Didn’t the Hunley make history? The Hunley Monument commemorates the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel in combat. We are standing before a memorial to bravery. It is also a testament to the ingenuity and sacrifice of the Confederate crew.
The Hunley was named after Horace Lawson Hunley. He was the project’s financial backer. He helped design and build three submarines. One was the Pioneer. The others were the American Diver and the Hunley. The Pioneer was tested in the Mississippi River. The Union advance forced it to be scuttled.
The team moved to Mobile. There they developed the American Diver. They experimented with electric and steam power. They reverted to a hand-cranked system. This submarine sank in Mobile Bay. It was never recovered.
Construction then began on the Hunley. It measured forty feet long. Its hull was just over four feet high. It held a crew of eight. Seven worked the hand-cranked propeller. One served as the pilot. It had ballast tanks and two watertight hatches. It also had two conning towers. The Hunley was ready for demonstration in July 1863. It was shipped to Charleston by rail. It arrived on August 12th.
The submarine operated under the name CSS Hunley. It was never officially commissioned. Horace Hunley continued testing. The submarine sank three times. The first sinking occurred on August 29th. An accident caused it to sink. Five of the eight crew members died. The boat was raised. It went back into service. The second sinking was months later on October 15th. The Hunley went under during a mock attack. It never resurfaced. All hands were lost including Horace Hunley. The boat was raised again.
The Hunley received its armaments for its third cruise. Initially, a floating mine was planned. It was to be towed behind the submarine. As it neared an enemy ship the Hunley would dive. It would resurface on the other side. This put the ship between the explosive and the submarine. This plan was too dangerous. A spar torpedo was attached instead. It contained gunpowder. It was attached to the submarine’s bow. It used a twenty-two-foot pole. The torpedo would ram into a ship. It would detonate on impact or mechanically as the submarine pulled away.
On February 17, 1864, the Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic. The Housatonic was part of the Union blockade. Lieutenant George E. Dixon commanded the Hunley. The crew rammed the ship with the spar torpedo. The Housatonic sank in five minutes. The Hunley did not return to base.
The submarine was found in April 1995. It lay four miles offshore. It was in thirty feet of water. Divers identified it as the Hunley. The wreck was donated to South Carolina. The submarine was raised on August 8, 2000. It was taken to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.
Investigations revealed the boat’s own torpedo caused its sinking. There was no hull damage. The crew was at their stations. Researchers found the blast ruptured the crew’s lungs. This either killed them or incapacitated them.
The crew was identified. Relatives were found. On April 17, 2004, the crew was laid to rest. This was at the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.
Today the Hunley is on display. It is in a preserving tank at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. The exhibit includes a replica visitors can enter. The Hunley Monument stands as a reminder. It symbolizes innovation. It embodies the courage of those who dared to venture beneath the waves. They shaped naval history.