Horace Lawson Hunley was born in Tennessee but his family settled in New Orleans. He grew up to be a lawyer and a member of the state legislature. He was also a marine engineer interested in building a submarine. His first attempt had to be scuttled before Union forces captured New Orleans. He moved on to Mobile Bay where the C.S.S. Hunley was built. It was 40 feet long. It was called a “fish boat”, “fish torpedo boat”, or “porpoise”. It had an eight man crew – seven cranked the propeller and one steered. The finished product was shipped to Charleston, which was being blockaded by the Union Navy. On a training run, the sub accidentally dived with hatches still open and five crew members drowned. A second accident claimed an entire crew, including Hunley himself. It was recovered and a Lt. George Dixon was given command. On February 17, 1864 the sub was sent out on a dark night to attack a Union warship, the USS Housatonic. The sub was spotted by sailors and shot at, but not considered a threat. It was equipped with a 22 foot spar that had an explosive attached. The sub rammed the explosive into the ship, but apparently the explosion was too powerful and the Hunley never came up. The Housatonic sank in five minutes and lost five men. This was the first successful submarine attack in history.
https://www.abandonedspaces.com/wrecks/h-l-hunley.html?fbclid=IwAR39vqgBm2wYgD6nbR-y8OQVlvUiv0USsa75dsPP2rSsAiFfwP02NNWmE-g https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley_(submarine)
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