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H.L. Hunley
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H.L. Hunley was a prototype vessel that conducted the first successful attack on an enemy ship from underwater. It has become an icon in American military history. The story began with its secretive construction and infamous trial runs, which resulted in more cumulative loss of life to its crew than occurred during battle. Then, a spectacular success in sinking USS Housatonic, followed by its mysterious disappearance after the attack, ensured its place in Civil War folklore as well as history.
Various attempts at locating the craft make for an intriguing epilogue to the vessels active history. In 1995 a team from the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) discovered the wreck. In April 1996, the SRC worked on Hunley in response to a request from Dr. William Dudley, Director of the Naval Historical Center (NHC). The SRC led a site assessment by a joint federal and state underwater archeology team. This project confirmed the identification of the vessel as indeed Hunley; that it was substantially intact and that raising it was a feasible and recommended alternative for preservation. |
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| In the summer of 2000, the NHC requested the SRC to direct the archeological field operations for the Hunley recovery. Overall Project Director was Bob Neyland from NHC. The SRC provided key members of the recovery team including the Hunley project Field Director (Dave Conlin), the two Deputy Archeological Field Directors (Matt Russell and Claire Peachey) and Project Photographer (Brett Seymour). For more than five months the SRC staff, in conjunction with divers from NHC, South Carolinas Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) and Oceaneering International, worked to recover the Civil War icon. The private organization Friends of the Hunley coordinated fund-raising for the project. The H.L. Hunley was recovered on August 8, 2000 after 136 years in the waters off Charleston, South Carolina. |
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- April-August 2000 H.L. Hunley recovery off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Bob Neyland (NHC). SRC personnel were Dave Conlin, Field Director, and Deputy Field Directors Matthew A. Russell and Claire Peachey and photographer Brett Seymour.
- June-July 1999 USS Housatonic Assessment. Remote sensing survey, site excavations, detailed artifact anylysis and archeological investigation of Union steamed warship USS Housatonic. Dave Conlin, Field Director.
- April-May 1996 H.L. Hunley Assessment. Remote sensing survey, site documentation. Daniel Lenihan and Chris Amer, Principal Investigators; Larry Murphy, Field Director.
References:
- Murphy, Larry E., Editor, 1996, H. L. Hunley Site Assessment. Submerged Resources Center Professional Report No. 15. National Park Service, Santa Fe, NM.
- Oeland, Glenn, 2002, The H.L. Hunley: The Secret Weapon of the Confederacy in National Geographic, Vol. 200, No. 7 (July 2002).
- Lenihan, Daniel, 2002, Chapter 20 in Submerged: Adventures of Americas Most Elite Underwater Archeology Team. Newmarket Press, NY.
- Conlin, David L., 2001, Recovery of the Confederate Submarine H.L. Hunley in CRM Cultural Resource Management, Vol. 24, No. 3.
- Flanagan, Joseph, 2001, Raising the Hunley in Common Ground. NPS Center for Cultural Resources.
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Related Links
Friends of the Hunley
Naval Historical Center's Underwater Archaeology Branch
South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
National Geographic - "Raising the Hunley"
National Geographic Magazine - "H.L. Hunley: The Secret Weapon of the Confederacy"
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