The submarine approached the ship and detonated a torpedo just below the surface creating, a hole. 17, the sea calmed just enough for the crew to embark on their last mission at approximately 8:45 p.m., the submarine approached and sunk the Housatonic, according to the Hunley website. The vessel disappeared for several weeks before being discovered in the harbor channel with its nose buried in the mud all on board were lost.Īfter weeks of debate, the submarine was passed to Captain George Dixon and a volunteer crew who would spend the next two months preparing the vessel for another mission. 15, Hunley scheduled a demonstration where the ship would dive beneath the CSS Indian Chief and resurface. In this time, Hunley arrived and demanded control of the vessel. 29, 1863, the vessel sunk at the dock while preparing to launch its first attack.įive crew members were killed in the first sinking, and it took weeks to recover the submarine.

12, 1863, to assist with the blockade of the harbor on Aug. The Hunley was then sent to Charleston on Aug. The submarine dove under the vessel and released a torpedo that hit its mark, impressing several high-ranking officials, includingĪdmiral Franklin Buchanan, Mobile’s Naval Commandant, according to the Hunley website. The Hunley was launched in July 1863 for a demonstration in the Mobile River, sinking a coal-hauling barge anchored in the river. The ends of the submarine were equipped with water ballast tanks that could be flooded by valves or pumped dry by hand pumps many features of the submarine would become standard in later versions. The submarine was powered by a hand crank which took seven men to handle and an eighth man to steer the vessel. The submarine was built by Park and Lyons in Mobile, Alabama, and was constructed from rolled iron boilerplates with custom cast iron fittings. In 1863, Horace Lawson Hunley financially backed the construction of the Hunley for the Confederacy. Hunley sunk the USS Housatonic, a 16-gun, 1,240-ton sloop-of-war, while it was blockading the entrance to Charleston Harbor the Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship during wartime, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website. 17, 1864, the Confederate submarine, the H.L.

The second half of the exhibit focuses on the raising of the Hunley and its conservation since then, including a scaled section of the truss that lifted the vessel out of the water, a kiosk system to display the research behind discovering the crew’s identities, a lift simulation to bring the vessel out of water, and a large vitrine to house clay reproductions of the crew members.CHARLESTON, S.C.- On Feb. A custom-made crew bench behind a large crank invites them to sit and become the last Hunley crew, re-living the Final Mission through a 6 minute interactive animation. The exhibit graphics and materials contribute to the “look and feel” as the story of the Civil War and of the Hunley is told through timelines, memorabilia, and imagery.Īfter learning a little more about the sub, visitors are led into a dark theater room. When a visitor enters into the museum, they enter into pre-Civil War Charleston. Our goal was to tell the history and context surrounding the Hunley, as well as educate visitors on the ground-breaking conservation work that has been developed right on site! Collaborating closely with the Friends of the Hunley team, we designed, fabricated, and installed this educational and interactive exhibit space. Scientists and conservators have worked for fifteen years trying to solve the mystery of the Hunley. The Center is a large warehouse equipped with a special tank for the vessel and a conservation lab. Since then, the Hunley has been excavated and is in the process of being conserved in the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston. The sub was discovered in 1995 - and later raised in 2000. During the Civil War, the Hunley became the first ever combat submarine to sink an enemy ship! It mysteriously sunk and was lost 4 miles off the coast of Charleston.

Hunley submarine second sinking