H.L. Hunley

This collection features content on the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.

This collection features content on the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley. Named after its creator Horace Lawson Hunley, the Hunley made history during the American Civil War as the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. Although the Hunley was successful in sinking the Union sloop-of-war U.S.S. Housatonic, the Hunley never returned to its home port on Sullivan's Island, SC. The fate of the Hunley remained a mystery until it was located by author Clive Cussler's National Underwater Marine Agency in 1995, and was raised in the year 2000. The Hunley is currently undergoing conservation at Clemson University's Warren-Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston. 

A Giant Puzzle | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1

Audio

In this first segment on the Confederate submarine C.S.S. Hunley , Walter Edgar and Senator Glenn McConnell discuss how finding the submarine disproved all pre-conceived notions about its design...
A Historic Time Capsule | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 3

Audio

The Hunley is described as “a historic time capsule.” Sen. Glenn McConnell discusses using the clues found in the Hunley to piece together what happened the night it sank the U.S.S. Housatonic .
Raising The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 2

Audio

Senator Glenn McConnell discusses raising the Hunley . Some of the challenges faced were maritime legal issues, and how the submarine was going to be lifted off of the ocean floor. Preserving the...
The C.S.S. Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 6

Audio

Dr. Symonds addresses the importance of the C.S.S. Hunley : History’s first operational submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat, the U.S.S. Housatonic .
The Hunley | Palmetto Special

Video

The video location is at the Naval Polaris Missile Base in North Charleston. This is the largest submarine base on the east coast today. Learn about the sinking of the U.S.S. Housatonic by the Hunley...
SC Veterans in History, Part 5
Episode 5

Video

In this segment, footage from the excavation of the Hunley is provided, and information about the salt water keeping the metal from corroding is given. Footage of the Hunley being raised is included...