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De Villeroi Documents
In the Spring of 1863, at the same time that the Alligator was lost at sea, its inventor Brutus de Villeroi wrote the French Government from his home in Philadelphia in the hopes of selling a new design for a 125-foot long submarine--much more ambitious than the U.S. built Alligator. At the time, de Villeroi had severed his ties with the U.S. Navy‘s contractor Thomas, feeling cheated and insulted. The following documents chronicle the exchange of letters from de Villeroi and the French government. [These documents may be reproduced for unlimited use, not including commercial resale, with proper credit given to Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France]
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Cover letter from de Villeroi to Napoleon III dated March 10, 1863 (1-page)
Brutus de Villeroi sent this cover letter to the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, to sell his proposal for a new and improved design for an oar-powered submarine. This cover letter accompanied the enclosure that described the new 125-foot long submarine. [See 'Design letter from de Villeroi to Napoleon III dated March 10, 1863,' for more information.]
Click on the letter icon to view a large image of this cover letter.
Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (116K) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Design letter from de Villeroi to Napoleon III dated March 10, 1863 (9-pages)
Attached to the cover letter addressed to the Emperor [see 'Cover letter from de Villeroi to Napoleon III dated March 10, 1863'], Brutus de Villeroi sent this description of his new design for a submarine--bigger and more ambitious than the U.S. built Alligator: a 125-foot long, by 8-foot wide oar-powered vessel. The description is short on engineering details and, instead, focuses more on how the ship could be deployed in battle and the crew composition. De Villeroi also described the advantages of submarine technology for military purposes.
Click on the letter icon to view nine large images of this letter.
Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (1.1MB) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Cover letter from de Villeroi to Napoleon III dated May 1, 1863 (2-pages)
On May 1, 1863, Brutus de Villeroi wrote to the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, in response to the Emperor’s request for a copy of de Villeroi’s submarine blueprints. In this letter, the author mentions his earlier attempt in July 1862 to offer the navigation system he had built for the United States to the French Navy. This cover letter accompanied the set of blueprints of his new 125-foot long submarine design.
Click on the letter icon to view two large images of this cover letter.
Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (192K)
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[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Letter from de Villeroi to the French Navy dated May 1, 1863
On May 1, 1863, Brutus de Villeroi wrote the French Minister of the Navy and mailed him copies of the United States Navy’s Alligator blueprints. The purpose of this letter and the blueprints were to show the French Navy his seriousness and credentials as a submarine inventor. This letter also described what de Villeroi deemed to be necessary capabilities for a successful submarine.
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Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (340K) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Alligator Blueprints from de Villeroi to the French Navy dated May 1, 1863
Joined to the cover letter sent to the French Navy on May 1, 1863, Brutus de Villeroi included the legend/key for the Alligator blueprints and the blueprints themselves.
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Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (560K) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Letter from Napoleon III to French Navy dated May 6, 1863
In this memo dated May 6, 1863, the Office of the Emperor charges the Minister of the French Navy to evaluate Brutus de Villeroi’s submarine proposal.
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Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (128K) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Commission Report to French Navy dated June 7, 1863
This document is the report from the June 7 -29, 1863, deliberation of the Commission appointed by the Emperor of France to evaluate Brutus de Villeroi’s invention. The Commission deemed de Villeroi’s proposal poorly researched and concluded that the submarine design proposal was not innovative. The Commission judged the proposal to lack engineering and design explanations. In addition, the Commission noted that while Brutus de Villeroi had referred to additional reports and articles written on his previous submarine designs, those documents were not included for review and evaluation. Finally, the Commission noted that since the French Navy was already waiting for the results from another submarine design, "Le Plongeur"; and, thusly, the Commission recommended rejecting Brutus de Villeroi’s design.
Click on the letter icon to view four large images of this letter.
Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (732K) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Commission Summary to French Navy dated June 9, 1863
This table dated June 9, 1863, is the summary conclusion of the French Navy Commission that evaluated and rejected Brutus de Villeroi’s design. The Commission’s words are unflattering: ?The description of his system shows plainly that he is far from having reached the goal he had set. His ship is completely unnavigable, the artillery could not work, and the saws would never have any useful purpose. The commission deems that de Villeroi’s project cannot sustain the kindest scrutiny and as a consequence NO follow-up action should be given to this submission. [English translation of French text provided by C. Marzin, NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program, February 2004]
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Click here to download this document as a PDF file. (360K) |
[The original letter is available at Service Historique de la Marine, Vincennes, France - SHM Vincennes, 5 DD1 60 3084] |
Letter from French Navy to de Villeroi dated June 1863
By this letter, the Minister of the French Navy notified Brutus de Villeroi of the rejection of his proposal by the Commission appointed to exam it. The letter informs de Villeroi that the French Navy would not be taking any further action to acquire his submarine invention.
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