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3) Was Hunley's torpedo battery-powered?
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NEW HEADSTONES PLACED APRIL 12, 2006
Found on The Hunley Crew Burial to be in 2003 Pictures of the Hunley Crew Gravesite BOOKS and GIFTS Article of Torpedo Warfare in the Civil War
WAS IT
THE ANCHOR? -
(Article)
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 HOW TO PLAN A SUBMARINE ATTACK ON AN ENEMY VESSEL Many a theory abounds about what may have happened to the Confederate States Submarine H L Hunley the night of February 17, 1864, the day Commander George E. Dixon decided was best for the first actual attack against an enemy vessel, the Federal Ship, U.S.S. Housatonic. Dixon had waited and watched for this night to plan his attack. He intended to live through this battle and return home the victor. He developed an attack plan, a primary escape plan and several back up plans. His experience with the Hunley had been if something could go wrong it would. After the attack, his first plan was simple. Get the hell out of the area and head home as fast as his 7 horse power crew could crank. He knew that maximum speed with the tide was about 4 knots. Did Lt. Dixon’s plan on hiding in the harbor neighborhood of the attack or was it to make a run for shore? The attack was timed to occur as near as possible to the ebb tide. Did Dixon plan to stay in the area and wait for the tide to turn, it would have made sense for the Hunley Crew to wait and ride the tide back to shore especially considering that it was a 4 mile crank back to home base with a crew that would have been worn out and cold as it was. If Dixon was on the surface, surrounded by enemy ships on the way to investigate what was happening with the Housatonic he would have ordered his men out of the area unless they couldn’t crank any more for other reasons. You may recall that no-one in the area actually heard the explosion from the Housatonic but of course Dixon had no way of knowing that. Dixon would have planned to stay in the area and wait for the tide to turn. The tide is strong in Charleston harbor and it certainly would have made sense to ride it back to shore. Dixon timed the attack in accordance to the tide but tide was only one of many factors to consider. A moving object is the hardest to hit so if Dixon had ordered the crew to stop cranking, it was because he had no other alternative. he was dead in the water. Several theories include the idea that he may have had to hide and wait for the rescue vessels to leave the area so that he could try to repair the damage. Hiding a forty foot vessel, semi-submerged at night in Charleston Harbor with a near full moon would not be an easy thing to do. Dixon’s attack on the Housatonic was made with the submarine semi-submerged with at least the forward hatch unlatched. The crew of the federal ship could see them as they approached. After ramming his harpooned tip torpedo into the hull of the Housatonic below the waterline where the ship was most vulnerable a series of events could have or did occur. The plan was for the harpoon to stick with its explosive package into the hull of the enemy ship and according to design to slide off of the end of the spar as the Hunley backed away The Housatonic would have been anchored from the bow with the bow pointing north toward Charleston due to the ebb tide. The Hunley approached her starboard side. It is my opinion that there was no calm time for chat, the percussion of the blast, the spar was bent from the impact, the crew was seriously hurt, they were trying to signal with the blue light, taking on water and a possibility of getting rammed by a rescue vessel. There was also the possibility the rudder was gone. They were in serious trouble from the get go. GWP
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