HL Hunley - "Disappearance Of The HL Hunley"

February 17, 1864 was a dark night, lit by a waxing gibbous moon. The submarine, HL Hunley sailed forth on a mission to sink the Union blockade ship, USS Housatonic. Armed with a torpedo mounted at the end of a long spar protruding from the bow of the submarine, the 8-man crew of the HL Hunley succeeded in sinking its intended target. The boat never made it back to shore and was presumed sunk with all hands lost. The fate of the Hunley remained an enduring Civil War mystery for 132 years until an expedition led by famed author Clive Cussler discovered the submarine buried under 4 feet of sand and silt at the bottom of the shallow waters off the coast of Charleston, SC. The vessel was recovered in 2000 and has been undergoing archeological study and preservation efforts. It is on display in North Charleston, South Carolina, at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. The submarine was designed by Horace Lawson Hunley and built by engineer James R. McClintock in response to the Confederate