However, disaster struck just two weeks later, as the submarine sank during a test dive. In August 1863, following a demonstration in which it successfully attacked a non-military coal flatboat, Hunley was transported by rail to Charleston, South Carolina. A watertight hatch was fitted at each end, although their small size made entering (and escaping) quite difficult. The claustrophobic interior of the hull was just 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in) in height. Measuring almost 12 m (40 ft) in length, the submarine was designed for an eight-man crew seven to turn the hand-cranked propeller, and one to steer. In total, 21 Confederate crewmen died aboard Hunley, in comparison to just five Union soldiers which it killed during its first and only real mission (after having already sunk twice!) However, the ill-fated vessel claimed more of its own crew’s lives than the enemy’s. Potentially the unluckiest boat in history – or the most incompetently run, given the self-inflicted nature of each sinking - it holds a record for the most times for a submarine to sink.ĭesigned by Horace Lawson Hunley, it was built in 1863 - the third year of the American Civil War - and belonged to the Confederacy. When the crew was finally located, they were in their original sitting positions + showed no sign of struggle, and the submarine was in surprisingly intact – which posed many questions to researchers and scientists as to what truly happened that day.In a short career of less than seven months, the submarine H.L. While many would assume that the Hunley + her crew sank due to being too close to the released torpedo as it exploded, the reason behind the sinking remains a mystery. Barnum offered a reward of $100,000 to anyone who could find the Hunley so he could display it in his museum in New York City.ĥ️⃣ We still don’t know what caused the Hunley to sink. Here’s one for all The Greatest Showman fans out there: At one point, P.T. From that day on, he carried it with him as a good-luck token.Ĥ️⃣ The search for the Hunley turned into a circus. During the Battle of Shiloh, Dixon happened to have this coin in his pocket when he was shot – and the coin blocked the bullet from entering his body. George Dixon, by the lucky coin he carried. When archaeologists discovered the last group of sunken crew members, they were able to identify the submarine’s second commander, Lt. □ģ️⃣ The remains of one crew member were identified based on a coin. Clive Cussler + his crew are officially credited for discovering the Hunley on May 3, 1995. It became a huge debate as to who the first to truly discover the submarine was, as Spence did not bring anything to properly document or prove his findings that day. He says he was on a fishing trip + his line happened to snag on the wreckage. He claims, though, that he eventually discovered the submarine near Sullivan’s Island in 1970 while taking a break from the search. Lee Spence set out on a mission to find the Hunley for years, but was initially unsuccessful. □Ģ️⃣ The Hunley’s ultimate discovery may have happened long before 1995.ĭr. They would rise near the surface and use snorkel tubes to hand-pump fresh air inside. Since fires need oxygen to continuously burn, the crew knew they were running out of air when the candle’s flame started to go out. When the submarine was underwater, the only source of light they had was a candle. One of the most interesting (and chilling) facts about the Hunley is how the crew knew they needed to surface for fresh air. In honor of July being the month of the Hunley’s first launch, we did a little bit of our own (figurative) deep-sea exploring – and uncovered a few fascinating details about the famous submarine.ġ️⃣ The crew was traveling by candlelight. However, there are a lot of really interesting facts about the submarine that might be lesser known. Many of you may (or may not) have already known the gist of the Hunley’s historical relevance. While it still remains a mystery how the submarine sank, she was discovered in 1995, brought up to the surface in 2000, and today is on display in the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston. Unfortunately, the Hunley and her crew never resurfaced that day. Hunley – named after her developer + first commander, Horace Lawson Hunley – was the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel, and was based out of the Charleston Harbor.īuilt during the Civil War, the Confederate submarine successfully sank the Union’s ship, USS Housatonic, on February 17, 1864. Charleston is home to many historical “firsts”, and the first successful combat submarine is no exception.
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