Friends of the Hunley

Please take a moment to remember Dick Cole, a WW II hero and the last surviving member of the legendary Doolittle Raiders. He passed away today surrounded by his family. The Doolittle Raiders are famous for their daring missions over Japan in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor and gave a tremendous boost to American morale during a dark time in her history. Whether by land, air or sea, we are grateful to all our Armed Forces. Well done Lt. Col. Cole, may you rest in peace!

Hunley crewmember James Wicks experienced his share of danger throughout his life and survived a famous maritime battle while serving as a Union sailor. At the beginning of the Civil War, Wicks served on the USS Congress. On this day in 1862, at the famous Battle of Hampton Roads off the coast of Virginia, the CSS Virginia crippled his ship. A Southerner by birth, it gave Wicks the opportunity to enter Virginia and switch sides to the Confederacy. He would later volunteer to serve on the experimental submarine Hunley and was a crewmember the night she made world history in 1864. He lost his life as a member of the Hunley crew but the former Union sailor still was an integral figure in ushering in the era of submarines.

US Navy is one ship larger as the USS Charleston was commissioned today at the Port of Charleston. Today’s events marked another moment in the Lowcountry’s rich maritime history. Fair winds and safe seas to all those that serve on her.