It was one of the most technologically advanced weapons of the Civil War. The HL Hunley was a 40-foot submarine built of iron and powered by a manual screw propeller.
This 2015 Hunley photo shows the restoration effort in action. In 1995, the submarine was found buried under silt in about 30 feet of water four…
The Confederate ship earned her place in history on February 17, 1864, when she fired 135 pounds of black powder along the hull of the USS Housatonic and became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in battle. The Hunley and its eight crew were lost in the waters off the coast of Sullivan's Island that cold night, and five from the Housatonic were also killed.
On the 160th anniversary of those events in 2024, the submarine that transformed naval warfare will return to the forefront of technological innovation, but in a way that none of its 19th-century creators could have predicted.
The H.L. Hunley has been the center of a multi-agency conservation and education effort since it was raised from the depths in August 2000 and moved to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston.
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Students Patricia Blouin, left, and Melissa Allen use state-of-the-art technology to study the H.L. Hunley submarine, located at UW…
Conservation scientists, archaeologists, conservators and historic preservationists at Clemson University play a central role by leading scientific work that tells the story of the Hunley and its crew while preserving the ship and its artifacts for future generations.
The center's affiliation with the university gives researchers unique access to the latest technologies, including scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray imaging, and 3D laser scanners, said Stephanie Crete, the center's director.
Thanks to their experience and advanced equipment, the center's researchers have devised new methods of preservation, including subcritical technology for desalting metals, especially iron.
“What sets us apart is that we are in Charleston, where history developed and preservation early on, so we have a good network of collaborators,” Crete said. “Our technologically advanced facilities and partnerships with multiple agencies are what make us unique.”
When the submarine sinks and is found
For 131 years after the Housatonic sank, the Hunley's whereabouts remained a mystery. Its location was verified in 1995, when a team led by author and explorer Clive Cussler found the submarine buried under silt in about 30 feet of water four miles off Sullivan's Island.
The Hunley River, which remained safe at the center 24 years after its rise, was once again flooded. But this time it was in a tank of sodium hydroxide, a solution that pulls salt and chlorides out of iron.
While the solution works, the researchers are branching out beyond the Honley area to apply their expertise to other artefacts. They include a 4,000-year-old Native American dugout canoe and the International African American Museum's collection.
These efforts and future collaborations will give Clemson researchers plenty to do long after their work with Hunley ends. But the researchers said their mission with the submarine is not over yet.
Michael Scafuri, a senior archaeologist, likened the Clemson team's work to investigating a crime scene.
“We process the site or scene, collect evidence and try to see what it tells us,” he said. “What we're trying to do is get as close as possible to understanding this past event. We're trying to understand what these people did and why they did it, their motivations and what came of it.”
Joanna Rivera, chief conservator, works to protect the artifacts at Honley. They include, for example, silver braces, a gold pocket watch, and binoculars believed to have belonged to the ship's captain, George E. Dixon.
“We're trying to restore things to the condition they were in before the sinking event, bring things back to life, so to speak,” Rivera said. “That challenge – trying to work with the material and trying to reverse time a little bit – is the best part of my job.”
History and stories of people recovered
Nicholas DeLong, a marine archaeologist, focused on personal artefacts, specifically crew shoes, as well as clothing, textiles, and buttons.
“What they were wearing can tell us about the crew members themselves and how that plays into the larger, broader time period of the Civil War in Charleston,” DeLong said. “What they were wearing can also tell us a little bit about how they perceived their actions, what kind of unit they were in, and their cohesion.”
To understand the cohesion in the effort to reclaim Hunley, one need look no further than Clemson's partnership with the Friends of Hunley.
The university and the nonprofit share the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. The Friends of the Hunley run an exhibition that tells the story of the submarine and displays some of the recovered artefacts. The nonprofit offers tours on weekends that allow the public to take a look at the submarine in its tank.
“Collaborating with partners like Clemson University is critical to highlighting an important part of our nation’s rich maritime heritage,” said Kellen Butler, president and CEO of Friends of Hunley. “We look forward to continuing to work with Clemson to preserve the Hunley and its artifacts for future generations.”
