Posted on 10/20/2008 8:26:45 AM PDT by Joiseydude
CHARLESTON, S.C. — It's long been a mystery why the H.L. Hunley never returned after becoming the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship in 1864, but new research announced Friday may lend credence to one of the theories.
Scientists found the eight-man crew of the hand-cranked Confederate submarine had not set the pump to remove water from the crew compartment, which might indicate it was not being flooded.
That could mean crew members suffocated as they used up air, perhaps while waiting for the tide to turn and the current to help take them back to land.
The new evidence disputes the notion that the Hunley was damaged and took on water after ramming a spar with a charge of black powder into the Union blockade ship Housatonic.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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IMHO, the ship sprang a bunch of small leaks, and the reason the crew didn’t turn the crew compartment pump ‘on’ is that they were unconscious or dead already.
The jolt to the ship and crew from the explosion of their advanced design (IED) type warhead, due to their proximity to the explosion, was higher than planned.
My husband and I saw the Hunley not long after they put it on display at the old navy base in Charleston. National Geographic had the photo rights. so no cameras were allowed. Seeing a piece of history like that was surreal. The remains were still inside. How sad to think of those brave men having to die in that manner. It took a lot of bravery to even get in the sub after so many other men had died in it previously. There is so much to that story. The legend about the gold coin being proven true by it’s presence inside the Hunley was really exciting. Anyone interested in learning about the Hunley should see the movie made about it starring Armand Assante.
I’m reading Clive Cussler’s Sea Hunters II, and in the introduction he spoke of being there when they finally brought the Hunley up. The story of the NUMA discovery of it was in his first Sea Hunters.
I find the true stories of his searches for sunken vessels to be just as fascinating has his fiction.
these old-style FR links will generally work if “reload” is clicked a few times. :’)
The Hunley Sank in 1864; Now, Raised, On Display, It’s a Charleston ‘Cash Cow’
Source: Wall Street Journal
Published: 3/23/01 Author: CARRICK MOLLENKAMP and ROBERT L. ROSE
Posted on 03/23/2001 08:22:21 PST by Antiwar Republican
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3abb783d3d06.htm
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The movie did take some liberties, one major one being Lt. Dixon haunted by the ghost of his wife. He never marries and the main woman in his life lived for decades after he died.
It’s a little known fact that my nick resulted from a typo, it was supposed to be “ShrunkenSkivs” — but lately I’ve been losing weight, so, happy ending. ;’)
Sounds like a good explanation as to why it flooded.
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Thought you would be interested.
Check ou: Hunley.org
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