UP PERISCOPE This month marks the 60th anniversary of the launch of the USS Nautilus from Groton, yet Connecticut’s submarine history goes back more than two centures. Although heralded as “an effort of genius” by Gen. George Washington, Westbrook inventor David Bushnell’s Turtle—the world’s first combat submarine—was unsuccessful in its attack on British ships during the Revolutionary War. Being a one-man vessel, the operator had to simultaneously power the craft (which involved pedaling a bikelike device to turn the propeller) and navigate while also attempting to attach mines to enemy ships. Despite all that, a number of Bushnell’s concepts are in use today, including water as ballast and screw propellers, while the state’s overall submarine-building industry has evolved dramatically. NAUTILUS FACTS: CARRIED 11 OFFICERS AND 105 ENLISTED MEN COULD REMAIN SUBMERGED FOR TWO WEEKS LENGTH: 319 FEET • TOP DEPTH: 700 FEET • TOP SPEED: 20 KNOTS IN SERVICE FROM 1954-1980 Key Dates in Connecticut Submarine History 1775: Westbrook inventor David Bushnell builds the Turtle, which would become the world’s first combat submarine when it was deployed against a British warship in New York harbor on Sept. 6, 1776. 1911: The Electric Boat Co., founded in 1899 by Isaac Rice in New Jersey, moves to Groton. June 14, 1952: The keel of the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, is laid by President Harry S. Truman at the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton. January 21, 1954: With First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christening the bow, the Nautilus is officially launched in Groton. August 1958: The Nautilus is the first ship in history to pass under the North Pole. 1995: The first Seawolf-class submarine is launched. By the Numbers 85: Submarines produced by Electric Boat during World War I. 74: Submarines produced by Electric Boat during World War II. 3: Seawolf-Class submarines produced by Electric Boat between 1995 and 2004.