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H. L. Hunley

2:56

Civil War Submarine | Secret Weapon of the Confederacy

1:01

Finding the Hunley in Charleston Harbor

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The Recovery of the H. L. Hunley

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H.L. Hunley

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17th February 1864: H.L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to sink an enemy ship

H. L. Hunley, often referred to as Hunley, was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War. Hunley demonstrated the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. She was the first combat submarine to sink a warship, although Hunley was not completely submerged and, following her successful attack, was lost along with her crew before she could return to base. The Confederacy lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings of Hunley during her short career. She was named for her inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley, shortly after she was taken into government service under the control of the Confederate States Army at Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Predecessors 

  • Construction and testing 

  • Armament 

  • Attack on ''Housatonic'' 

  • Disappearance 

  • Recovery of wreckage 

  • Crew 

  • In popular culture