Friends of the Hunley has a new captain. Samuel W. Howell, IV has come onboard as Chairman of the Board of Directors. A Charleston native and history buff, Howell has practiced law for nearly thirty years and is managing partner at Howell Linkous and Nettles, LCC where his practice is concentrated in the areas of municipal bonds, economic development incentives, and local government law.
“Sam has the right vision and business background to help us complete the final phase of the project. His leadership will prove invaluable as we begin the effort to plan and build a world-class maritime museum,” said Senator Glenn McConnell, Chairman of the Hunley Commission.
With the recovery and excavation of the Hunley now complete, Friends of the Hunley’s mission is to preserve and educate the public about the world’s first successful combat submarine as well as raise funds for its exhibition in a museum. In 2007 alone, the Charity raised over one million dollars in private monies toward those efforts.
“Since I was a child growing up on Sullivan’s Island, the Hunley’s journey through history has been a point of fascination to me. I am honored to be a part of this incredible project that has brought Charleston’s rich maritime heritage to an international audience,” Howell said.
The story of the Hunley has generated an extraordinary amount of interest and support across the globe. While only open on Saturday and Sundays for public tours, over 350,000 people have toured the Hunley since it was raised in August, 2000. The Hunley has been featured in over a dozen documentaries worldwide, most recently in the United States on National Geographic Television and The History Channel. Friends of the Hunley has members in every state in America as well as England, Germany, Ireland, France and Australia.
The Hunley Project
On the evening of February 17, 1864, the H. L. Hunley became the world’s first successful combat submarine by sinking the USS Housatonic. After signaling to shore that the mission had been accomplished, the submarine and her crew of eight mysteriously vanished. Lost at sea for over a century, the Hunley was located in 1995 by Clive Cussler’s National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). The innovative hand-cranked vessel was raised in 2000 and delivered to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, where an international team of scientists are at work to conserve the submarine for future generations and piece together clues to solve the mystery of her disappearance. The Hunley Project is conducted through a partnership with the Clemson University Restoration Institute, South Carolina Hunley Commission, Naval Historical Center and Friends of the Hunley.