H.L Hunley

1. H.L Hunley By: Dee Hayes

2. H.L. Hunley Some of the first mysteries of this civil war submarine after raising her out of the Charleston Harbour was that she was originally thought to be bigger than her actual size ,and her bow wasn�t square, she had a curved bow. The Hunley was the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship. The Hunley was on the bottom of the Charleston Harbour for 136 years!

3. Clive Clusser August 6, 2000 at the Conservation Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina. Clive Cussler and his companions stand in front of what they thought was just another warehouse at the old Charleston Naval Shipyard. Underwater explorer and best-selling author. Established the National Underwater Marine Agency and spent fifteen years searching for Hunley. Found the Hunley on May 3rd, 1995 .

4. Finding the Hunley The Cussler crew used a magnetometer which, located a metal object off the coast of Sullivan's Island. After they dove in 30 feet of water, they removed three feet of sediment to reveal one of the Hunley's small towers. After finding the tower they thought they had only found a piece of debris. While feeling in the mud they found a hinge to a hatch cover. As if stuck in time - she lay on her starboard side with the bow pointing almost directly toward Sullivans Island - four miles away. The same direction she was heading that historical, fateful and mysterious night.

5. Restoring the Hunley The first step was to completely fill the tank with chilly water. When everything inside the submarine had been hollowed [estimated time 6-12 months], remains and artifacts were properly stored, then conservation of the sub itself began. The Hunley was made entirely out of iron, they had concretions on the outside to deal with, possibly some rust, maybe some organic creatures, making it a very difficult project, and can take anywhere from five to ten years. 136 years of corrosion can not be restored quickly. The spar, which held the explosive that destroyed the Housatonic, was still attached to the bottom of the bow of the Hunley. (was removed for proper recovery of the submarine) and was one of the first artifacts brought to the lab. Mardikian shows the group an X-ray of the spar, pointing out the layer of concretion on the outside and how the computer software can show the spar without the concretion, which will help them during restoration. "We've found in ancient shipwrecks that iron disappears, but the concretions become like molds. So some parts of the spar might be completely empty, even though the corrosion rate is not very high," Mardikian explains. The group walks upstairs to the offices and stops in front of a model of the Hunley, strapped into a metal truss and covered with what looks like yellow pillows. Neyland steps forward and points at the model.