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Our Treasure
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Hunley: the first submarineThe worlds first true submarine, the CSS Hunley, was built in 1863 in Mobile Alabama. The submarine was financed by Horace Lawson Hunley, who designed the submarine with James R. McClintock and Baxter Wilson. The confederate army was represented by W. A. Alexander and George E. Dixon. The Hunley was 39.5 feet long, 4 feet wide and five feet deep. It was powered by an eight man hand crank connected to the propeller. The ship was steered by a rudder connected to a wheel for the captain. The sub was constructed from a cylindrical iron boiler reinforced by iron strips. Front and back ballast tanks allowed the Hunley to submerge, while a force pump would empty the tanks to bring the sub to the surface. A 4000 pound keel kept the sub upright. A mercury gauge showed the depth, and a simple candle acted as an oxygen sensor. That candle was also the only source of light. A snorkel was used to draw in fresh air when the submarine was close enough to the surface. The Hunley had a very short range, and could only stay submerged for 25 minutes, so it would be towed out to sea. Originally, the Hunley would drag the explosive charge behind it. The thinking was that the dub would dive under its victim then pull the charge into it. The Union ships started placing nets and chains around their ships to eliminate this threat. Besides, if the towing ship suddenly stopped, the explosives would keep moving up on them, creating a very dangerous situation. Lt. Dixon mounted a 20 to 25 foot iron shaft onto the front of the Hunley, and attached the explosive charge to the end. This torpedo of sorts was also attached to the ship with a lanyard. The theory was that the Hunley would ram the ship, then back away leaving the explosive charge inside the ship. As the Hunley backed away, the lanyard would tighten and detonate the charge, sinking the ship. This was the method of attack that successfully sank the Housatonic.
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