A Deadly Device: New Insights into the Weapon System of the Submarine H.L. Hunley

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The submarine H.L. Hunley attacked and sank the blockading ship USS Housatonic on the night of February 17, 1864, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in war. Although successful in its mission, the submarine was itself lost that same night. Since its recovery in 2000, the archaeological investigation of the vessel at Clemson University’s Warren Lasch Conservation Center has provided a better understanding of this attack and uncovered more details about the spar-mounted torpedo employed by Hunley. This paper will discuss these details as well as new insights into the weapon system’s evolution, design, subsequent modifications to the submarine, and damage to the vessel relating to the attack. In addition, this paper will elaborate on some collaborative studies that have provided information on the torpedo blast effects and helped clarify current interpretations of the loss of the submarine.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2022 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology