page_title: French weapons in the American Civil War
section_title: Submarines
hierarchical_section_title: French weapons in the American Civil War / Submarines
caption_attribution_description: The Alligator was the first submarine purchased by the U.S. Navy. It contained two crude air purifiers, a chemical based system for producing oxygen and a bellows to force air through lime. Text &amp; photo courtesy of chinfo.navy.mil. http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08444.htm
context_page_description: French weapons in the American Civil War had a key role in the conflict and encompassed most of the sectors of weaponry of the American Civil War, from artillery to firearms, submarines and ironclad warships. The effect of French weapons was especially significant in field artillery and infantry. These weapons were either American productions based on French designs, or sometimes directly imported from France.
context_section_description: During the American Civil War, the Union-built and French-designed  submarine Alligator was the first U.S. Navy submarine and the first to feature compressed air (for air supply) and an air filtration system. Initially hand-powered by oars, it was converted after 6 months to a screw propeller powered by a hand crank. With a crew of 20, it was larger than Confederate submarines. Alligator was 47 feet (14.3 m) long and about 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter. The submarine was lost in a storm off Cape Hatteras on April 1, 1863 with no crew and under tow to its first combat deployment at Charleston.
caption: The 1862 Alligator, first submarine of the US Navy, was developed in conjunction with the French.
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