H. L. Hunley
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''H. L. Hunley'', often referred to as ''Hunley'', '' CSS H. L. Hunley'', or as ''CSS Hunley'', was a
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
of the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
that played a small part in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. ''Hunley'' demonstrated the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. She was the first combat submarine to sink a warship (), although ''Hunley'' was not completely submerged and, following her successful attack, was lost along with her crew before she could return to base. The Confederacy lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings of ''Hunley'' during her short career. She was named for her inventor,
Horace Lawson Hunley Horace Lawson Hunley (December 29, 1823 – October 15, 1863) was a Confederate States of America, Confederate Marine engineering, marine engineer during the American Civil War. He developed early hand-powered submarines, the most famous of which ...
, shortly after she was taken into government service under the control of the
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
at
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. ''Hunley'', nearly long, was built at
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
, and launched in July 1863. She was then shipped by rail on 12 August 1863, to Charleston. ''Hunley'' (then referred to as the "fish boat", the "fish torpedo boat", or the "porpoise") sank on 29 August 1863, during a test run, killing five members of her crew. She sank again on 15 October 1863, killing all eight of her second crew, including Horace Lawson Hunley himself, who was aboard at the time, even though he was not a member of the Confederate military. Both times ''Hunley'' was raised and returned to service. On 17 February 1864, ''Hunley'' attacked and sank the 1,240-
ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
HousatonicArchived copy
at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
(December 5, 2013).
screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...
sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
''Housatonic'', which had been on
Union blockade The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...
-duty in Charleston's outer harbor. ''Hunley'' did not survive the attack and also sank, taking with her all eight members of her third crew, and was lost. Finally located in 1995, ''Hunley'' was raised in 2000, and is on display in
North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is the third-largest city in the U.S. state, state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of No ...
, at the
Warren Lasch Conservation Center The Warren Lasch Conservation Center is a building located at 1250 Supply Street at the former Charleston Navy Yard, in North Charleston, South Carolina. Part of the Clemson Restoration Institute, the center is most notably being used to excavate ...
on the Cooper River. Examination in 2012 of recovered ''Hunley'' artifacts suggests that the submarine was as close as to her target, ''Housatonic'', when her deployed torpedo exploded, which caused the submarine's own loss.


Predecessors

Horace Lawson Hunley provided financing for James McClintock to design three submarines: in
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, built in Mobile, and ''Hunley''. While the United States Navy was constructing its first submarine , in late 1861, the Confederacy were doing so as well. Hunley, McClintock, and Baxter Watson first built ''Pioneer'', which was tested in February 1862, in the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
, and was later towed to
Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...
, for additional trials. But the Union advance towards New Orleans caused the men to abandon development and scuttle ''Pioneer'' the following month. The Bayou St. John Confederate submarine may have been constructed about this time. Hunley and McClintock moved to Mobile, to begin development of a second submarine, ''American Diver'' with the collaboration of two others. Their efforts were supported by the
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
.
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
William Alexander of the
21st Alabama Infantry Regiment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
was assigned to oversee the project. The builders experimented with electric and
steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
propulsion for the new submarine, before falling back on a simple hand-cranked propulsion system. ''American Diver'' was ready for harbor trials by January 1863, but she proved too slow to be practical. Nonetheless, it was decided to tow the submarine down the bay to
Fort Morgan Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States: *Fort Morgan (Alabama), a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay *Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community *Fort Morgan (Colorado), a frontier military post located in present-day Fo ...
and attempt an attack on the Union blockade. However, the submarine foundered in the heavy chop caused by foul weather and the currents at the mouth of
Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...
and sank. The crew escaped, but the boat was not recovered.


Construction and testing

Construction of ''Hunley'' began soon after the loss of ''American Diver''. At this stage, ''Hunley'' was variously referred to as the "fish boat", the "fish torpedo boat", or the "porpoise". Legend held that ''Hunley'' was made from a cast-off
steam boiler Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. ...
—perhaps because a cutaway drawing by William Alexander, who had seen her, showed a short and stubby machine. In fact, ''Hunley'' was designed and built for her role, and the sleek, modern-looking craft shown in R.G. Skerrett's 1902 drawing is an accurate representation. ''Hunley'' was designed for a crew of eight, seven to turn the hand-cranked ducted propeller, about , and one to steer and direct the boat. Each end was equipped with
ballast tank A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water, which is used as ballast to provide hydrostatic stability for a vessel, to reduce or control buoyancy, as in a submarine, to correct trim or list, ...
s that could be flooded by valves or pumped dry by hand pumps. Extra ballast was added through the use of iron weights bolted to the underside of the hull. In the event the submarine needed additional buoyancy to rise in an emergency, the iron weight could be removed by unscrewing the heads of the bolts from inside the vessel. ''Hunley'' was equipped with two watertight hatches, one forward and one aft, atop two short
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...
s equipped with small portholes and slender, triangular
cutwater In architecture, a starling (or sterling) is a defensive bulwark, usually built with pilings or bricks, surrounding the supports (or piers) of a bridge or similar construction. Starlings may be shaped to ease the flow of the water around the brid ...
s. The hatches, bigger than original estimates, measure about wide and nearly long), making entrance to and egress from the hull difficult. The height of the ship's hull was . By July 1863, ''Hunley'' was ready for a demonstration. Supervised by Confederate
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Franklin Buchanan Franklin Buchanan (September 17, 1800 – May 11, 1874) was an officer in the United States Navy who became the only full admiral in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. He also commanded the ironclad CSS ''Virginia''. Early lif ...
, ''Hunley'' successfully attacked a coal flatboat in Mobile Bay. Following this, the submarine was shipped by rail to Charleston, South Carolina, arriving on 12 August 1863. However, the Confederate military seized the submarine from her private builders and owners shortly after arriving, turning her over to the Confederate Army. ''Hunley'' would operate as a Confederate Army vessel from then on, although Horace Hunley and his partners would remain involved in her further testing and operation. While sometimes referred to as CSS ''Hunley'', she was never officially commissioned into service. Confederate Navy Lieutenant John A. Payne of CSS ''Chicora'' volunteered to be ''Hunley''s captain, and seven men from ''Chicora'' and CSS ''Palmetto State'' volunteered to operate her. On 29 August 1863, ''Hunley''s new crew was preparing to make a test dive, when Lieutenant Payne accidentally stepped on the lever controlling the sub's diving planes as she was running on the surface. This caused ''Hunley'' to dive with one of her hatches still open. Payne and two others escaped, but the other five crewmen drowned.
''H. L. Hunley'' crew lost 29 August 1863: *Michael Cane *Nicholas Davis *Frank Doyle *John Kelly *Absolum Williams The Confederate Army took control of ''Hunley'', with all orders coming directly from General
P. G. T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 - February 20, 1893) was a Confederate general officer of Louisiana Creole descent who started the American Civil War by leading the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is commonly ...
, with Lt.
George E. Dixon George Erasmus Dixon (1837? – February 17, 1864) was a first lieutenant in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War. He is best known as the commander of the Confederate submarine '' H.L. Hunley'' during her successful mission to sink ...
placed in charge. On 15 October 1863, ''Hunley'' failed to surface after a mock attack, killing all eight crewmen. Among these was Hunley himself, who had joined the crew for the exercise and possibly had taken over command from Dixon, for the attack maneuver. The Confederate Navy once more salvaged the submarine and returned her to service.
''H. L. Hunley'' Crew lost 15 October 1863: *Horace Hunley *Thomas S. Parks *Henry Beard. *R. Brookbanks *John Marshall *Charles McHugh *Joseph Patterson *Charles L. Sprague


Armament

''Hunley'' was originally intended to attack by using a floating
explosive charge An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
with a
contact fuse A contact fuze, impact fuze, percussion fuze or direct-action (D.A.) fuze (''UK'') is the fuze that is placed in the nose of a bomb or shell (projectile), shell so that it will detonate on contact with a hard surface. Many impacts are unpredictabl ...
(a
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
in 19th century terminology) which was towed at the end of a long rope. ''Hunley'' was to approach an enemy ship on the surface, then dive under her, and surface again once beyond her. The torpedo would be drawn against the targeted ship and explode. This plan was discarded as dangerous because of the possibility of the tow line fouling ''Hunley''s screw or drifting into the submarine herself. Instead, a
spar torpedo A spar torpedo is a weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole, or spar, and attached to a boat. The weapon is used by running the end of the spar into the enemy ship. Spar torpedoes were often equipped with a barbed spear at ...
—a copper cylinder containing of black powder—was attached to a -long wooden spar, as seen in illustrations made at this time. Mounted on ''Hunley''s bow, the spar was to be used when the submarine was or more below the surface. Previous spar torpedoes had been designed with a barbed point: the spar torpedo would be jammed in the target's side by ramming, and then detonated by a mechanical trigger attached to the submarine by a line, so that as she backed away from her target, the torpedo would set off. However, archaeologists working on ''Hunley'' discovered evidence, including a spool of copper wire and components of a battery, that it may actually have been electrically detonated. In the configuration used in the attack on ''Housatonic'', it appears ''Hunley''s torpedo had no barbs, and was designed to explode on contact as it was pushed against an enemy vessel at close range. After Horace Hunley's death, General Beauregard ordered that the submarine should no longer be used to attack underwater. An iron pipe was then attached to her bow, angled downwards so the explosive charge would be delivered sufficiently under water to make it effective. This was the same method developed for the earlier "
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
" surface attack craft used successfully against the USS ''New Ironsides''. ''The Confederate Veteran'' of 1902, printed a reminiscence authored by an engineer stationed at Battery Marshall who, with another engineer, made adjustments to the iron pipe mechanism before ''Hunley'' left on her last fatal mission on 17 February 1864. A drawing of the iron pipe spar, confirming her "David" type configuration, was published in early histories of submarine warfare.


Attack on ''Housatonic''

''Hunley'' made her only attack against an enemy target on the night of 17 February 1864. The target was USS ''Housatonic'', a wooden-hulled steam-powered sloop-of-war with 12 large
cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during ...
, which was stationed at the entrance to Charleston, about offshore. Desperate to break the
naval blockade A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...
of the city, Lieutenant George E. Dixon, and a crew of seven volunteers successfully attacked ''Housatonic'', ramming ''Hunley''s only spar torpedo against the enemy's
hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
. The torpedo was detonated, sending ''Housatonic'' to the bottom in five minutes, along with five of her crewmen. Years later, when the area around the wreck of ''Housatonic'' was surveyed, the sunken ''Hunley'' was found on the seaward side of the sloop, where no one had considered looking before. This later indicated that the ocean current was going out following the attack on ''Housatonic'', taking ''Hunley'' with her to where she was eventually found and later recovered.


Disappearance

After the attack, ''H.L. Hunley'' failed to return to her base. At one point there appeared to be evidence that ''Hunley'' survived as long as one hour following the attack, which occurred at about 20:45. The day after the attack, the commander of "Battery Marshall" reported that he had received "the signals" from the submarine indicating she was returning to her base. The report did not say what the signals were. A postwar correspondent wrote that "two blue lights" were the prearranged signals, and a lookout on ''Housatonic'' reported he saw a "blue light" on the water after his ship sank. "Blue light" in 1864 referred to a pyrotechnic signal in long use by the U.S. Navy. It has been falsely represented in published works as a blue lantern; the lantern eventually found on the recovered ''H. L. Hunley'' had a clear, not a blue, lens. Pyrotechnic "blue light" could be seen easily over the distance between Battery Marshall and the site of ''Hunley''s attack on ''Housatonic''. After signalling, Dixon's plan could have been to take his submarine underwater to make a return to Sullivan's Island, although he left no confirmed documentation of this plan. At one point the finders of ''Hunley'' suggested she was unintentionally rammed by USS ''Canandaigua'' when that
warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...
was going to rescue the crew of ''Housatonic'', but no such damage was found when she was raised from the bottom of the harbor. Instead, all evidence and analysis eventually pointed to the instantaneous death of ''Hunley''s entire crew at the moment of the spar torpedo's contact with the hull of ''Housatonic''. Upon removal of the silt inside the hull, the skeletons of the crewmembers were found seated at their stations, with no signs of skeletal trauma. In October 2008, scientists reported they had found that the crew of ''Hunley'' had not set her pump to remove water from the crew's compartment, and this might indicate she was not flooded until after they died. In January 2013, it was announced that conservator Paul Mardikian had found evidence of a copper sleeve at the end of ''Hunley''s spar. This finding indicated the torpedo had been attached directly to the
spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
, meaning the submarine may have been less than from ''Housatonic'' when the torpedo exploded. In 2018, researchers reported that the
keel block The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
s, which the crew could release from inside the vessel to allow the sub to surface quickly in an emergency, had never been released. The short distance between the torpedo and the vessel, in addition to the signs that the crew died instantaneously and without a struggle to survive, led a team of blast trauma specialists from Duke University to theorize that the ''Hunley''s crew was killed by the blast itself, which could have transmitted pressure waves inside the vessel without damaging its hull. Their research, which included scaled experiments with live black powder bombs, provided data indicating the crew was likely killed by the explosion of their own torpedo, which could have caused immediate pulmonary blast trauma. The Duke team's experiments and results were published August 2017 in the peer-reviewed journal ''PLoS One'' and eventually became the subject of the book ''In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine''. Although their conclusions have been disputed by archaeologists with the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), the NHCC website disputing the results of the scientific experiments contains several inconsistencies. For example, the website implies that the experiments are not valid because "a 1/8th inch plate at 1/6th scale is only 0.02 inches thick," but neither of these dimensions are relevant to either the original ''Hunley'' or the scale model used by Duke.


Recovery of wreckage

''Hunley''s discovery was described by Dr. William Dudley, Director of Naval History at the
Naval Historical Center The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...
as "probably the most important find of the century." The tiny sub and her contents have been valued at more than $40 million, making her discovery and subsequent
donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...
one of the most important and valuable contributions made to South Carolina. The discovery of ''Hunley'' has been claimed by two different individuals. Underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence, president,
Sea Research Society The Sea Research Society (SRS) is a non-profit organization promoting research and education in marine science and history. Founded in 1972 by underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence, SRS undertakes archival research and underwater expeditions ...
, reportedly discovered ''Hunley'' in 1970, and has a collection of evidence claiming to validate this, including a 1980 Civil Admiralty Case. The court took the position that the wreck was outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Marshals Office, and no determination of ownership was made. On 13 September 1976, the National Park Service submitted Sea Research Society's (Spence's) location for ''H. L. Hunley'' for inclusion on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Spence's location for ''Hunley'' became a matter of public record when ''H. L. Hunley''s placement on that list was officially approved on 29 December 1978. Spence's book ''Treasures of the Confederate Coast'', which had a chapter on his discovery of ''Hunley'' and included a map complete with an "X" showing the wreck's location, was published in January 1995. Diver Ralph Wilbanks located the wreck in April 1995, while leading a
NUMA Nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NUMA1'' gene. Interactions Nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 has been shown to interact with PIM1, Band 4.1, GPSM2 and EPB41L1 Band 4.1-like protein 1 is a pro ...
dive team originally organized by archaeologist Mark Newell, and funded by novelist
Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list ...
, who announced the find as a new discovery and first claimed that the location was in about of water over inshore of ''Housatonic'', but later admitted to a reporter that that was false. The wreck was actually away from and on the ''seaward'' side of ''Housatonic'' in of water. The submarine was buried under several feet of silt, which had both concealed and protected the vessel for more than a hundred years. The divers exposed the forward hatch and the ventilator box (the air box for the attachment of her twin snorkels) in order to identify her. The submarine was resting on her starboard side, at about a 45-degree angle, and was covered in a thick encrustation of
rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH ...
bonded with sand and seashell particles. Archaeologists exposed part of the ship's port side and uncovered the bow dive plane. More probing revealed an approximate length of , with all of the vessel preserved under the sediment. On 14 September 1995, at the official request of Senator Glenn F. McConnell, Chairman, South Carolina ''Hunley'' Commission, E. Lee Spence, with South Carolina Attorney General Charles M. Condon signing, donated ''Hunley'' to the State of South Carolina. Shortly thereafter, NUMA disclosed to government officials Wilbank's location for the wreck which, when finally made public in October 2000, matched Spence's 1970s plot of the wreck's location well within standard mapping tolerances. Spence avows that he discovered ''Hunley'' in 1970, revisiting and mapping the site in 1971 and again in 1979, and that after he published the location in his 1995 book he expected NUMA to independently verify the wreck as ''Hunley'', not to claim that NUMA had discovered her. NUMA was actually part of a
SCIAA The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, or SCIAA, was founded in 1963 as a research institute at University of South Carolina and as a State cultural resource management agency. In the latter capacity, SCIAA is part of the Ex ...
expedition directed by Dr.
Mark M. Newell Mark M. Newell, Ph.D. RPA is a British/American underwater and terrestrial archaeologist and anthropologist, the director of the Georgia Archaeological Institute. He received his doctorate from St. Andrews University, Scotland. Newell began divin ...
and not Cussler. Dr. Newell swore under oath that he used Spence's maps to direct the joint SCIAA/NUMA expedition and credited Spence with the original discovery. Dr. Newell credits his expedition only with the official verification of ''Hunley''. The ''in situ'' underwater archaeological investigation and excavation culminated with the raising of ''Hunley'' on 8 August 2000. A large team of professionals from the Naval Historical Center's
Underwater Archaeology Branch The Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) of the Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC) is a unit of the United States Department of the Navy. It was formally founded in 1996 as a consequence of the emerging need to manage, study, conserve, and cu ...
,
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, the
South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, or SCIAA, was founded in 1963 as a research institute at University of South Carolina and as a State cultural resource management agency. In the latter capacity, SCIAA is part of the E ...
, and various other individuals investigated the vessel, measuring and documenting her prior to removal. Once the on-site investigation was complete, harnesses were slipped underneath the sub and attached to a truss designed by
Oceaneering International Oceaneering International, Inc. is a subsea engineering and applied technology company based in Houston, Texas, U.S. that provides engineered services and hardware to customers who operate in marine, space, and other environments. Oceaneering's ...
. After the last harness had been secured, the crane from the recovery barge ''Karlissa B'' hoisted the submarine from the sea floor. She was raised from the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, just over from Sullivan's Island outside the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Despite having used a sextant and hand-held compass, thirty years earlier, to plot the wreck's location, Dr. Spence's accuracy turned out to be well within the length of the recovery barge, which was long. On 8 August 2000, at 08:37, the sub broke the surface for the first time in more than 136 years, greeted by a cheering crowd on shore and in surrounding watercraft, including author Clive Cussler. Once safely on her transporting barge, ''Hunley'' was shipped back to Charleston. The removal operation concluded when the submarine was secured inside the
Warren Lasch Conservation Center The Warren Lasch Conservation Center is a building located at 1250 Supply Street at the former Charleston Navy Yard, in North Charleston, South Carolina. Part of the Clemson Restoration Institute, the center is most notably being used to excavate ...
, at the former
Charleston Navy Yard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. H ...
in North Charleston, in a specially designed tank of fresh water to await conservation until she could eventually be exposed to air. The exploits of ''Hunley'' and her final recovery were the subject of an episode of the television series ''
The Sea Hunters ''The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks'' is a nonfiction work by adventure novelist Clive Cussler published in the United States in 1996. This work details the author's search for famous shipwrecks with his nonprofit organiz ...
'', called ''Hunley: First Kill''. This program was based on a section ("Part 6") in Clive Cussler's 1996 non-fiction book of the same name (which was accepted by the Board of Governors of the Maritime College of the State University of New York in lieu of his Ph.D. thesis). In 2001, Clive Cussler, filed a lawsuit against E. Lee Spence, for unfair competition, injurious falsehood, civil conspiracy, and defamation. Spence filed a countersuit against Cussler, in 2002, seeking damages, claiming that Cussler was engaging in unfair competition, tortious interference, and civil conspiracy by claiming Cussler had discovered the location of the wreck of ''Hunley'' in 1995, when she had already been discovered by Spence in 1970, and that such claims by Cussler were damaging to Spence's career, and had caused him damages in excess of $100,000. Spence's lawsuit was dismissed through summary judgment in 2007, on the legal theory that, under the Lanham Act, regardless of whether Cussler's claims were factual or not, Cussler had been making them for over three years before Spence brought his suit against Cussler, and thus the suit was not filed within the statute of limitations. Cussler dropped his suit a year later, after the judge agreed that Spence could introduce evidence in support of his discovery claims as a truth defense against Cussler's claims against him. ''Hunley'' may be viewed during tours at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, in Charleston. A replica is on display at
Battleship Memorial Park Battleship Memorial Park is a military history park and museum on the western shore of Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama. It has a collection of notable aircraft and museum ships including the and . USS ''Alabama'' and USS ''Drum'' are both Nationa ...
, Mobile, Alabama, alongside the and the .


Crew

The crew was composed of Lieutenant George E. Dixon (Commander) (of Alabama or Ohio), Frank Collins (of Virginia), Joseph F. Ridgaway (of Maryland), James A. Wicks (North Carolina native living in Florida), Arnold Becker (of Germany), Corporal Johan Frederik Carlsen (of Denmark), C. Lumpkin (probably of the British Isles), and Augustus Miller (probably a former member of the German Artillery). Apart from the commander of the submarine, Lieutenant George E. Dixon, the identities of the volunteer crewmen of ''Hunley'' had long remained a mystery.
Douglas Owsley Douglas W. Owsley, Ph.D. (born July 21, 1951) is an American anthropologist who is the current Head of Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). He is widely regarded as one of the most prominent and in ...
, a
physical anthropologist Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a scientific discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly from an e ...
working for the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
's
National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...
, examined the remains and determined that four of the men were American born, while the four others were of European birth, based on the chemical signatures left on the men's teeth and bones by the predominant components of their diet. Four of the men had eaten plenty of corn, an American diet, while the remainder ate mostly wheat and rye, a mainly European one. By examining Civil War records and conducting DNA testing with possible relatives, forensic genealogist Linda Abrams, was able to identify the remains of Dixon, and the three other Americans: Frank G. Collins of Fredericksburg, Va., Joseph Ridgaway, and James A. Wicks. Identifying the European crewmen has been more problematic, but was apparently solved in late 2004. The position of the remains indicated that the men died at their stations and were not trying to escape from the sinking submarine. On 17 April 2004, the remains of the crew were laid to rest at Magnolia Cemetery, in Charleston. Tens of thousands of people attended including some 6,000 reenactors and 4,000 civilians wearing period clothing. Color guards from all five branches of the U.S. armed forces—wearing modern uniforms—were also in the procession. Even though only two of the crew were from the Confederate States, all were buried with full Confederate honors, including being buried with the 2nd Confederate national flag, known as the
Stainless Banner The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...
. Another surprise occurred in 2002, when lead researcher Maria Jacobsen,Tayler, Jeffrey.
Secret Weapon of the Confederacy
''
National Geographic (magazine) ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'', July 2002. Accessed: December 22, 2014.
Secret Weapon of the Confederacy
''
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
'', September 15, 2011. Accessed: December 22, 2014.
examining the area close to Lieutenant Dixon, found a misshapen $20 gold piece, minted in 1860, with the inscription ''"Shiloh April 6, 1862 My life Preserver G. E. D."'' on a sanded-smooth area of the coin's reverse side, and a
forensic anthropologist Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification o ...
found a healed injury to Lt. Dixon's
hip bone The hip bone (os coxae, innominate bone, pelvic bone or coxal bone) is a large flat bone, constricted in the center and expanded above and below. In some vertebrates (including humans before puberty) it is composed of three parts: the Ilium (bone), ...
. The findings matched a legend, passed down in the family, that Dixon's sweetheart, Queenie Bennett, had given him the coin to protect him. However, the supposed relationship between Bennett and Dixon has not been supported by archaeological investigation of the legend. Dixon had the coin with him at the
Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...
, where he was wounded in the thigh on 6 April 1862. The bullet struck the coin in his pocket, saving his leg and possibly his life. He had the gold coin engraved and carried it as a lucky charm. A.J. Kronegh, of the Danish National Archive, has identified the J.F. Carlsen of ''Hunley''. Johan F. Carlsen, was born in
Ærøskøbing Ærøskøbing () is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix - købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restore ...
9 April 1841. The last year he is registered in the census of Ærøskøbing is 1860, where he is registered as "sailor". The teeth of his remains in ''Hunley'' still bear significant marks of a cobbler, which was the profession of his father. In 1861, J.F. Carlsen entered the freight ship ''Grethe'' of
Dragør Dragør () is the main town of Dragør Municipality, (Denmark), which includes the village of Store Magleby. The city hall and seat of the municipal council lies on Kirkevej 7 (postal code 2791 Dragør) in Store Magleby, which has enough space f ...
, which landed in Charleston, in February 1861, where J.F. Carlsen left (deserted) the ship. In June 1861, he entered ''Jefferson Davis'' (the Confederate privateer brig originally named ''Putnam'') as mate.


Tours

Visitors can obtain tickets for guided tours of the conservation laboratory that houses ''Hunley'', at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, on weekends. The actual ''Hunley'' is preserved and on display in a tank of water, while a replica can be entered by the public. The Center includes artifacts found inside ''Hunley'', exhibits about the submarine and a video. After a yearlong partial hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the H.L. Hunley viewing facility is reopening to the public with self-guided tours and a new multimedia video presentation showing the vessel’s story.


In popular culture

*''Hunley''s story was the subject of the first episode (entitled "The Hunley") of the TV series '' The Great Adventure''. It aired on 27 September 1963, on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
. The role of Lt. Dixon (misspelled in the credits as "Lt. Dickson") was played by
Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...
. *The original TNT Network made-for-cable movie ''
The Hunley ''The Hunley'' is a 1999 American historical drama television film written and directed by John Gray, from a story by Gray and John Fasano. The film stars Armand Assante, Donald Sutherland, Alex Jennings, Michael Dolan, and Christopher Baue ...
'' (1999) tells the story of ''H. L. Hunley''s final mission while on station in Charleston. It stars
Armand Assante Armand Anthony Assante Jr. (; born October 4, 1949) is an American actor. He played mobster John Gotti in the 1996 HBO television film '' Gotti'', Odysseus in the 1997 mini-series adaptation of Homer's ''The Odyssey'', Nietzsche in ''When Niet ...
, as Lt. Dixon, and
Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...
, as General Beauregard, Dixon's direct superior on the ''Hunley'' project. *''Hunley'' is the inspiration of the
Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the militar ...
, H. L. Hunley JROTC Award, presented to cadets on the basis of strong corps values, honor, courage, and commitment to their unit during the school year. *In the novel ''
The Stingray Shuffle ''The Stingray Shuffle'' is Tim Dorsey's fifth novel, published in 2003. It is the fifth novel to feature criminal Serge A. Storms, and also concludes the story arc, begun in the first novel, ''Florida Roadkill'', about Serge's pursuit of a brie ...
'' by
Tim Dorsey Tim Dorsey (born January 25, 1961) is an American novelist. He is known for a series starring Serge A. Storms, a mentally disturbed vigilante antihero who rampages across Florida enforcing his own moral code against a variety of low-life criminal ...
, a minor
drug cartel A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the ...
decides to emulate the larger cartels'
narco-submarine A narco-submarine (also called a drug sub or narco sub) is a type of custom ocean-going self-propelled typically semi-submersible (sometimes fully- submersible) vessel built for smugglers. Newer submarines are 'nearly-fully' submersible to be ...
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
trafficking by building a replica of ''Hunley'' using blueprints downloaded off the Internet. *The story of the Duke University experiments that concluded the ''Hunley'' crew died of pulmonary blast trauma became the subject of the non-fiction book ''In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine'' by Rachel Lance (2020).


See also

* – U. S. Navy submarine launched a year before ''Hunley'' * The ''American Turtle'' – built in 1775, the world's first submersible with a documented record of use in combat * French submarine ''Plongeur'' – launched a few months before ''Hunley'' * ''Peral'' Submarine – 1888 submarine from Spain, the first to be powered by electric batteries


References


Citations


Bibliography

* ''The H. L. Hunley: The Secret Hope of the Confederacy'' by Tom Chaffin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008), * ''The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice & Success in the Civil War'' by Mark Ragan (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995), * ''Ghosts from the Coast'', "The Man Who Found the Hunley" by Nancy Roberts, UNC Press, 2001, * ''Treasures of the Confederate Coast: the "real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations'' by
Dr. E. Lee Spence Edward Lee Spence (born November 1947) is a pioneer in underwater archaeology who studies shipwrecks and sunken treasure. He is also a published editor and author of non-fiction reference books; a magazine editor (''Diving World'', ''Atlantic C ...
, (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995), * ''Civil War Sub'' * ''The Voyage of the Hunley'', * ''Raising the Hunley'', * ''The CSS H. L. Hunley'', * ''The CSS Hunley'', * ''Shipwreck Encyclopedia of the Civil War: South Carolina & Georgia, 1861–1865'' by Edward Lee Spence (Sullivan's Island, S. C., Shipwreck Press, 1991
OCLC: 24420089
* ''Shipwrecks of South Carolina and Georgia: (includes Spence's List, 1520–1865)'' Sullivan's Island, S. C. (Sullivan's Island 29482, Sea Research Society, 1984) * ''Shipwrecks of the Civil War : Charleston, South Carolina, 1861–1865'' map by E. Lee Spence (Sullivan's Island, S. C., 1984) * *


External links

*
Friends of the ''Hunley''
– includes visiting information * *


The Hunley (TV movie)



''Hunley'' – Archaeological Interpretation and 3D Reconstruction
* *
H.L. Hunley article, Encyclopedia of Alabama

An Interview with Dr. Lee Spence – Discoverer of the Confederate Submarine HL Hunley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunley Submarines of the Confederate States Navy Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in February 1864 Archaeological sites in South Carolina Ships built in Mobile, Alabama North Charleston, South Carolina 1863 ships American Civil War museums in South Carolina Museum ships in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in North Charleston, South Carolina Warships lost in combat with all hands American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Hand-cranked submarines Submarine accidents Maritime incidents in August 1863 Maritime incidents in October 1863