Le Plongeur-Marin

submarine

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

The Le Plongeur-Marin was an early submarine built by German inventor Sebastian Wilhelm Valentin Bauer in 1850. This craft, meaning "The Marine Diver," was designed for underwater navigation. Bauer's submarine was constructed of iron and was 52 feet long. It was powered by a compressed-air engine, though this design quickly exhausted its air supply.123

In 1851, during a test dive in Kiel Harbour, the Le Plongeur-Marin sank to a depth of 50 feet. Bauer and his two crew members were trapped for over seven hours before successfully equalizing the internal and external pressure to escape. Despite this incident, Bauer went on to build another submarine, the Le Diable-Marin, for the Russian government.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Sebastian Wilhelm Valentin Bauer
…Bauer built his first submarine, Le Plongeur-Marin (“The Marine Diver”), which in February 1851 sank in 50 feet (15 m) of water during a test dive in Kiel Harbour, trapping Bauer and his two crewmen. Although Bauer realized the hatch could be opened when the pressure of the air inside…
Read More
…Bauer built his first submarine, Le Plongeur-Marin (“The Marine Diver”), which in February 1851 sank in 50 feet (15 m) of water during a test dive in Kiel Harbour, trapping Bauer and his two crewmen. Although Bauer realized the hatch could be opened when the pressure of the air inside…
Read More

submarine
American Civil War and after
…artillery who built two boats, Le Plongeur-Marin (1851) and Le Diable-Marin (1855). The first boat sank in Kiel harbour on Feb. 1, 1851, but Bauer and his two assistants escaped from a depth of 60 feet after the craft had been on the bottom for five hours. His second craft,…
Read More
…artillery who built two boats, Le Plongeur-Marin (1851) and Le Diable-Marin (1855). The first boat sank in Kiel harbour on Feb. 1, 1851, but Bauer and his two assistants escaped from a depth of 60 feet after the craft had been on the bottom for five hours. His second craft,…
Read More