The submarine was invented in 1624 by a man named Cornelius van Drebbel. However, Leonardo da Vinci drew out the basic concept of a submarine over one hundred years before. Drebbel, a Dutch inventor and engineer employed by the British navy constructed a leather- covered rowboat from which oars protruded through watertight seals. Drubbel's ship could stay underwater for a few hours, but it only went about fifteen feet under the surface.