Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H. L. Hunley [Hardcover]

Sally M. Walker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 6-10–Walker brings a little-known story of the Civil War to life in this fascinating book. When the Union blockade of all ports in the South stopped supplies from reaching the Confederate Army, Horace L. Hunley decided to create a submarine that would be able to sneak up on enemy ships and blow them up. After many years of trial and error, the H. L. Hunley actually succeeded in sinking the USS Housatonic in February of 1864. But the submarine never returned to port, and her crew perished in the Charleston Harbor. This is a finely crafted account of the Hunley from its inception to the modern archaeological quest to exhume her from the water. It is divided into chronological chapters complete with pictures, maps, and primary sources. Half of the book discusses the construction and design of the submarine, in addition to its practice runs and its first and only mission. The second half consists of the process of locating and excavating the Hunley, as well as piecing together the puzzle of exactly what happened on that fateful night in 1864. The archaeological process is well documented in both words and pictures, and the conclusions are interesting and even surprising. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.–Anna M. Nelson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 7-10. The author of Fossil Fish Found Alive (2002) now discusses a different sort of discovery, the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley. After sinking a Union sloop near Charleston, South Carolina, in 1864, the hunley did not return to port. Although divers searched for more than 130 years, the sub was not found until 1995. Over the last 10 years, archaeologists have carefully raised the hunley and painstakingly sifted through the 20,000 pounds of sediment it contained for artifacts and human remains and, ultimately, clues to why, when, and how the vessel sank. Walker begins with the history of the Hunley's design and construction as well as its place in Civil War and naval history. She really hits her stride, though, in explaining the complex techniques and loving care used in raising the craft, recovering its contents, and even reconstructing models of the crewmembers' bodies. Back matter includes a detailed author's note, source notes, a bibliography, and recommended Web sites. Thoroughly researched, nicely designed, and well illustrated with clear, color photos, the book will serve as an informative guide to anyone interested in the hunley or intrigued by archaeology. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575058308
• ISBN-13: 978-1575058306
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most comprehensive telling of the Hunley yet to date!, February 5, 2005

By 

D. M. Havrisko - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H. L. Hunley (Hardcover)

Civil War buffs, 21st Century scientists, teachers, archaeologists, and readers looking for a good "yarn" alike will be absolutely riveted by this book. In the most comprehensive telling of the H.L. Hunley story yet to date, Walker's extensive research includes a variety of primary sources such as letters, African American testimony from Naval Court inquiries, and family photos to highlight the Civil War era - the "first" part of the story. Next, through a subtle color in pages of the text, Walker continues the story in modern times, detailing the 2000 raising of the sunken submarine. Color photographs showing every step of the recovery and excavation (including new scientific technologies), and thorough explanations by the actual recovery divers make this a unique "you-are-there" kind of book. A poignant end to the story is the facial reconstruction of Hunley's crew, and photographs of the funeral caisson taking the crew members to their final resting place in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetary.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to mysteries of the CSS Hunley, June 25, 2006

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H. L. Hunley (Hardcover)

I found this book to be very well written and researched on the subject of CSS Hunley and its recovery from the bottom of the sea. The book covers the development of this boat, history of its crew, mission and possible aftermath. Then the book goes on to the history of the search for the Hunley and its discovery and recovery from the ocean floor. Upon its recovery, the book uncovers what lies within the boat. (I used the word "boat" since that is what the submariners called their vessels.)

I think the best part about this book is that the author write down a lot of information without getting tedious or bogging the reader down with too much information. The amount of stuff revealed in this book proves to be just right for anyone to get into the subject and enjoyed. The book proves to be well illustrated and comes with many colorful photographs that proves to be helpful and revealing. Anyone reading this book will come away with a very good understanding of CSS Hunley and her recovery from the sea and subsequence discoveries that followed.

Highly recommended for anyone who got a slightest interest in the naval technology, Civil War era or just in the Hunley itself.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quick, informative read, February 23, 2006

By 

Michael Crisafulli (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H. L. Hunley (Hardcover)

Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine, by Sally Walker, provides a nice, quick overview of the Hunley's history, recovery, excavation, and conservation. Targeting the late grade-school reader, the book is written in the style of and at a similar level to a National Geographic article. Any reader will enjoy it and come away with a good understanding of the Hunley project. There are a few detail mistakes, such as in an explanation of neutral buoyancy, but the main point is always delivered successfully by the text. I've been studying material on the Hunley since 2000, but I found several important bits of information I haven't seen elsewhere. The explanation of archaeological techniques as applied in the Hunley excavation is the best I've read. The book is nicely illustrated, although most of the photos have been previously published, and the interpretive drawings contain some fairly large inaccuracies. Overall, I'm happy to have this in my collection of books about the Hunley and I'm glad to recommend it.