Mystery of Sunken Sub May Lie in Craft's Valves

Associated Press ^ | June 26, 2004 | Bruce Smith

[BluegrassScholar]

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Almost four years after the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley was raised from the Atlantic, experts are still unsure why the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship went to the bottom.

More clues should be revealed in the coming weeks as scientists finish the excavation of the sub's interior.

"The Hunley has been very stingy with her secrets," said state Sen. Glenn McConnell, chairman of the South Carolina Hunley Commission.

While the silt and sediment that filled the sub was removed months ago, scientists are working to remove encrusted areas inside the sub. They are looking specifically at the valves on the rear pump.

Scientists will X-ray the valves to determine whether they are open or closed, which could tell whether the crew was attempting to pump out water that may have spilled in, McConnell said.

Experts think the crew ran out of air.

"The question is, 'How did they get into that shape?' " McConnell said. "Did the weather get rough that night and every time they replenished air with the hatches open did they take on water?"

The hand-cranked, 40-foot Hunley became the first sub to sink an enemy warship when, on Feb. 17, 1864, it rammed a spar with a black powder charge into the Union blockade ship Housatonic.

The Hunley never returned and was located off Sullivans Island nine years ago.

In April, thousands of re-enactors took part in a funeral for the eight-man crew in what was billed as the last Confederate funeral.

McConnell said Friday that new research suggests a weather front moved through the area the night the Hunley set out on its mission.

"Was she battling to come in against roughening seas and did she have trouble taking on air?" he asked. "It's like a giant jigsaw puzzle and each of these little pieces starts to paint the picture."

Scientists also hope to recover additional artifacts, such as canteens or additional billfolds, that may be encrusted beneath the crew bench.

"It would seem there would be because they only found one wallet, and it would seem that more than one person would have a wallet," he said.

The Hunley, housed at a conservation lab at the old Charleston Naval Base, will eventually go on display in a North Charleston museum.

[CurlyBill]

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[Riley]

It seems like the official Naval inquiry into the loss of the USS Housatonic ought to contain detailed information on the weather conditions, especially if it were anything worse than millpond-flat. It was right in the same area, and there were men in the water. It'd certainly be a big issue to them, and such proceedings usually have all of the survivor/witness testimony that they can get.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

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[SC Swamp Fox]

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[Salo]

I would love for Secrets of the Dead to do a story on the Hunley.

[ken5050]

From what I remember reading, in order to atatch the mine, the sub had to get very close to the target ship..the length of the mast at the front of the sub..one theory has it that the mine detonated before the Hunley was far enough away, teh shock of the explosion could have sprung the ship in several places, including the valve seats..

[Law is not justice but process]

I grew up in Charleston and the Hunley was a part of mythology to me. What Amelia Earhart, The Titantic, Glen Miller's plane, and the entire Bermuda Triangle were to the rest of the country was all rolled up into the Hunley for me. I have followed this story with intense interest, have been to see the boat itself three times (at different stages of excavation), and even went to the Hunley funeral. I fear I may be obsessed (a harmless obsession, I hope).

I have thought about it a lot, and have always concluded there must have been a collision between the Hunley and one of the rescue vessels. The fact that the blue lantern signal was seen from shore after the attack seems to rule out damage from the explosion (except, perhaps, a slow leak, but the pump should have been able to overcome that). I had not heard the weather front hypothesis before, and will have to think about it a bit. Needless to say, I wait with bated breath for the final report by the excavation team.

I encourage any of you who are in the Charleston area (even Yankees) to go to the old navy base and see the Hunley. I assure you the size and technological sophistication of the boat will surprise you.

Plus, it is one hell of a story.

[ken5050]

Great essay..thanks..you should write more often.. This "Yankee" kindly accepts your invitation.....actually I have a wedding to attend there next year, and was planning on spending most of my time "Hunleying"