Tragically, the submarine did not meet the same success in the choppy waters off the coast of Charleston. In his account Buchanan said: “I am fully satisfied can be used successfully in blowing up one or more of the enemy’s Iron Clads in your harbor.” The Hunley was quickly sent to Charleston to help break the blockade that was stopping the flow of supplies to the Confederacy. Beauregard, officer in command of Confederate forces in the key port city of Charleston, South Carolina. He immediately wrote a report to General P. On hand to witness the display were several high ranking officials including Admiral Franklin Buchanan, Mobile’s Naval Commandant. The Hunley successfully sank a flat-bottomed barge that was anchored in the bay. And the gauge likely helped in July 1863 when a demonstration of the Hunley’s attack capabilities was conducted in Mobile Bay. With little room for error, the depth gauge provided key information in what could often be a tight squeeze. To safely dive under a Union vessel, the Captain would need to carefully maneuver the five-foot tall submarine between the ocean bottom and the keel of the target ship. For this attack strategy, the depth gauge was essential. Once the submarine dove and passed under the keel of her target, the torpedo would impact its hull on the other side, in theory causing a devastating explosion that would sink the ship. The Hunley was initially designed to dive completely below her target while towing behind a floating torpedo on a 200-foot tether. Learning from and improving on each attempt, their final effort proved by far the most successful. Hunley, the group developed a series of three prototype submarines. It is from this historical backdrop that the Hunley emerged.īeginning in 1862, several engineers and financiers banded together and decided to take the battle beneath the water’s surface. This required the South to rely on creative new approaches to combat the Union Navy and its many advantages. Developing the Hunley as a Weaponĭuring the American Civil War, the Confederate Navy was outnumbered and outgunned by the larger and more advanced Union fleet. A brief look at history explains why they may have made this decision.ĭepth gauge glass tubing sections found near the pilot station. What is puzzling is it appears the crew may have disabled the gauge the night the Hunley vanished. Finding a depth gauge on a submarine was not surprising given the need to dive and operate underwater. Once the different components were collected, it was clear scientists had uncovered a 19th-century depth gauge. The artifact was found in several pieces during excavation: a wooden board, fragments of glass pipe, mercury, and iron tubing. It is also teaching us the many challenges faced by those adventurous souls who volunteered to man such a dangerous vessel. An artifact found in the Captain’s station of the crew compartment is helping illustrate this process of innovation and evolution. From her initial development in Mobile, Alabama in 1863 to the next year’s February attack that earned her place in the history books, the pioneering submarine underwent major changes in her mode of attack and weapon’s system. The Hunley’s journey to become the world’s first successful combat submarine is full of twists, turns and, of course, dives.
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