To complete this historic journey, we must depend on donations from those who care about history. Your donation will enable us to complete the HUNLEY’s journey. Also, FRIENDS OF THE HUNLEY is a charitable, 501(c)3 non-profit organization meaning your donation is tax deductible. We ask you to join us in preserving the HUNLEY. It will only be possible with your help.
YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE HUNLEY
On a chilly February night in 1864, eight men climbed into the HUNLEY, an experimental vessel designed to travel beneath the water’s surface. Their mission: to break the naval blockade at Charleston Harbor by sinking the USS Housatonic. After a stealth underwater approach to the target, the HUNLEY rammed her spar torpedo into the Housatonic, which sank in a matter of minutes. She survived long enough for the crew to signal to shore that they had a successful mission and then vanished into the darkness of the sea. Maritime history changed forever that night. The era of the military submarine was born. At the same moment, a mystery was born: what happened to the HUNLEY? Why did she simply disappear? That question remained shrouded in mystery for over a century.
THE GREAT DISCOVERY
Then, in 1995, news began to spread around the world. Clive Cussler had located the legendary submarine, lying on the ocean floor, just off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. In 2000, the HUNLEY was successfully raised, completely intact, with the bodies of her crew resting at their stations. It was an amazing discovery: the vessel was literally a time capsule. In 2001, an international team of scientists began the process of carefully excavating her contents at a high-tech laboratory facility in North Charleston. And one of the most breathtaking discoveries came early.
