Submarine a highlight of Civil War Days
A replica of the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to engage and
sink a warship, will be on display at Civil War Days from Sept. 26
to 28.
In February 1864, just outside of Charleston Harbor off the
coast of South Carolina, the Confederate submersible Hunley spotted
the 207-foot USS Housatonic blockading the port and stealthily
approached the vessel in an attempt to sink it, according to the
Web site www.sonofthesouth.net.
Submarine a highlight of Civil War Days
A replica of the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, will be on display at Civil War Days from Sept. 26 to 28.
In February 1864, just outside of Charleston Harbor off the coast of South Carolina, the Confederate submersible Hunley spotted the 207-foot USS Housatonic blockading the port and stealthily approached the vessel in an attempt to sink it, according to the Web site www.sonofthesouth.net.
The Union ship’s officer spotted the Hunley, which was propelled by a hand-crank, and tried to maneuver out of the way; but it was too late. The Hunley, using a device that looked like a harpoon with a torpedo on the end of it, rammed the Housatonic’s hull, backed off, and triggered the torpedo. The Housatonic sunk within five minutes, losing five crew members.
Various reports indicate that the Hunley shone a blue lamp toward shore to signify a successful mission. Confederate lookouts lit a bonfire to guide the sub back to shore, but it disappeared and wasn’t seen again for more than a century.
“There is still some mystery about how and why it went down,” said Hollister’s Teresa Thompson, a member of The National Civil War Association. “A team will be on hand (at Civil War Days) to explain the Hunley’s story and open up the replica to let people look inside.”
According to the Web site www.hunley.org, showman P.T. Barnum once offered a reward of $100,000 to anyone who could find the sunken vessel, but it wasn’t until 1995 that members of National Underwater and Marine Agency found the sunken Hunley covered in silt in nearly 30 feet of water.
The Hunley now rests in specially-designed water tank at the former Charleston Naval Base. A multi-year, $20 million excavation project continues on the sub, which is believed to contain human remains and numerous artifacts.
