The Confederate submarine sunk the USS Housatonic in 1864, then vanished with seven souls aboard
After resting on the ocean floor for more than a century, the CSS Hunley—the Confederate submarine that sunk the USS Housatonic warship with a spar torpedo on February 17, 1864, and then vanished with seven souls aboard—was raised to great fanfare in Charleston Harbor on August 8, 2000. Five years earlier, a team of underwater archaeologists from the National Underwater and Marine Agency led by New York Times best-selling author Clive Cussler had discovered the long lost craft about four miles off Sullivan’s Island. For its $20-million recovery mission, a team of engineers and divers worked to lift the 20-ton, 40-foot submersible from its watery resting place using two massive slings and a foam “cradle.” Recognized as the first successful combat submarine in the world, the Hunley was taken to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, where the sub and its contents continue to undergo conservation work and research. Through the Friends of the Hunley organization, this historic artifact remains on display and open for tours.
