Atlantic Ocean
- Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. → Port Royal, South Carolina
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
The wreck's location is not established; extensive NOAA and Navy search efforts have not confirmed a find.
Naval History and Heritage Command, National Museum of the U.S. Navy
Construction, design, service history, and loss circumstances.
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 'Hunt for the Alligator'
Search history and significance of the vessel.
