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🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

American Merchant Offered Revolutionary Submarine to 1810 Buenos Aires Rebels

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • An American merchant, Samuel William Taber, offered a revolutionary submarine design to the First Junta of Government in Buenos Aires in 1810.
  • The submarine was intended to combat Spanish naval blockades of the port.
  • Taber, who had liberal ideas and inventive skills, offered to fund the construction of the wooden, turtle-shaped vessel.

In December 1810, Samuel William Taber, a 30-year-old American merchant, arrived in Buenos Aires from Cádiz with ambitions of expanding his fortune. However, the young man, inspired by the revolutionary fervor of the May Revolution, soon set aside his business interests to join the cause.

Beyond his mercantile pursuits, Taber possessed inventive talents. He brought with him plans for a groundbreaking project that could significantly aid the revolutionaries. At a time when Spanish ships based in Montevideo were disrupting Buenos Aires' river trade, Taber proposed the construction of a submersible machine to the First Junta of Government.

spirit cultivated, penetrating

· Ángel Justiniano CarranzaDescribing Samuel William Taber's character.

The proposed vessel was designed to sink enemy ships from beneath the waters of the Río de la Plata. While rudimentary submarine projects had been developed elsewhere, Taber's design was poised to be the first of its kind built in South America. Historian Ángel Justiniano Carranza documented Taber's "cultivated, penetrating spirit" and "precocious intelligence," qualities that impressed the Junta's authorities.

Cornelio Saavedra, the Junta's president, and board member Miguel de Azcuénaga reviewed the plans and approved the innovative project. Demonstrating his commitment, Taber offered to personally finance the materials and construction of his submarine. Although the original blueprints are lost, historical reconstructions suggest a wooden vessel shaped like a turtle's shell, potentially measuring eight to ten meters in length and capable of carrying multiple crew members.

intelligence precocious

· Ángel Justiniano CarranzaDescribing Samuel William Taber's intellect.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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