[hometoroost]

"It has been around as long as the submarine itself"

No it hasn't. The first submarines were in use prior to the Civil War and were use before the advent of the diesel engine.

[Tallguy]

Don’t forget the hand-cranked ‘Turtle’ of the US Revolutionary War... She would have been successful if the inventor had known that the Brits were copper cladding the bottoms of their hulls.

[AFreeBird]

The first submarines were in use prior to the Civil War and were use before the advent of the diesel engine.

IIRC A human powered sub was used, unsuccessfully, in NY harbor against a British warship, during the Revolution.