---

NORTH ATTLEBORO - As new information surfaces on the U.S. Navy's first submarine - built during the Civil War, lost at sea and never recovered - local resident Chuck Veit is doing all he can to keep the public informed.

Veit, president of the Navy and Marine Living History Association, a non-profit group dedicated to promoting awareness of the country's nautical history, recently received a $4,999 grant to update and distribute posters of the submarine, which was constructed in 1862 and known as the Alligator.

"It's a big project that's been a lot of fun," Veit said of the research that is bringing information about the submarine to light.

"The Alligator was the first Civil War submarine," he said. "It had been forgotten until about four to five years ago, so it's not in any history books."

While the story of the Confederate submarine Hunley is well-known among Civil War buffs, the story of the Union's first submarine is just now coming to light. According to information compiled on the Navy and Marine Living History Association's Web site, the submarine was built by French inventor Brutus de Villeroi, who emigrated to the United States with a history of experiments with submersible boats.

He constructed the 47-foot, oar-propelled Alligator in 1862 to be the first submersible warship built for the U.S. Navy.

The submarine got its name from a journalist who watched the progress of the green boat in the water, and likened it to an alligator.

Veit, who said he has been a history buff all of his life, is using his graphic design skills to create a 3D graphic model of the submarine. Other researchers are working on making a remote-controlled model of the sub.

The submarine may have made history by being the first built for the United States, but it did not make history with its missions.

The craft's first mission was to destroy a bridge and clear obstructions on Virginia's Appomatox and James rivers, but the water was not deep enough for the submarine to completely submerge. Fears that the Confederates might capture the boat led to the plan being abandoned.

The submarine sank in 1863 while being towed to participate in the battle to capture Charleston, S.C.

"The submarine was lost in April 1863 off Cape Hatteras," Veit said. "Contrary to the designer's instructions, the sub was being towed behind a ship in very, very stormy weather.

"It started to sink, so they cut the line. The storm was so bad they were lucky to survive. The Alligator could have floated around before it sank, so we're not sure where it is."

While research into the location of the sunken submarine is ongoing, an educational effort to inform the public about the submarine has already been in the works for some time. A poster of the Alligator was produced with the assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Veit hands out the posters during naval reenactments to increase public knowledge about the sub.

However, the supply of posters has been nearly exhausted and needs to be updated with new information as research into the sub continues.

With grant money from the Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities, Veit said the poster will be redesigned and provided to interested people and organizations in the future.

Individuals interested in learning more about the Alligator can visit the Navy and Marine Living History Association's Web site at www.navyandmarine.org/alligator.

AMY DeMELIA can be reached at 508-236-0334 or at ademelia@thesunchronicle.com.