Hunley

 I have been interested in the history of the Confederate submarine Hunley for years and have had a trip to Charleston, SC on the bucket list. The sub was eventually found in the Charleston, SC Harbor and raised. We finally had time to schedule a trip and made it to visit the Hunley and see first hand the conservation efforts underway.

The Hunley was a privately funded human powered submarine from the Civil War era and was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship. The ship sunk was a Union Man of  War. After the successful attack the submarine was lost outside the Charleston harbor and was not found until 1995. It was raised in 2000 at which point the preservation effort began.

This was a war grave for the crew of the Hunley and respect for their remains was a primary concern. The recovery effort for the sub rallied around "Bring our boys home".

The Museum and conservation area are open on weekends

The museum does a very good job of explaining how the Hunley was created, the various sinkings and losses of three crews, the eventual sinking of an enemy ship, what might have happened to cause the Hunley to sink for the third time, the search and eventual recovery, the conservation efforts and the details of the crew and their eventual burial. 

One of the first displays is a cross section of the Hunley that was used for a film about the sub. This took some historical license as it is about 10% bigger that the actual sub and was done to allow more room for filming the crew

The museum does a fine job of explaining all aspects of the Hunley

Models are found throughout the museum. It is noted that the design characteristics of the Hunley are still used in submarines today - rear propeller and rudder, conning tower, diving planes and cylindrical shape.

The first design attempt for a vessel needed to destroy ships that were blockading southern ports was the Pioneer. It never saw military action.

Design concept for the Hunley

The conning tower included small circular viewing ports

Seven men sat in a line and hand turned a crankshaft to drive the rear propeller. The captain observed events thru the conning tower view ports.

The crew sat against one side of the interior and operated the crankshaft. They gained access to the interior thru one of two hatches

Hunley as she appeared on the surface

The submarine sank with all occupants sitting in their assigned positions. They remained entombed in the submarine for over 130 years. Part of the conservation effort involved recovering the remains and providing a proper burial. 

This effort involved recreating the appearance of each of the crew members using forensic technologies 

This exhibit covered the opening up of the submarine and what all they found inside

This view shows the size and relationship of the crew to the drive crank

Maps highlight the details of the submarines attack

The white dot indicates the location of the actual sinking of the Hunley

Technology was used to create 3D digital models of the Hunley and its crew

The submarine currently resides in a vat of specially treated water intended to counteract the effects of decades of immersion in salt water and eliminate the corrosive effects of the salt

Quite the story about the coin and jewelry found on the Captain of the Hunley

This gold coin was in the hip pocket of Dixon when he was hit by a mini ball while on the Shiloh battlefield. The coin absorbed much of the impact and saved his life

Forensic recreations of the attack on the warship

A well done display of the size relationship between the sub and the Union Man of War. The need to damage ships blockading access to the harbor was the root cause for the attack

The submarine resides in a tank of preservation chemicals and allows viewing from above

The chemical bath is doing a good job of preserving the various iron components

A video presentation gives details of the conservation efforts

The video includes some great imagery of the aftermath of the battle

Quite the facility for the conservation effort

In case of emergency there are weights on the bottom of the sub that could be detached to allow the sub to rise quickly

Both were found attached when the sub was discovered

What's the Hunley?

The conservation effort documented the various layers of sediment that filled the vessel

A replica of the original sub, the Pioneer is located as you enter the museum

Prior to the discovery of the Hunley and subsequent raising the only known records of the ship were sketches by various artists

These sketches were the basis for a recreation of the Hunley that is now on display outside the Charleston Museum

This was the explosive charge in the spar torpedo

We explored the Magnolia Cemetery and searched for the burial sites of the three Hunley crews so we could pay our respects 

This is an amazing part of our American History and a significant step in the technology of submarine development. Not to be missed if you are in the area!