For one week, I am taking a break from writing about Kentucky. I think that if you've been following this in the newspapers, this is an extremely interesting topic. I hope you enjoy a tale of bravery. A submarine in the Civil War? I guess I had never thought about this too much; to me submarines came at a much later date. But I have recently become fascinated with America's first attempts to win a war from under water. Picture yourself in the midst of the Civil War. The Southern States had taken a vote and seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America. South Carolina led the way and began seizing the forts along their borders and their coastline. Federal Major Robert Anderson was assigned at the Fort Sumter in April 1861 and found that there were not enough supplied to survive the month. General Beuregard sent a letter to Anderson that same month, demanding surrender. The suggestion was refused and the next day, before daylight, Beauregard opened fire on the fort. The fort fell to the Confederates within 2 days. Enter the H. L. Hunley who was to dive beneath the Atlantic Ocean on August 29th, 1863. When the Hunley arrived in Charleston 12 Aug 1863, and soon Horace Hunley himself arrived. He filled out requisitions for uniforms for his crew who were to go where no man had gone before. He ordered nine gray jackets, trimmed in gold braid. He stated that these nine men were on "special secret service and it was necessary they be clothed in the Confederate Army uniform. After receiving the jackets, Union forces on Morris Island began their siege of the city of Charleston. The town was soon under heavy fire and they knew the "Hunley" was their only hope. It was called a "torpedo fish." The intensity of the battle grew and the Confederates began to question among themselves as to why the Hunley hadn't made an attack. One problem was obvious, many felt that the men where ill-equipped to be sailors. The Confederate seized the Hunley and turned it over to the Navy. The first crew which sailed on the 29th of August 18673 were: Survivors: Charles Hasker, John A. Payne , Charles Sprague and William Robinson Lost: Michael Cane, Nicholas Davis, Frank Doyle, John Kelly, Absolum Williams The five men lost were buried at a mariner's graveyard off the bank of the Ashley River, a military graveyard during the Civil War. The cemetery was covered over accidentally by a football stadium in 1948 - Johnson Hagood football stadium. The cemetery also included 22 other Confederate sailors and marines and one child. Historians discovered the remains of the Hunley's first crew in June of 1999, during an archaeological dig beneath the football stadium. On March 25, 2000, more than 2,500 people came to Magnolia Cemetery to bury the five crewmembers with full military honors. They were buried alongside the H. L. Hunley's second crew. With the Navy now in control, another crew needed to be assembled. Lieutenant John A Payne was assigned; he had experience with the Chicora. The crew planned on a night time attack, but the Hunley disappeared off the end of Fort Johnson warm. Four escaped, five drowned. Charles Hasker, a survivor stated that Lt. Payne accidentally stepped on the lever which controlled the dive pins causing the submarine to dive with all the hatches open. General Beuregard ordered the submarine to be surfaced and salvaging efforts began and retrieval of the bodies. The second crew, which had sailed on 15 Oct 1863 included: Captain Horace Hunley, Robert Brookbank, Joseph Patterson, Thomas Parks, Charles McHugh, Henry Beard, John Marshall and Charles L. Sprague. Hunley was not to be discouraged! He had convinced the Confederate Navy to try again and use a crew from Mobile, AL who knew of his operations. He departed to Parks and Lyons Machine Shop there to enlist a crew. One of the sons of the co-owners, Thomas W. Parks joined along with other recruits who it is thought were also from Mobile. But, again, the Hunley sank while performing an exercise. All eight men on board, including Horace Hunley himself, perished. The submarine was later found nose down in the mud. The Navy hauled it up from the floor of the ocean, but several days had passed due to bad weather. The diver's equipment was bulky and heavy copper. It appeared that the crew hadn't been able to close the forward sea valve thus letting freezing water to enter the ballast tank and wasn't pumped back into the sea. It was thought that possibly the valve handle had fallen off. But - new volunteers had already stepped forward. Lt George E Dixon commanded the new crew who, after months of repairs, modifications of modifications and practice were ready to dive. This crew consisted of: Lt. George E. Dixon - enlisted as a private in Company "A" of the 21st Alabama Infantry, promoted to first lieutenant fall of 1863. His crew: Arnold Becker, Cpl. C F Carlson, Frank Collins, C. Simkins, Joseph Ridgaway, ___ Miller and James A Wicks. They were determined to save Charleston! The mission began on an extremely cold and quiet night just outside Charleston Harbor, four miles off Breach Inlet in Sullivan's Island. The results are shown here: "Contact: Below the waterline - as bullets bounced off its cylindrical body, the H.L. Hunley rammed her long metal spar into the stern area, planting a 135 pound torpedo into the Warship Housatonic. The men inside the Hunley lunged forward from the impact, then quickly backed their sub out as the 150-foot attached detonation rope played out. Within seconds, the world rocked and every man, above and below, became enveloped in a concussion of destruction. Aftermath: The explosion caused the USS Housatonic to burn for three minutes before sending the sloop-of-war collapsing to the bottom killing five sailors. The Hunley then surfaced long enough for her crew to signal their comrades on the shore of Sullivan's Island with a blue magnesium light, indicating a successful mission. The shore crew stoked their signal fires and anxiously awaited the Hunley's safe return. But minutes after her historic achievement, the Hunley and all hands onboard vanished into the sea without a trace." Undersea explorers and treasure hunters have searched around the area where the Housatonic sank, hoping to find the Hunley and her crew. Awards up to $100,000 were offered by P T Barnum. It was not until 1995 when Clive Cussler, an author and adventurer, found the Hunley resting on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, just outside Charleston Harbor. Then, 137 years after she sank, 8 Aug 2002, she was seen for the first time. On 17 April 2004, the crew was buried at the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston SC. They were buried with full military honors. Sources: http://www.hunley.org Ragan, Mark K., Submarines, Sacrifice, & Success in the Civil War citation (c) Copyright 22 Apr 2004, Sandra K. Gorin Colonel Sandi Gorin SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html SCKY surname registry sites: http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyclinto/reg.html http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyclinto/forms/SCKYreg.html Gorin Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/