A Brief History
On February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship, even though it had itself sunk twice before!
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find the Hunley again sank after its successful attack, making it a total of three times that she sank, each time drowning her crew.
About forty feet long and four feet wide, the Hunley had, not surprisingly, been designed by H.L. Hunley who also died in the second sinking. Built in Mobile, Alabama, the Hunley was transported by railroad to Charleston, South Carolina where Confederate authorities took charge of her from her builders.
The first time the Hunley sank was because its skipper accidentally sunk his own boat (for some reason submarines are called boats instead of ships) after stepping on a diving plane control, drowning five of the seven-man crew. As fate would have it, the skipper was one of the two survivors. The second time the Hunley sank, its inventor sank with it, along with the other seven men aboard.
Although the Hunley did not have a motor, it was powered by a propeller that was turned by the crew, and it could reach speeds of up to four knots. Submerging and surfacing were accomplished by the use of diving planes and ballast tanks that the crew pumped water in and out of. Its weapon was an explosive called a spar torpedo, basically a bomb at the end of a long stick designed to be stuck to the victim ship with a barb and then detonated by means of a cord after the Hunley had backed clear of the explosion.
On the fateful day, the Hunley had set off with a crew of eight and had found its target, the Union USS Housatonic, a ship 165 times the displacement of Hunley! The Housatonic was a modern ship by the standards of the day, having been built in 1861 and being equipped with a steam engine and a propeller as well as conventional sails. The Hunley made her approach and indeed sank the Housatonic just outside of Charleston Harbor, but the Hunley did not make it back to port either.
Found on the ocean floor in 1995 and salvaged in 2000, it has been determined from the wreckage that the Hunley had only been about twenty feet from the Housatonic when her spar torpedo detonated, also sinking the Hunley for the third and last time and killing her crew of eight. Union ships in the area panicked, not knowing if the Hunley or any other submarines still prowled the area.
A bizarre angle to the sinking of the Housatonic is that the Union ship only lost three crewmen and two officers, whereas the Hunley lost all eight men! It is not often that one ship sinks another ship and loses more people and sinks itself in the process!
Question for students (and subscribers): How important were submarines to the Civil War? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Gray, John, dir. The Hunley (Tvm). TNT, 2011. DVD.
Hicks, Brian and Schuyler Kropf. Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine. Presidio Press, 2003.
Walker, Sally M. Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H. L. Hunley. Carolrhoda Books, 2005.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1249 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1249">85 Comments
It is weird that the Hunley lost all of its crew members when it sunk that other ship, while the other only lost a few.
This was not very good planning by the Hunley. They should have had a better means of escape that did not kill them all. At least, it was somewhat successful.
I have decided that Hunley is cursed.
This obviously was a very poor design both in the vessel itself and the torpedo. It’s amazing how much technology has changed in this type of combat and even more amazing that the Hunley was reused after its unsuccessful attacks.
It is evident this ship was not properly designed since it sank three times. It is unfortunate that the ship and crew were lost but it is interesting that the other ship was barely affected.
After being sunk the first two times i’m surprised they sent it out a third time. This was obviously a poorly designed submarine, especially since it was man powered. Sounds like lives were lost over because of bad planning.
I cannot believe that they would send out the ship a third time after what had happened the first two times. Maybe if the design would have been more efficient, not as many lives would have been lost.
I find it quite funny the ultimate failure of this submarine. Once they finally got it working properly and sank a ship, it sank itself, and more men died in the sub than in the ship it sank. It was obviously a bad design but the idea would lead to some of the most disastrous sea battles in history, such as the German U-boats sinking the Lusitania and other “merchant” ships.
The point of this article that sticks out to me the most is the fact that the Hunley sank an astounding 3 times! Not only did the fated submarine sink 3 times, but each time it did indeed sink, there were members of the crew that lost their lives.
It is a shame to hear about these people dying all because of a malfunction in the Hunley. I still question the fact that they tried to use it a third time if the first two times were not successful in keeping its crew safe.
Well all I can say is that this submarine was not successful at all since it sunk three times. This just tells how little technology they had back then.
I don’t understand the reasoning of reusing a sub after it sinks each time… Why not build a new sub with additions that won’t result in sinking.
They probably kept reusing it for financial purposes but who would have thought it would be the inventor’s own downfall?
I like how the word Successful is in quotes in the title. It lets the reader know that its not so successful.
I really didn’t know that the south was trying to perfect this technology. They really should have made more improvements before testing it repeatedly
Well, I suppose it was successful in not sinking a fourth time!
The had the right idea by creating a submarine but they poorly executed there plans when operating the sub. Seems as though they were ahead of their times but could not quite grasp on to the concept well enough to make it effective.
I can’t even imagine being part of the crew of this submarine knowing that it has sunk twice before. It really is a shame that they sacrificed so many lives. I agree with the previous comment that it just goes to show you how little technology they had back then as I don’t think we would see something like this happen today.
I agree with Dana! I would never want to be part of a crew that knew the submarine had sunk twice before! This was not very good planning. We definitely should have had better means of escaping or surviving. It is such a shame that so many people lost their lives.
As mentioned in the previous comments, it is impressive how for technology has come and the increase of safety standards along with the technology. If these technical malfunctions happened today, no one would have gotten on that submarine again until it was cleared for safety standards. Personally I do not understand why they continued to salvage the submarine after multiple malfunctions.
I agree with Dana and Emily, I am so surprised that a crew would want to go on the submarine when the actual inventor drowned when the boat sank the second time. The submarine whole system wasn’t safe, the fact that it did have a power engine and was powered by the crew turning the propellers shows how dated the submarine was. I find it very foolish that this little submarine went after Housatonic knowing how big it was compared to their submarine!
After the first time of this submarine sinking I don’t think I could be convinced to ride on it. There is not a chance I would have stepped foot on that submarine after the second time! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me!
I would definitely not want to board that submarine!! I would have made a new submarine, if possible, instead of trying to repair one that sank twice previously.
I find it rather unwise that they continued to rebuild and reuse a submarine that was so unsuccessful numerous times. It seems foolish to me to continue to use it instead of creating a new one. I am also surprised that crew members were still willing to board the dangerous submarine.
After sinking 3 times and killing the crew each time they should have put the submarine away.
AM
It’s ironic that the skipper sunk his own boat. Also, it is interesting that it was powered by a propeller that was turned by the crew.
Crazy that they put the sub into combat even after Hunley died when it sunk! GW
This thing was used in combat after being sank twice. Wow…
I find it very interesting that even after it sunk, they kept trying. Even when it killed everyone they still tried to make it work
The quotations really help infer how much of a success that the submarine was it was great for how it began but in the end killed to many to make a bigger impact.
It’s amazing that people were still willing to continue putting a submarine out there when it sank and killed all the crew members three times.
It is bizzarre that the ship lost fewer men than the submarine. Also, they did not find the submarine until 1995, incredible!
it is interesting to think they tried again after killing so many peole 3 times
It’s interesting that the first weapon of the submarine had
to be physically stuck into the ship by the submarine.
A couple strange things about this. The ship lost fewer men then the submarine. Why would you use a ship that has already been sunk twice?
I could not imaging getting in a tiny submarine with that many people or getting into a submarine knowing all those other people had died inside of it.
I am going to assume that it must not of been that good of a submarine if it sunk its self. It is kind of comical that that happened. I do not know if you can call it a submarine then, maybe a ship that sunk.
Interesting that they continued to use the submarine even though it had sank before and then they used it again after it had sank twice. I guess this shows true devotion.
Some people just do not give up. Even after the inventor died they still kept trying. I wonder what would happen if they gave up on it . Well at least it went down fighting this time.
It must have been nerve racking getting into a submarine knowing that it had failed multiple test runs.
I guess this is determination. It is hard to imagine continuing to put people at risk.
i would not have been okay getting into a submarine with a high chance of failure. unfortunate for the casualties, but fortunate for the prosperity the submarine has done today.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.”
3rd times a charm i guess
I would not want to be in something that failed multiple tests and risk my life. But i guess practice makes almost perfect.
I am surprised the crews continuously got it working and able to be used in combat after it sinking twice! There is no way that I would step inside a submarine after it having the long history of it sinking… They were brave men!
The people who kept trying to build and rebuild the Hunley after all its failures were definitely stubborn and brave. It is impressive that it managed to sink Housatonic, which was 165 times the displacement of Hunley. It also doesn’t make sense that the crew of all 8 people on Hunley were killed while some of the Housatonic’s crew managed to survive!
Like I said in the previous post, Hunley’s death wasn’t in vain. This article illustrates that his submarine had achieved what had not been possible before and was for it to be successful in warfare.
As many other people have mentioned, I would have a hard time getting in to a submarine that had previously sunk and killed people. These people are admirable for not giving up!
The Hunley hardly seemed worth all the trouble it put the south through! The submarine killed more of its own men than men from the enemy side. Even though it sank a ship the Hunley sank itself in the process killing more of their own men than men from the north.
If you do not succeed try, try, try again. Even though this invention killed more of the people using the submarine rather than enemy. It helped pave the way for what the submarine is today. It is a great piece of equipment that could be used for spy and battle.
The Hunley was innovative in the Civil War. It is just unfortunate that the submarine did not work more effectively. I guess third time is the charm for the Hunley, which sunk three different times with three different crews.
The most surprising part of this article is that the submarine did not have a motor. It was simply powered by a propeller generated with power from the crew’s manual labor. You would have to think that controlling the propeller was a tough job, especially for a boat that is 40 feet long.
When I read about the torpedo I immediately thought that that could easily pose a danger to the sub itself, if fired improperly, so when I read farther down the passage that that’s how it sank, I’m not surprised.
You would think that after the first time being unsuccessful they would be able to fix the problem and correct it the next attempt. But as most people saying the 3rd times the charm.
Sinking twice before finally sinking another ship the Hunley became the first successful submarine. I’m not sure how successful you can really consider a submarine that sunk its crew more times than it sunk another ship. The Hunley went down for its final time when it sank another ship. Although it was successful in hitting the Housatonic the submarine was too close to the explosion to survive itself.
It is really interesting to know that the first submarine appeared all the way back in the Civil War. It is also interesting that it was used by the Confederates. While this particular boat may have not been successful, it certainly paved the way for the advancement of the technology which would play a big part in latter wars.
Submarines, aka warships, were of high technology during Civil War times. It changed the war game immensely and instilled more fear in the enemy.
I find it hard to believe that the Confederates would continue to use the Hunley even after sinking. It did not seem like a very tactical weapon, especially considering the fact that it did not do much damage to the opposing ship the third time it sank.
I never knew that submarines were present during the time of the Civil War. And you would think that after the first or second time the submarine sank, the attempts of running this vessel would decrease.
I never really think of submarines sinking, because they go under water anyway, that is their purpose. The last sinking of Hunley seemed to be its most unfortunate in that it lost more men than the ship it sank did. Hopefully the sinking of Hunley wasn’t in vain and we learned from the sinking to make better submarines.
This is surprising that this submarine sank three time and then when she went one a mission sunk the enemy. The surprising part is that she was still used after the second time she sunk and each time all the passengers died from drowning.
Ironic reading about a submarine that sank an enemy ship when itself had sunk 3 times. You would think that after men died during the sinking of the submarine the first two times that they wouldn’t make the attempt once more.
After the second sinking, I would have thought to retire the submarine. It is ironic that they lost more people on the submarine than on the enemy ship they sank. I was surprised to read that the submarine was powered by a propeller that was turned by the crew.
What a crazy way of using weapons…a bomb stuck to a ship and detonated with a long cord. I also can not believe they detonated it only 20 feet away. Wish we knew why they didn’t decide to go farther away. But ultimately, I am sure that the Hunley helped lead to the invention of the modern sub.
Unfortunate that the inventor of the Hunley sank with his boat.
What a weird story. I love hearing things like this. Why would they keep attempting this even after it sinking two times! I never knew that submarines were available at this time!
It must have taken a tremendous amount of courage to go up against a boat 165 times larger than your own!
Another odd story of people in charge making poor decisions. If it didn’t work twice, you think a third time is a lucky charm. Interesting read
It seems that fate wanted the Hunley laid to rest. The plans by the Confederacy to keep raising the submarine to use it in battle had backfired. Although it did indeed sink the Housatonia, the resulting unbalanced losses on both sides show how useless the Hunley was.
I am not sure why the submarine would be reused without tests. They basically killed three crews which could have been avoided.
The civil war was just full of interesting ideas and out of the box ideas. It’s amazing things they did to kill other back then. Like pulling a ship from the bottom twice and keep retrying til it finally sinks for the third and final time.
The fact that they kept reusing the submarine even though it kept killing crews is dumbfounding. I guess it did end up resulting in the first successful kill by a submarine, but for heavens sakes at least try to make the darn thing more safe for the crews.
The killings could have been stopped of the 3 men, i feel so many people back then was killed more than today’s tech not only because we got the better technology but i guess the thought process was more put together.
They must have really have some confidence in this ship to take it out for a third time after witnessing it sink 2 times previously! However each time something happened that was different from the first though.
I don’t understand how they were able to repair this submarine three times and why they even thought it was a good idea in the first place!
I never knew submarines were around in the late 1800s. I thought they were first used in World War I.
Even though it sank 2 different times they yet still tried it again!
It’s just unbelievable that it still worked after sinking the first two times.
My question is how was it recovered so easily the first two times, yet the last time it suck it took until nearly the turn of the following century to be recovered.
It seems silly to have a button that you can step on so easily the sinks the whole thing.
It’s weird that the submarine fires a torpedo at another submarine sinking it and in the process their sinking as well just very bizarre.
Like they say, “Third times a charm”
Everything great comes in threes… Impressive that they didn’t give up and kept trying to make the submarine better that it eventually sunk an enemy warship!
I’m curious as to how people thought trying a third time would accomplish something, yet it gave the same results.