A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....07-07-04....The South's Secret Weapon

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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~ Billie, Mama_bear, dutchess, Aquamarine~

One of the highlights of our recent trip to South Carolina was our tour of Charleston. Charleston was where the first shot of the Civil War was fired and it was here that, in 1864, an epic naval adventure took place and a new chapter in the history of naval warfare was written.

It was on this visit to Charleston that I learned the story of the Hunley submarine, the part it played in naval history and of the recent burial, on April 17th 2004, of the Hunley's final crew.

This tribute is in honor of the brave pioneers
that manned the first successful combat
submarine, the CSS Hunley.....

From the National Geographic Website.....

"It was a hungry time in Charleston, South Carolina, those early months of 1864. Bombarded by land and blockaded by sea, the city that cheered the opening shots of the American Civil War remained proudly defiant, but its Rebel defenders were looking mighty pinched. Salt pork, corn, boots, blankets, lead for musket balls, and most everything else the army needed was in critically short supply. The Union Navy's chokehold on the city's harbor would have to be broken soon, and the best hope for doing that lay with a strange and secret new weapon—a "diving torpedo-boat" christened the H. L. Hunley.

Shortly after sunset on the night of February 17, at a dock on nearby Sullivans Island, eight audacious Confederates squeezed inside the claustrophobic iron vessel and set out on a quixotic mission. Affixed to the boat's bow was a spar tipped with a deadly charge of black powder. At the helm was Lt. George Dixon, a bold-hearted, battle-scarred army officer. Behind him, wedged shoulder to shoulder on a wooden bench, sat seven crewmen whose muscles powered the sub's hand-cranked propeller. As the crew began turning the heavy iron crankshaft, Dixon consulted a compass and set course for a daunting target—the steam sloop U.S.S. Housatonic, stationed four miles (six kilometers) offshore. The Rebels' plan was to run about six feet (two meters) below the surface until they neared the blockader. But in order for Dixon to take final aim, he would have to resurface just enough to peer through the sub's tiny forward viewport.

At 8:45 p.m. John Crosby, acting master aboard the Housatonic, spotted something off the starboard beam that looked at first like a "porpoise, coming to the surface to blow." There had been warnings of a possible attack by a Confederate "infernal machine," and Crosby was swift to sound the alarm. Sailors rushed to quarters and let loose a barrage of small arms fire at the alien object barely breaking the surface, but the attacker was unstoppable.

Two minutes later the Hunley rammed her spar into the Housatonic's starboard side, well below the waterline. As the sub backed away, a trigger cord detonated the torpedo, blowing off the entire aft quarter of the ship. It was an epic moment."....Glenn Oeland

From the Friends of the Hunley Website.....

The explosion caused the USS Housatonic to burn for three minutes before sending the sloop-of-war collapsing to the bottom killing five sailors.

The Hunley then surfaced long enough for her crew to signal their comrades on the shore of Sullivan's Island with a blue magnesium light, indicating a successful mission. The shore crew stoked their signal fires and anxiously awaited the Hunley's safe return. But minutes after her historic achievement, the Hunley and all hands onboard vanished into the sea without a trace.

That night history was made. At the same moment, a mystery was born. The Hunley became the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship. But what caused her to sink to the bottom of the sea?

The world would have to wait until the tools of modern technology could begin to unlock the secrets of the Hunley. In 1995, author and adventurer Clive Cussler found the Hunley resting on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Intact and remarkably well preserved, the Hunley was found buried deep within the sand and silt just outside of Charleston Harbor.

The recovery of the Hunley has turned out to be one of the most important single events in the history of South Carolina. After being lost at sea for 137 years, the Hunley was revealed on August 8, 2000, seen for the first time in her entirety, from bow to stern and top to bottom. It was indeed a remarkable moment in history.

South Carolina ETV provided live coverage
of the raising of the Hunley.
Click THIS LINK to view the event.

Gone to Glory

Called the “murdering machine” by some Confederate sailors, the Hunley inflicted more casualties on the South than on the North. Two crews, including this one captained by Horace Hunley and laid to rest near Charleston, died in accidents that occurred months before the sub’s final sinking. Yet to Lt. George Dixon, who captained the sub on her last mission, death was not too high a price to pay.

“Charleston and its defenders will occupy the most conspicuous place in the history of the war,” Dixon wrote a few weeks before he died at the Hunley’s helm, “and it shall be as much glory as I shall wish if I can inscribe myself as one of its defenders.”

Hunley Crew Burial
Lieutenant George E. Dixon
Arnold Becker
Corporal J. F. Carlsen
Frank Collins
Lumpkin
Miller
James A. Wicks
Joseph Ridgaway


April 17th, 2004

The morning was warm, and the waters off Charleston Harbor were unusually calm. It was perhaps the same sort of sea Hunley commander Lt. Dixon was waiting for in 1864 when he and his crew launched the experimental vessel that began the age of modern day submarines.

But this day would not mark the beginning of the Hunley crew's mission, but rather the completion of their century long journey to a final burial. On April 17th, 2004, the submarine pioneers that manned the first successful combat submarine were buried.

The ceremony began at 9.15 am with a memorial service at White Points Garden. Immediately after the ceremony, horse drawn caissons followed by a 19th century period dressed procession led the crew to the their final resting place. The procession marched 4.5-miles through downtown Charleston, and ended at Magnolia Cemetery. The Hunley's eight-man crew was then laid to rest next to others who lost their life on Hunley test missions.

When the Hunley was finally located in 1995, one of the main goals of the Hunley Commission and Friends of the Hunley was to bring these maritime pioneers home and lay them to rest with honor. The Hunley crew's burial required nearly a year of planning and volunteers gave thousands of hours of their time to ensure the crew's interment was a memorable and dignified event. Additionally, the Friends of Hunley research team was able to locate descendants of 3 of the crewmembers, and they participated in the burial of their ancestors.

State Senator Glenn F. McConnell, Chairman of the Hunley Commission said, in an open letter to all the funeral participants, "The funeral procession was magnificent and you all displayed the dignity that these brave heroes so richly deserved. I was so proud! Even the media remarked on the dignified and reverent manner with which all the ceremonies were completed. While it was both a celebratory and solemn occasion, everyone remembered that it was a funeral for maritime history makers and conducted themselves accordingly. This was indeed a fitting tribute. While the funeral may be over, memories will last forever as will my gratitude to all of you.

This was a day of unity for the Blue and the Gray; the North, South, East and West; all nationalities; and all faiths. It is my fervent hope that this bond will continue to grow and that we will all remain united in our efforts to preserve history."



A Time Capsule
The Hunley is now in the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. The conservation process has taken several years, but the excavation and analysis of the H.L. Hunley continues to provide many clues for archaeologists, conservators, anthropologists, and historians as they seek to understand the events that led to the loss of the H.L. Hunley and her crew, events that also led to the dawn of the modern era in submarine technology.

Reservations are required for the 20-minute tour where visitors can view the vessel, which rests at the Conservation Center in a tank of 50 degree fresh water, and hear a brief program on the submarine's history and historical significance.

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 07-02-04 thru 07-05-04... 4th of July Celebration 07-06-04...Military Monday on Tuesday

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[Mama_Bear]

[Mama_Bear]

If you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Finest ping list, freepmail me.

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Wednesday !

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Mama.

[dixie sass]

I do so Pledge!!!!!

[dixie sass]

Absolutely wonderful thread and layout! Not that I'm predjudiced or anything, lol, well, okay, I'll admit it. I am place proud. Being a Charlestonian is the next best thing to heaven and if you are a history buff, this is the place to be.

Thank you Mama Bear.

[dixie sass]

Morning Meekie!

[dixie sass]

Hi ya, Flyboy. Got the fancy wings on today I see.

[Aeronaut]

G'morning Dixie.

[dixie sass]

SC Ping

Click Here if you want to be added to or removed from this list.

[dixie sass]

Oh my gosh, I just noticed it's daylight. I guess that I'd better go to bed for a while.

[Texagirl4W]

What a beautiful story, MB. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. I'll be back later.

[WVNan]

Lovely story to begin the day MB. I had to chuckle affectionately though. What kind of idiots were the first to go under the sea in a boat and expect to survive? It had to be those Southern boys. I can just hear them now, "Hey ya'll watch this!"

[The Mayor]

July 7, 2004

Make A Difference

Read: Luke 3:1-20

While Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. —Luke 3:2

Bible In One Year: Job 34-35; Acts 15:1-21

---

Seven men are mentioned in Luke 3, who had political, economic, and religious control over Israel: Roman Emperor Tiberias Caesar, Governor Pontius Pilate, the tetrarchs Herod, Philip, and Lysanias, along with high priests Annas and Caiaphas. While they were in power,“The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”(vv.2-3).

What possible difference could it make for a person with no money and power to respond to God’s word when it seemed that others were so firmly in control? How could the actions of one insignificant person change anything? The answer is revealed in John the Baptist’s message of repentance, his announcement of the coming Messiah (vv.16-17), and his bold confronting of Herod (v.19). John’s role was to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah, and the world was blessed by his obedience.

Today our task as Christians is to reflect the crucified and risen Savior in everything we do, and to tell others about Him. God calls each of us to live according to His instructions in the Bible. And our response will make all the difference in the world. —David McCasland

The laws of God are true and right;
They stand as firm today
As when He put them in His Word
And told us to obey. —Fasick

Obedience to God is the key to a lasting influence.

[Pippin]

HEY EVERYBODY!

How was your Independance Day holiday!?

I had a great weekend!

I went with my sister and her husband and daughter to East Tennessee for my cousin's annual 4th of July cookout. I got to meet his first two grandsons for the first time. I didn't get to see him though because he was delivering a car to the West Coast.

But we visited with his wife and sons and his wife's family from (guess where?)

INDIANA!

I was disappointed in one thing, though, here I was boasting about the area I was in being very conservative Republican and all that. and I was really looking forward to "escaping" liberals and Bush haters for a while>

Only to run into them in Knoxville of all places!

I think I'll never get away from DEMOCRATS!

Oh! Well!

I still wore my Bush pin and everyone better beware 'cause this is WAR! LOL!

But to leave off with the whining like a liberal

I wanna tell you that it was a wonderful trip as we drove from Baltimore to Jonesborough (took us about 11 hours)

My back suffered from the long drive, but it was worth it!

All the time I was thinking what a beautiful country we live in and what a pity that not enough folks take time out to see it and drink in the magnificants and the splender of God's creating beauty.

The mountiand and the farmlands and the over all peacefulness of the place makes you relax and wonder why you are so worried and tense about anything.

I beleave God resides in those mountians and the countryside of Virginia, West Virginia, Southwestern Maryland and East Tennessee!

And the folks in Greeneville and Knoxville as well as Johnson City in Tennessee as well as those we met in Virginia are just about the most hospitable and wonderful folks you ever hope to meet. Kinda made going back to Baltimore such a downer!

I really enjoyed it there!

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin' ! :^D

[Darksheare]

I spent the weekend and a bit of yesterday without internet connection..
:-(

[JRPerry]

Good Mornin'!

This was a good read. I attended he Hunley Ceremony and it was there that a friend mentioned to me about something he had read on the FReep.

Oh if you had only read the post burial services columns (around the country) by the liberal press ... it was typically reverse discriminatory of them as most referred to those of us in attendance as racist, hickish, etc.

Go figure.

[Mama_Bear]

Mornin' Meekie! Looks like you were first to arrive this morning.

Have a good day. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

Good morning to you, Aeronaut!