The H.L. Hunley was a Confederate submarine. It was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in American history. It was designed and built in Mobile, Alabama and named for it's chief financial backer, Horace L. Hunley.
The H.L. Hunley was less than 40 feet long and held up to nine crewmen. It was operated by a single screw running the complete center of the vessel which was turned by the crew members sitting on one side of the Sub. This turned the propeller. The commander controlled the steering and the depth.
In 1863, the Hunley was shipped, by rail, to Charleston, South Carolina. It was launched in July of that year on practice runs in attempts to attack blockading Union war ships. It sank twice and was raised both times with a loss of many crewmen including Horace L. Hunley himself. The second time that it was raised it was docked. But there were those that still had faith in the sub and begged for it to be used again. The Confederate Navy refused to assign a crew and asked for volunteers. Eight men volunteered and the Hunley was again in the water and ready for an attack.
After dark, on February 17, 1864, the Hunley submerged and sailed out into the open water. It's crew cranking the screw with only a single candle for light. The heat was unbearable inside the small, cramped submarine. With their clothing, no doubt, soaking wet, they cranked and cranked and approached the Union sloop, Housatonic. The torpedo that they were to use was filled with black powder, the only explosive of the day. It was mounted on a long shaft. There was no way at that time to launch the torpedo. So it needed to be rammed into it's target. The shaft was long enough so the Hunley should not be damaged in the explosion.
The torpedo was rammed into the Union ship and the devastation was enough to send the enemy vessel to the bottom. However, the Hunley was never seen again. It never made it back to the mainland. For the next 140 years, it has been considered lost at sea with all hands.
Many researchers since has thought that the Hunley was damaged in the attack and simply sank with the crew trying to escape without success. It's whereabouts had been unknown. But, as it turned out, the Hunley had sank in only 30-feet of water, four miles offshore.
In 1995, The Hunley was found. In 2000, the Hunley was raised completely intact and was sent to North Carolina's Warren Lasch Conservation Center which had been built for the Hunley. The remains of the eight crewmen were all found at their posts inside. Their remains were removed for burial and a funeral took place. It had been thought that the crewmen died from drowning or suffocation. But since they were all found at their stations, it was certain that none had tried to get to the hatches and try to escape. There was no indication that any of the men had moved. If they had, their remains would have been jumbled around together. But they weren't.
In 2017, researchers from Duke University speculated that the explosion from the torpedo used to sink the Housatonic very well could have caused a shock wave that ruptured blood vessels in the men's lungs. This could have caused them to die instantaneously or incapacitated them causing the Hunley to sink with the men unable to save it.
This blog is dedicated to the crewmen of the H.L. Hunley. Eight men who volunteered to do something never done before. Something that had already caused the deaths of many men. The Hunley had only sailed twice before and sank, both times. But these brave men were willing to chance it. Whether you agree or disagree with the Confederate part in the Civil War, these men were American soldiers. And as such, they should be honored for their part in American history.
The H.L. Hunley ~ THEN
The H.L. Hunley ~ NOW
