H.L. Hunley

Also known as: CSS H.L. Hunley, Fish Boat

submarine · Confederate States of America · Lost 1864

Status: located · Curator Verified

Research & Discovery: Dr. E. Lee Spence — Marine Archaeologist

Significance

The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship in combat, sending the USS Housatonic to the bottom of the sea on February 17, 1864. Designed and built by Horace Lawson Hunley in Mobile, Alabama, she measured 12 meters in length and was propelled by a hand-cranked propeller operated by her crew of eight. Her attack on the Housatonic was a milestone in naval warfare — she deployed a spar torpedo attached to a long pole at her bow. Though she completed her historic mission, she subsequently vanished with all hands, her fate a mystery for over a century. Dr. E. Lee Spence located the wreck in 1970 through exhaustive archival research and personal diving. The submarine was raised in 2000 and is now conserved at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Technical Details

Vessel Typesubmarine
Flag / NationConfederate States of America
BuilderHorace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, Baxter Watson
Built1863
Length12.1 m
Date LostFebruary 17, 1864
ConflictAmerican Civil War
Body of WaterAtlantic Ocean
RegionSouth Carolina, USA
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32.7213°, -79.7699°
Discovery Year1995
Discovered ByDr. E. Lee Spence (1970 initial discovery), NUMA team (1995 physical confirmation)

Sources & Citations

  1. [1] Spence, E. Lee. Treasures of the Confederate Coast. 1995.
  2. [2] Chaffin, Tom. The H.L. Hunley: The Secret Hope of the Confederacy. 2008.
  3. [3] Warren Lasch Conservation Center official records.

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