Civil War Charleston- Chapter 8- The Hunley and Charleston Cemeteries- The Hunley at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center (Stop 2)

In 1862 Horace Hunley and his team were working on the submarine the Pioneer in New Orleans when they were forced to scuttle it in Lake Ponchartrain and flee from Union naval forces. They continued their work in Mobile, Alabama on a second submarine the American Diver. By early 1863 it was ready for testing. However, it proved to be too slow moving and sank during a thunderstorm. They then began work on a third craft the H.L. Hunley which proved to be seaworthy. The Hunley was then shipped by train to Charleston, where it arrived on August 12th. Human error during a test dive on August 29, 1863, caused the submarine to sink with the loss of five crew members. The ship was recovered but 2 months later, on October 15th, sank again during a trial run. Horace L. Hunley and his crew of seven died. The program was reassigned to the Confederate Army with volunteer crewmen staffing the vessel. On February 17, 1864, it attacked and sank the USS Housatonic. The Hunley and its crew were lost at sea. In May of 1995 the Hunley was found by Clive Cussler. On August 8, 2000 it was placed in a harness, brought to the surface, placed on a barge, and brought to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.