Charleston is home to many historical “firsts”, and the first successful combat submarine is no exception. The H.L. 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.
Built during the Civil War, the Confederate submarine successfully sank the Union’s ship, USS Housatonic, on February 17, 1864. Unfortunately, the Hunley and her crew never resurfaced that day. 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.
Many of you may (or may not) have already known the gist of the Hunley’s historical relevance. However, there are a lot of really interesting facts about the submarine that might be lesser known.
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.
1️⃣ The crew was traveling by candlelight.
One of the most interesting (and chilling) facts about the Hunley is how the crew knew they needed to surface for fresh air. When the submarine was underwater, the only source of light they had was a candle. 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. They would rise near the surface and use snorkel tubes to hand-pump fresh air inside. 🕯
2️⃣ The Hunley’s ultimate discovery may have happened long before 1995.
Dr. E. Lee Spence set out on a mission to find the Hunley for years, but was initially unsuccessful. He claims, though, that he eventually discovered the submarine near Sullivan’s Island in 1970 while taking a break from the search. He says he was on a fishing trip + his line happened to snag on the wreckage. 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. Clive Cussler + his crew are officially credited for discovering the Hunley on May 3, 1995. 🎣
3️⃣ The remains of one crew member were identified based on a coin.
When archaeologists discovered the last group of sunken crew members, they were able to identify the submarine’s second commander, Lt. George Dixon, by the lucky coin he carried. 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. From that day on, he carried it with him as a good-luck token.
4️⃣ The search for the Hunley turned into a circus. Literally.
Here’s one for all The Greatest Showman fans out there: At one point, P.T. 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.
5️⃣ We still don’t know what caused the Hunley to sink.
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. 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. 🤔