Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel successfully tests the world's first navigable submarine in London's River Thames c. September, 1624 , although others report, he started showing it as early as 1620 and even demonstrated it to King James I.
The wooden craft covered in greased leather, reinforced with iron bands, using oars that passed through waterproof leather seals, could stay submerged for hours. The British Navy saw it as a novelty rather than a weapon but Drebbel's invention proved underwater navigation was possible and influenced future submarine development.
