See Civil War-era submarine H.L. Hunley at Discovery Museum
- On 18/05/2009
- In Parks & Protected Sites
- 0 comments
By Tracie Simer - Jackson Sun
The Discovery Museum will host a life-sized replica of the H.L. Hunley May 26-30.
The Hunley, named after its inventor Horace Lawson Hunley, was built by the Confederacy during the Civil War, said Rachel Raab, director of the Discovery Museum, at 315 E. Lafayette St. in downtown Jackson.
"Eight men could fit in it shoulder to shoulder," she said. "There was just enough room."
The Hunley sank twice trying to reach Charleston, S.C., from Mobile, Ala., and had to be shipped there by train, Raab said.
Georgie Dickson was the captain of the ship for several months. He would take it out in the water, but the sub was unable to attack ships, Raab said.
"And then on Feb. 17, 1864, it made a hit on the U.S.S. Housatonic, which was a Union steam sloop," she said. "The Hunley attacked and the ship sank.
Then the Hunley signaled back to the Confederate camp that they were coming back. But after that, they never returned."
According to the Web site for the submarine's preservation society, the submarine was excavated in 2000.
Add a comment