A view of a mock-up of a Trident I C-4 missile, right, and its predecessor, the Poseidon C-3 missile. The Trident is used on the nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine. In the foreground is a model of the nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine USS ULYSSES S. GRANT (SSBN-631) showing a simulated launching of a Poseidon missile

Beginning in ancient times, humans sought to operate under the water. The legendary origins of the submarine stretch back to 332 BC with a tale about Alexander the Great being lowered into the sea in a glass barrel to study fish. The submarine concept was thereafter consigned to the backwaters of history for some 1,800 years. This collection presents various submarines: from small and simple to nuclear-powered underwater behemoths.