#18 Why Did The Hunley Not Return

NEWSLETTER #18 FRIDAY, September 27, 2002 *******************************************************

Contents

1) WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS 2) "WHY DID THE HUNLEY NOT RETURN" 3) HOW THE ATTACK ON THE HOUSATONIC MIGHT HAVE GONE DOWN 4) WHO KEPT WATCH ON THE HUNLEY BEFORE IT WAS RAISED 5) The DEVIL and JOHN ERICSSON 6) THE HUNLEY MOON 7) FUNERAL FOR HUNLEY CREW 8) FROM THE GUEST BOOK 9) OUR PURPOSE AND GOALS

***************************** 1) WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS: We are publishing newsletters every two weeks. One of the primary highlights of this newsletter is to focus on solving the mysteries surrounding the Hunley and the discussion of facts as they are released.

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The Hunley Store now has the book, The Civil War at Charleston. Over 60,000 copies have been sold through the years. Do you have yours? www.hunleystore.com/Books.htm *******************************************************

I can highly recommend this book to get a concise picture of what was happening around Charleston and The Hunley during the Civil War. It is well put together and is great as a reference tool. It would be useful to anyone teaching or just interested in Charleston. George

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2) "WHY DID THE HUNLEY NOT RETURN" By George W. Penington The Hunley.com No one knows exactly why the Hunley sank but there are many theories and most of these have been discussed by members of the CSS H L HUNLEY CLUB. I used the liberty of considering the most reasonable and realistic theories and combining them with my own knowledge of Engineering and the local waters. I am open to any suggestions from the readers who can find fault or error in these theories or who would like to add their own ideas.

Theories about the Sinking of the Hunley:

Gunfire from the deck of the Housatonic was somehow responsible. The "single bullet" Lucky Shot Theory.

Slow leak to the forward ballast tank from the concussion of the exploding torpedo?

Swamped or hit by the USS Canandaigua without the Federals knowing it?

There was a malfunction of the snorkel valves leading to Anoxia of the crew. The "Lack of Oxygen" theory.

Were the dive planes and shroud damaged from the concussion of the explosion?.

Is it possible that Hunley could have been stuck in the mud?

Did ramming the Housatonic, bending the spar, and the sudden stop break bones and cause serious injury. The Housatonic crew reported a thud that moved the 228 ' ship slightly, to the point that they thought they had run aground trying to escape the Hunley. When the Hunley was spotted the Housatonic immediately raised anchor and started reversing engine. The current would have already pushed the Hunley down the length of the ship after she had set her explosive. The Housatonic took about five good turns, and between that and the prevailing current may have caused her to slam into the Hunley causing damage to the steering mechanisms before the explosion. *****************

Most of the Hunley crew were found at their duty stations. One crewman was found closer to the top, a possible indication of an escape attempt. The majority of the crew showed no indication of awareness that the sub was mortally sunk, none of them made an effort to escape. Human nature and the instinct to survive would have been an overpowering force no matter how well disciplined or brave the crew might have been. So some effort would have been made to escape even though it appears that any attempt would be futile. The Recovery Team expected to find body parts stacked together around the hatches indicating a fight to escape. Did Lt. Dixon (1) Intentionally take the Hunley down to wait for the tide to turn. (2) Submerge to rest the crew and perform first aid or (3) Submerge to allow the Yankee rescue efforts to subside. Commander Dixon knew how long they could wait, they had practiced this before. But in the "Thrill" of victory, did he miscalculate Did they all go to sleep to never wake up.

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Dixon knew the tide schedule when he departed Sullivans Island and had developed a mission time table. The Hunley could not make headway against the tide so everything had to be timed perfectly. ( A watch was among the artifacts discovered.) The Hunley had been out numerous times watching the movement of the blockading fleet and mapping out a suitable target. Every other day the 24 year old Dixon would also walk the ocean side of Sullivans Island with his crew from their station in an abandoned house in Mt. Pleasant late in January, 1864. He noticed that several blockaders were anchoring closer in shallow water but didn't realize the Yankees new about him and were waiting. The Southern Command was losing patience and Dixon's leave from the Twenty-first Alabama Regiment was expiring in two weeks. The Command wanted the "Housatonic" taken out. and Dixon was anxious and ready.. They had practiced their attack technique: Go to full "ram" speed, quick disconnect, and full reverse speed. This crew had only been together three months, but had practiced the long dive, lengthy runs, and strenuous cranking periods. There were numerous occasions while testing the Hunley in the harbor that the crew could go no further and had run out of strength. An agreement was made among the crew that if the Hunley ever got stuck on the bottom under water they would open the seacocks and end it all. They had decided that they would rather drown quickly at their own choosing than suffocate slowly.

The Hunley was dynamically engineered and the well-prepared; the well-trained crew was ready to go. Did Dixon miscalculate...One theory is about maneuvering for the attack, backing away, and avoiding the sinking Housatonic, did Dixon find himself farther from base than he planned and was he faced with the prospect of going across the paths of ships coming to the rescue of the Housatonic forcing him to take the Hunley down. A submerged attack was against Beauregard's compromise agreement with Dixon and the basis of which he made his decision not to ground the Hunley. Dixon would not have gone against a direct order without a critical need and may have had to make a battle field decision to dive or was it that all along Lt. Dixon knew the Hunley was made for diving. Going to the bottom could not have been less risky than staying on the surface. Was it a calculated risk to run below the surface to avoid detection, or an urgent demand and need to sit on the bottom. It would not be likely that such a risk would be taken simply to give the crew a rest.

Assume the crew had to work harder to return to base because they were farther out to sea than expected due to the tide. They were cranking as hard as possible to make head way. The seven man engine was wearing out. They then found themselves smack in the middle of a major rescue operation. The Canandaigua was proceeding toward the Housatonic after picking up several lifeboats. Signal lights were flashing everywhere between the blockade ships. The ships which were previously blacked out were now lit up and searching the waters for any David's and particularly the Hunley. The moon was out and the Hunley was exposed. Did Dixon decide after having had the crew crank under full power for over an hour and making very little headway; searching ships were all around him; there was the chance that his blue light signal may have been seen; that it would be best to submerge and avoid the traffic and to wait for the ebb tide to turn at about 10:50. The "blue light" signal proves two things: the Hunley was still in the area of the Housatonic about 45 minutes after the attack and the Hunley was on the surface, with a hatch open. Dixon had to know that the search efforts was not likely to end any time soon. Dixon had tested the limits of the Hunley's time underwater and found that the absolute limit was 2 1/2 hours. Had he practiced this maneuver for a reason? We know that there was consistent problems with the snorkel and air bellows. One theory offers the possibility that this equipment had mal-functioned that night unbeknownst to the crew and that the oxygen was reduced and anoxia had set in with the effect of decreased ability to make sound decisions. When the candle went out after a half hour the crew may not have responded correctly to this vital signal. What stage of anoxia would the crew have been when the air in the boat could no longer support a candle flame? To add to the misery the crew was probably injured and deafened by the premature explosion and bleeding from the ears. There was serious fear and vital destruction of moral. The crew as possibly sitting there in the dark with their hands on the crank and not being able to hear or see the captain or even the crewman next to you. Even the strongest willed crewman would feel panic under those conditions. Working to save your life, like cranking for home, instead of crouching inside a freezing cold iron straw, shivering and trembling just waiting for something to happen to improve your chances of surviving does not sound like a viable option. Dixon was a fighter and would have chosen to allow his men to make every effort to save their lives regardless of any theoretical advantage inherent in waiting at the bottom of the sea. We know that Dixon could estimate the proximity of blockading steamers from the sound of screws or engines while sitting on the bottom at 25 feet. One or both hatches had just been opened for use of the blue signal lamp (a blue calcium) allowing time enough to replenish the air supply on board.

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3) HOW THE ATTACK ON THE HOUSATONIC MIGHT HAVE GONE DOWN During the late 1950s researcher Louis Genella conducted research into the climatological conditions of the night of 17 February, 1864, and concluded that on the 17th tidal conditions in the vicinity of Fort Sumter were probably as follows and is the basis for some of this theory. We know that High tide was at 3:40 PM Hunley ships out at 7:00 P.M. About half way to low tide going out - Less work for the Crew. The Hunley can barely make headway against the tide. The currents at Breech Inlet are ferocious. They ride the current out. Low tide is not until 9:45 PM The beginning of ebb current - 4:30 PM - maximum ebb occurring at 7:45 PM; By 8:00 PM Hunley is half way to target - Dixon takes a bearing on Housatonic. Between 8:45 - 9:00 PM Hunley is full speed ahead. They are spotted by lookouts on Housatonic about 300 - 400 feet out. The alarm is sounded after a minute and a half and the Housatonic slips anchor and starts backing up. Her bow is toward Fort Sumter. Hunley has slammed against the hull of Housatonic and explosive is set. The sudden stop has bent the spar and slammed the crew forward. Some are injured. Between the outgoing current and the reverse cranking of the crew, and the Housatonic reversing, line to firing pin is feed out and Hunley has drifted less than 100 yards away in the next minute and a half. The hatches are closed during the explosion but the concussion rocks the ship and crew. The incredible force and pressure from the blast could have caused near un-consciousness and confusion, if not killing a few of them. The blast effect too could have caused the propeller to turn in reverse breaking or bruising arms or legs. Forensics will tell if there were broken bones and other damages. The Hunley drifts away with the current for the next 20 minutes. The Housatonic sends a rescue boat which was rowed to the Canandaigua two miles away. The boat belonging to the Housatonic reached the ship at about 9:20, giving information that the vessel had been sunk at 8:45 p. m., by a rebel torpedo craft. Canandaigua cranks up and starts heading toward the Housatonic at 9:35 PM to perform rescue operations. The Hunley is pointed toward Sullivans Island dead ahead North. The signal "blue" light is sent and answered by Battery Marshall. Fires are lit on the beach and roaring by 9:45 PM. The Housatonic has sunk in 25' of water with only her three mast and rigging showing and can be seen in the Hunley’s North West quadrant about 1200 yards away by Dixon who is standing in the forward hatch and Cpl. Carlson standing in the rear hatch. (We know that Dixon can not see out of the hatch portholes with the latch engaged) The Hunley wants to move toward Battery Marshall but can now see the Canandaigua in her North East quadrant about equal distance as the Housatonic in a path to cross his bow. Robert Fleming, who has climbed into the Housatonic's rigging can see the blue light just ahead of the Canandaigua, which is pulling the Housatonic's launch and on the way to rescue them. Dixon can see that he will not be able to outrun the Canandaigua and prepares to dive. As she crash dives, Dixon realizes that something is wrong with the steering, part of the propeller shroud has blown off and the propeller shaft is damaged so the dive planes are malfunctioning. As he starts to head for the surface suddenly engine sounds can be heard overhead. The Canandaigua has passed directly overhead at full emergency speed to transfer to the Wabash 57 of the Housatonic officers and men. The keel and propeller wash strike the Hunley forcing her into a rear dive when she lands aft first on her rudder. As the sound of the Canandaigua passes in the distance, the crew tries to make repairs including releasing the keel bolts which are jammed and bent and will not release. The keel release mechanism fails. Water spills out of the ballast tanks into the crew compartment. Pumping out water is now crucial to survive. This would have to be done in two steps. First they had to pump and bail the water back into the ballast tanks. Second they had to pump it out of the boat. The cranks will not turn as the candle fades out and anoxia and eventual suffocation take over. The forward hatch is neither latched nor closed all the way either because Dixon did not have time to latch it down or it was unlatched in his attempt to escape. The one hundred and fifty pound hatch stayed sealed but the cabin was filled with water about half way. Her final resting place is within 600 yards of the Housatonic. The attack took place between approximately 8:45 and 9:00 PM. The time that the blue signal light was witnessed and answered by Battery Marshall may have been sometime around 9:30 PM, which is when a blue light was observed on the water, starboard of the Housatonic and in front of the rescuing USS Canandaigua by Seaman Robert Flemming, one of the few black crewman aboard, the Housatonic, after he had climbed up into the rigging of the settling Housatonic. ********************************************************* *********************************************************

Evidence and information is greedily coveted by the Friends of the Hunley and crucial details are slowly released. There is a lot of data that should be available which isn't, so theories are developed intuitively and by reading between the lines. Confederate spies occasionally release tid bits of information or it is accidentally released by employees, but still there is no conclusive evidence to support any of the sinking theories, some of which are discussed here. Hopefully, the ongoing work at the Warren Lasch Center will eventually be released and we will find the "smoking gun" of the mystery that evades us. It may be that no one will never know for sure exactly what happened that sent the Hunley to the bottom for a hundred and thirty six years. Did Dixon show us the "Blue Light" knowing that they were going to die that night but wanted the history books to record the fact that they survived the attack and that the submarine torpedo boat actually worked. We know that every system, mechanical and human was vital to the Hunley's success. And even though each system is primitive by today's standards, the simplicity of the propulsion system which includes the crank, the gears, stuffing box, the propeller and the shroud, the steering system which includes the compass, linkages, rudder combined with the diving planes controlling depth and trim, the mercury gauge, the seacocks and pumps, the life support systems with included the hatches, snorkel and bellows and finally the motor which included seven men and a leader, all had to work together, but one or two of them failed. The mission is to determine which ones. ********************************************

4) WHO KEPT WATCH ON THE HUNLEY BEFORE IT WAS RAISED

SPAWAR shares National Trust award for raising Hunley Wednesday, September 25, 2002 Staff report from The Post and Courier. HANAHAN-The Navy's Space and Naval Warfare System Center here is sharing an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its role in raising the Confederate submarine Hunley, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. The trust's first Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships will be presented next month at the National Preservation Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Other federal agencies sharing the award include the Department of Defense, the National Park Service, the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers. The National Trust also will recognize five state agencies and five private organizations, including the Friends of the Hunley, which helped spearhead the effort to raise the sub. SPAWAR spokeswoman Carol Venning said SPAWAR set up monitoring devices to keep watch on the Hunley before it was raised and developed a data base to help scientists track artifacts removed from the vessel. The Hunley, the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship, was raised off Charleston two years ago and brought to a conservation lab in North Charleston. It sank in 1864 after sinking the Union blockade ship Housatonic. "Raising the Hunley provides a tangible connection with the daring and dedicated men who changed the course of history," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust.

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5) The DEVIL and JOHN ERICSSON by Serenade Penington The Mudpluffer During the American Civil War, as a result of reports that the Confederates were converting the “Merrimac” into an ironclad, the Department of the Navy requested proposals for the construction of armored ships. Capt. John Ericsson replied and the first armored turret ship, the “Monitor,” was launched on January 30, 1862. On March 9 1862 she fought with the Confederate ram “ Merrimac.” Ericsson was dedicated to the study of torpedoes and sun motors. He invented the ship propeller as well as designed and built the Monitor for the Union Navy during the Civil War. During the Civil War the Union Navy became concerned about how to deal with confederate torpedoes, and the clearing of mine barriers. Their success in capturing Charleston Harbor depended on solving this issue. Captain John Ericsson was commissioned to build a minesweeping raft intended to catch torpedoes . Attached across the bows of Union monitor Weehawken, the Ericsson Raft or the" DEVIL" (as it later was nicknamed by confederate troops) was a massive device. It measured 50 feet long and 27 feet wide. She weighed well over 45 tons, complete with grappling hooks and enormous chains. The intended hope was the hooks and chains would sweep the mines before the Federal vessel came upon them. Three such rafts had been built although two were lost before they arrived in Charleston. Unfortunately the best laid plans often go astray. The "DEVIL" lived up to it's name. Early into her mission she held up the advance of the entire squadron about to attack Charleston on April 7, 1863 by jamming up the lead ship Weehawken's anchor chain .The raft became so cumbersome that she had to be cut loose. After she washed up on the beach after the battle, confederate soldiers having never seen anything so monstrous in war before, named her "the DEVIL." John Ericsson, Swedish-American naval engineer / Inventor was born July 31, 1803 the second son to mines inspector Olaf Ericsson, in Langbanshyttan, Wermland Sweden. .John was considered an engineering mastermind and was involved in the improvement of power transmission. Eriksson's mechanical talent was obvious when he was a youth. By age twelve John worked for the Swedish Canal Company as a draughtsman. John served in the English army from 1820 to 1827. His drawing and military maps astounded the king who later promoted John to the rank of captain. In 1826 he traveled to London, with his partner John Braithwaite where they constructed a locomotive engine called the “Novelty,” at Rainhill in 1829, for the Liverpool & Manchester railway competition. Ericsson had numerous inventions during that period. He calculated plans for an entirely underwater marine engine for Captain John Ross’s voyage of the “Victory,” to the Arctic in 1829. The plans were not accepted but by 1833 his caloric engine was made public. He applied for a patent for a screw-propeller in 1836, however was awarded only one-fifth share of the f20,000 given by the administrators because his patent was applied for after others before him. At this time Captain Stockton, of the United States navy, needed a small iron vessel to be fitted by Ericsson with engines and screw. and contracted Laird of Birkenhead, as builders of the vessel. In May 1839 it reached New York. A few months later Ericsson moved to New York, where he resided for the rest of his life, highly respected as an engineer and iron ships builder. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1848. In 1875 he published Solar Investigations and Contributions to the Centennial Exhibition in 1877. He died in New York on the 8th of March 1889. At the time of his death his assets were estimated at near £50,000. In 1890 the Swedish government, asked that his body be sent to Stockholm and carried into Wermland, where, it was buried on the 15th of September at Filipstad.

6) THE HUNLEY MOON

Phase of the Moon on February 17, 1864: waning gibbous with 70% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. Waning Gibbous - The Moon appears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight. The fraction of the Moon's disk that is illuminated is decreasing. This is the moon that the Hunley Crew were looking at the night she sank the Housatonic. It is the same moon we see tonight in Charleston S.C. 1864 Phases of the Moon http://mach.usno.navy.mil/cgi-bin/aa_moonphases.pl?year=1864&ZZZ=END *******************************************

7) FUNERAL FOR HUNLEY CREW Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 20:54:56 -0400 From: "JUDICIARY SENATE" <SJU@SCSENATE.ORG To: mistergwp@yahoo.com Subject: Hunley Funeral Dear Mr. Penington, Thanks so much for your e-mail regarding the funeral for the Hunley crew. We certainly appreciate your interest. The funeral is scheduled for the Fall of 2003, and the public is urged to attend. It will be held in Charleston, South Carolina at Magnolia Cemetery, where this crew will be buried with the other crews. Mr. Randy Burbage is one of our Hunley Commission members and would be the best contact person. He can be reached at 1/800/611-2823 or 1130 John Rutledge Avenue, Hanahan, South Carolina 29406-2018. With best regards, we are Beckie Gunter Secretary to Senator Glenn McConnell (Chairman, Hunley Commission) ***********************************************************

8) FROM THE GUEST BOOK

Date: 14 Sep 2002 Comments: Our family here in Wilmington, appreciates the work you people are doing. David + Virginia James Date:

14 Sep 2002 Comments: Thank you for keeping a part of our history alive. I'm sure i will enjoy this web site. Thank you very much. Johnny Seigler, Batesburg, S,C,

Date: 19 Sep 2002 Comments: Great site. Interesting reading. Capt. Judd Spence, E. Lee Spence's nephew. JuanGoat@aol.com

Date: 23 Sep 2002 Comments: hi i am an electronic instrumentation &control engg wanna join marine/naval can u help me to provide info about it bye anchal

Date: 25 Sep 2002 Comments: I just found your site and have just subscribed to your news letter. You are to be most highly commended for providing 'The Most Up to Date Free Information Site on the Web' and for all your efforts in sharing this most historic information with the world. I am honored to sign your guest book, thus becoming part of history. Alan Rosenburg, Loveland, Colorado, USA. Date: 25 Sep 2002 Comments: I think this is an outstanding website, I come back to it again and again. Please continue your good work! ****************************************************************

9) OUR PURPOSE AND GOALS Is to provide specialized information to those who are interested in the recovery efforts and history of the Confederate Submarine H L Hunley. It is available free to anyone who might benefit from the information it contains, for example, students and history buffs. Our mailing list will always be kept private and will never be sold. **************************************************************** FEEL FREE TO SEND A COPY TO A FRIEND

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