CHARLESTON- The first crew of the C.S.S. Hunley were laid to rest in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C., where Confederate reenactors from across the South were on hand to participate in the funeral ceremony, which included a 21-gun salute. The crew was discovered under the parking lot of the Citadel Stadium during renovations.The C.S.S. Hunley, which was sank off the coast and thought lost forever, was discovered 20 miles off of the South Carolina coast with the remains of the final crew inside. The submarine became the first in history to sink an enemy ship in 1864 when it torpedoed the U.S.S. Housitanic in Charleston Harbor. Turner Network Television made the story of the ill-fated submarine into a feature film last year. Sumner County, Tenn. native Horace Lawson Hunley built the submarine.Although in the midst of a controversial battle over the flying of the Confederate flag over the South Carolina state house and a tourist boycott by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, thousands of tourists were on hand to watch the historic ceremony. Some 400 re-enactors attended the funeral and march through the city of Charleston, as the five flag-draped coffins were pulled by horse-drawn carriages. People came from as far away as Virginia and Texas to pay tribute to their ancestors. "The spirit of the Southern people is just amazing to me," said Carol Louttit, of Rhode Island, who was making her first trip to Charleston and watched the procession at The Battery. She was dumbstruck at how exactly the re-enactors played their roles. "It’s wonderful to see them take their heritage so seriously," she added.
The bones of the five members of the sub’s first crew were recovered last summer during a dig beneath The Citadel’s football stadium. The men died during a freak accident in August 1863 when the wake of a passing ship flooded the sub’s open hatches. When the sailors were recovered 10 days later, they were taken to an area on Charleston’s outskirts and quietly buried in a mariner’s cemetery. Decades later the graves accidentally were covered over and forgotten during construction of the stadium in 1948.
Historians have identified the men as Frank Doyle, John Kelly, Michael Cane, Nicholas Davis and Absalom Williams, who joined the Confederate cause after landing as sailors in America in New Orleans. Tests indicate one of the crew was a 13-year-old boy. For the most part the march through the city was without incident. But some Market vendors held anti-Confederate flag signs along the parade route "I felt the ceremony was appropriate," said historian David Cutriff, "and conducted in a proper and historical manner. While some have pointed to the fact they were Irish immigrants, they were also Confederate sailors and due a military burial. These men gave succeeding crews the hope that they could accomplish the goal of sinking an enemy ship in a submarine. What they did completely revolutionized naval warfare around the world. Interring them in Magnolia Cemetery alongside the inventor of the C.S.S. Hunley completes the circle of that famous event, which is truly a rarity in the historic community. " The coffins carrying the crew’s bones were draped by the second national flag of the Confederacy, which has the battle emblem placed in an all-white field. Several modern-day submarine veterans also attended the funeral. Hans Vlam, who served aboard the USS Guardfish from 1964-78, said he felt a kinship with the Hunley men. "They got down the hatch, then closed the hatch," he said. "They didn’t know what was going to happen."
As the re-enactors entered the cemetery, they turned swords and rifles in a reverse carry, as a show of respect. A young woman also played "Dixie" on the violin. One speaker said it was important to keep pursuing the past, no matter what meaning it has today.
"We stand here in the realization that our history could be lost forever," said Dr. Jonathan Leader, deputy state archaeologist, who called for preservation of history "in all its forms."
The participants drew the attention of state Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, one of the few African-Americans who attended the service. "I’m a history buff so it’s very educational," he said. "All this is very, very enlightening."Archaeologists are still studying the submarine and are working to recover it so scientists and historians can study the craft and preserve it for museum display. The crew inside the submarine will also be laid to rest with full honors once they are recovered form the craft.
CSS Hunley restoration proceeding
ahead of schedule
NASHVILLE - Tennessee archaeologists are watching with interest the current studies being conducted on the CSS Hunley in Charleston, S.C. The vessel has been in a closed environment since being recovered this past summer and archaeologists as well as historians are wondering if the remains of the submarine's last crew could still be intact. Archaeologists and scientists are finding a lot of surprises in their work.The design and engineering are different from what was earlier thought, namely, that it was built of overlapping iron plates, which were riveted together. The design of the submarine minimized the drag and gave the submarine the most efficient movement possible through the water. In addition, it has been determined that the steering cables and the propeller shaft ran inside protective hollow tubes that gave them protection. According to reports from the Friends of the Hunley organization, who has been aiding in the process of preserving the vessel, probes into the aft section of the submarine have detected what appears to be a bulkhead between the aft ballast tank and the crew compartment. This finding by the staff is very important to the possibilities for the condition of the human remains in the crew compartment. In addition, Dr. Neyland, who is overseeing the project, reports that an animal rib from either a cow or hog was found inside the tail section of the submarine which was washed into the site after the sinking of the vessel. It became lodged inside the tail section through the three-foot hole in the rear starboard section. While this bone is not related to the crew of the Hunley, it is in good condition considering it was exposed to elements. Senator Glenn McConnell, who is chairman of the Hunley Commission, says the preservation of the animal bone could very well mean that the remains of the human crew could still be intact. "The presence of a bulkhead and the good condition of the animal bone," said McConnell, " increased the probabilities that the human skeletal remains are in very good state of preservation and hat the discoveries ahead will be remarkable especially given the time that the Hunley has been on the ocean bottom." The public is being invited to view the ongoing work and more information can be found on the CSS Hunley's ongoing preservation efforts at www.hunley.org. There is an addmission fee. If the remains of the last historic crew are still intact, descendents as well as members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans are planning burial ceremonies for the crew. The CSS Hunley is recognized as the first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship when it rammed a torpedo into the USS Housitanic. The submarine was the brainchild and project of Tennessee natives Horace L. Hunley and Matthew Maury.
Human remains found in Hunley
submarine excavation
KNOXVILLE – Local historians who returned from Charleston, S.C, last week said they were excited by the announcement that scientists excavating the C.S.S. Hunley had discovered six remains that have been identified by Smithsonian Institution scientist Doug Owsley as human. The remains are believed to be the remains of the nine man crew lost in the Confederate submarine shortly after sinking the Union warship Housitanic in Charleston Harbor on Feb. 17, 1864 –making it the first submarine in history to accomplish sinking an enemy vessel.
The submarine was raised from a sand bar last summer near Charleston and taken to a climate-controlled facility and began the slow process of excavating the sand and clay-filled vessel.
The conservation organization "Friends of the Hunley", who have been monitoring the excavation and raising money to preserve the Hunley, issued a statement saying that the scientists had uncovered three ribs, part of a belt and pieces of clothing in the front section of the submarine. Scientists also found a corked glass bottle, a wooden shelf, and what is believed to be the controls to one of the submarine’s two ballast tanks. The primitive tanks were used to raise and lower the ship. To submerge, the crew would fill the tanks with water and then pump it out when they wanted to surface it. A Friends of the Hunley spokesperson said if the scientists discover the valve was open, it would help tell the story of final minutes of the submarine crew and that they were trying to dive or submerge.
Many Tennesseans have been keeping up with the excavation on the Internet and actually visited the site of the excavation.
"From what I saw when I was there," said Knoxville resident Stephen Miller, "the scientists are having a time digging through the sand and accumulated sediment that has filled the submarine over the years. It is definitely a toothbrush and finger operation where every grain of material is studied and it is going to take a long time to completely excavate the sub. At the time we visited, they were sort of keeping hopes low that any human remains still existed in the submarine so I am sure this has been a shot in the arm for the team working on it. "
Miller said he was surprised by the number of people who toured the facility and watched the excavation.
"You have people from all walks of life watching it – archaeology students, historians, you name it ," said Miller. "The fact that the sub’s inventor was a Tennessean was one of the reasons I wanted to visit the project while I was in Charleston. I hope that the scientists can find more remains and artifacts that will help tell the story of the submarine’s last mission. "
Researchers with the project say they would like to uncover enough remains so forensic experts will be able to reconstruct the crew member’s faces. Once the project is completed, what remains are found in the submarine are expected to be buried next to the others who died testing the vessel with full Confederate military honors.
Miller says he would like to see a delegation from the U.S. Navy present at the final ceremonies.
"The Navy currently has a sub-tender ship named the U.S.S. Hunley in honor of H.L. Hunley," said Miller, " and I hope the Navy will be involved in the ceremonies
CSS Hunley excavation disproving long-held beliefs
Smithsonian Institution forensic anthropologist Dr. Doug Owsley and his team have been sorting the remains, trying to put the skeletons back together again. His initial study of the remains show the Hunley crew ranged in age from 19 to their early 40s. "With what we have recovered, we can put a face and age to each set of remains," said Glenn McConnell, chairman of the Hunley Commission, "but with the exception of Lt. Dixon, the true identity of each of the others still eludes us."Neyland says that he is confident the rest of the crew eventually will be identified. Dixon has been identified because he was at the captain's post in the sub and by the gold coin in his pocket bearing his initials - and dented by a bullet at the Battle of Shiloh. The other men may be identified through health records and physical descriptions, and by matching artifacts with the skeletons. Some of the men’s descendants have offered to provide DNA samples to aid in identifying the remains and scientists may also be able to use artifacts to help identify them. Since the archaeological excavations began, it has turned into one of South Carolina’s most visited tourist attractions. The team hopes to preserve the vessel and reconstruct the men’s faces where computer enhancements can show people what they looked like at the time of their historic military mission. The men are then expected to be laid to rest with the proper ceremony and honors benefiting a Confederate soldier.