The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, & Success in the Civil War [Paperback]

Mark K. Ragan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

"The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice & Success in the Civil War." Cloth binding to library standards with gold imprinting on spine and front cover. No dust jacket on this rare binding of this edition. This well-researched book is extremely timely, as the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which lay off Sullivan's Island near Charleston, South Carolina, was raised recently from its watery grave. The Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship.

It has an appendix, index and other information not used in the revised edition. Collectors of Hunley memorbilia might want to buy both editions.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Board of Directors of the non-profit organization, which is currently in charge of the conservation of the famous wreck. He owns and operates a small submarine, which he has used in his underwater searches. He dove on the Hunley and worked with the team that investigated the USS Housatonic (the Hunley's victim). Ragan had a part in the TNT movie "The Hunley," which was based in part on the first edition of his book. He is a frequent speaker at Civil War Roundtables. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Narwhal Pr Inc (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188639105X
• ISBN-13: 978-1886391055
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,350,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most complete documentation of the Hunley story., January 24, 1999

By 

David M. Smithweck - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, & Success in the Civil War (Paperback)

Having researced the C.S.S.Hunley for over 20 years, I can truly say this is the most complete work published to date. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. Mark's narrative is very readable and his facts are well documented. If you are interested in knowing the true stroy, this is the book to buy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would I have gotten into the "Murder Machine"?, December 6, 2001

By 

Stephen R. Smith "Shreve Town Ghost Walker" (Shreveport, La. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, and Success in the Civil War (Paperback)

It's hard to say. Especially since the term referred to the Hunley murdering its Confederate crews.

An excellent book, in its coverage of the remnants of myth and truth about the the Confederacy's "underwater torpedo boats". I recently became aware of a Confederate submarine (not covered in the book), that is currently being conserved by the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans, and is due to be on permanent display in the museum in Baton Rouge, sometime in late 2002. It's origin is not known to this day, however, it predated the Pioneer I, the American Diver (Pioneer II), and the Hunley. It appears all four subs were designed in Louisiana, but the American Diver and Hunley were built in Mobile.

The book tells the true story of the development and lineage of the Hunley. However, now that the Hunley is being conserved ( with a guesstimation of about 10 more years), many of the technical aspects are being found to be inaccurate, in the light of the daily discoveries during conservation.

I recently viewed the Hunley movie prop ship, touring in South Carolina (see the Hunley website for details), that was built for the Turner movie "The Hunley". The rudder mechanism, and prop drive train has been found to be different, and all of the exterior rivets were ground smooth (as spec'd for the Pioneer I, which is covered in the book).

The crews have been referred to as the Astronauts of the 1860's. The Hunley, and it's predecessors, are an incredible story in technology, and humanity. This book does tribute to its time in the history of this country.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Source Book..on the C.S.S. Hunley, August 29, 2001

By 

E. Golden "Gene Golden" (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, and Success in the Civil War (Paperback)

This book is a must have for the Hunley addict. It is obvious Mark Ragan did his homework on this book. It contains a great deal of information on the contruction of the first successful submarine and the mishaps that plagued it. The photos and illustrations are great and many I have not seen before. You really get the feeling of the importance of this vessel and the dedication of the crew and the designers of the submarine. It is a shame this book has had very limited availability.It should be of great interest to anyone who has been following the recovery and preservation of this unique ship.