I had a sinking feeling as I read Tom Chaffin's preface to his "The H.L. Hunley." He was explaining the lack of archival material that was available for his account of the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship. From that I expected another fluffy history that would be full of conjecture, exaggeration, and writer-induced fantasy. It turns out that I was pleasantly surprised with a riveting and scholarly tale of enterprise and tragedy that didn't need embellishment.
The "H.L. Hunley" was actually the third submarine constructed by a group of Southern patriots who wanted to produce underwater boats that could effectively break the Federal blockade of southern ports. The first two failed, eventually sinking, before actual engagement was made with Union ships. Fortunately the crew members escaped with their lives, but the mishaps raised questions about the idea and slowed the flow of additional funds for future attempts.
The three developers of the "H.L. Hunley," and the two boats preceding her, were intrepid and strong-willed, never straying from their goal. Horace Hunley was probably the most tenacious and productive, continually pursuing financial backing and political support from a Confederate government that was always short of money. It was his single-mindedness that got his name attached to the last submarine boat manufactured by the group and the chance to command it during one of its trial voyages. It cost him his life.
The "Hunley" had its share of misfortunes during its development. Five of the eight crewmen perished when the "Hunley" sank during a trial run in August 1863, apparently from an open hatch. The boat was raised, only to sink again in October 1863 because of operational error. This time all eight crew members, including Hunley, died. The boat was raised once again, retrofitted, and sent out once more, this time for an actual encounter with the enemy.
Chaffin's book is a remarkable study of an effort, seemingly hopeless from the start, that finally achieved its objective with the sinking of the war sloop "USS Housatonic" in the frigid waters off Charleston, South Carolina, on February 17, 1864. The entire crew of eight went down with the boat when it sank, probably due to a mechanical malfunction, after the successful torpedoing. The vessel's wreckage was found in 1995 and, after long wrangling over ownership rights, was raised from the depths of Charleston's waters in 2000. Excavation was commenced and the crew members' remains were slowly found and removed, the final body being exhumed by the end of 2002.
In April 2004, a stately funeral procession was held through downtown Charleston. The remains of the eight crew members were interred in Magnolia Cemetery, joining the bodies of Hunley and his seven sailors who were buried there after they perished in the second sinking. Subsequently all of them were joined by the five crew members who died in the first sinking of the "H.L.Hunley" whose bodies were relocated from a cemetery that was displaced by urban sprawl.
Tom Chaffin does a wonderful job of accumulating the available information, assembling it into a lucid format, delving into the many details about its development, and providing a fascinating story of Civil War times not familiar to most of us. I recommend this book for those interested in Civil War history, enterprise, and human perseverance. It's engrossing, entertaining, and extremely readable.
Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES
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Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate SubmarineHardcover$13.12 shippingGet it as soon as Wednesday, Oct 30Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
