What was Leonardo da Vinci’s proposed underwater breathing apparatus designed to help a diver do?

Leonardo da Vinci’s proposed underwater breathing apparatus was designed to help a diver breathe underwater.

Leonardo’s notes include a diving system with a mask, breathing tubes, and a container intended to provide air below the surface. The concept belongs to his studies of military engineering and aquatic exploration. It was not a modern scuba set, and there is no evidence that Leonardo successfully tested it.

Some descriptions connect the apparatus with a possible plan for underwater sabotage near enemy ships. Leonardo’s notebooks contain many military proposals, but the intended historical operation is less certain than the basic purpose of the device.

The design is sometimes described as an early diving suit, although that phrase can suggest equipment more advanced than Leonardo actually drew. Its central idea was underwater respiration using air supplied through tubes. Later diving technology depended on pressure control, reliable valves, and compressed-air systems that were not available to Leonardo.