The US submarine Alligator was lost 2 April 1863, while under tow to Charleston, South Carolina. Departing Newport News 1 April 1863, towed by the USS Sumter, she met her fate somewhere off the Virginia/North Carolina border the next day as the Sumter was forced to part the towing cable during a raging storm. The submarine was approximately 30'-46' long, constructed of iron with several portholes on her upper portion. The tiny submarine, manned by 16 men cramped inside, was powered by a hand crank that turned a propeller, and was supposedly capable of 7 knots. Should this tiny wreck be found, it would represent a very historical find and one of the first military (semi) submersibles.