Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine - Hardcover

Hicks, Brian; Kropf, Schuyler

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786249110 ISBN 13: 9780786249114

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2002

Synopsis

Based on research by the scientists who unsealed the Hunley, an account of the Confederate submarine relates its disappearance after a confrontation with a Union battleship and its miraculous recovery from Charleston Harbor in 2000.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

The history of the Confederate submarine "H. L. Hunley is as astonishing as its disappearance. On February 17, 1864, after a legendary encounter with a Union battleship, the iron "fish boat" vanished without a trace somewhere off the coast of South Carolina. For more than a century the fate of the "Hunley remained one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Civil War. Then, on August 8, 2000, with thousands of spectators crowding Charleston Harbor, the "Hunley was raised from the bottom of the sea and towed ashore. Now, award-winning journalists Brian Hicks and Schuyler Kropf offer new insights into the "Hunley's final hours and recount the amazing true story of its rescue.
The brainchild of wealthy New Orleans planter and lawyer Horace Lawson Hunley, the "Hunley inspired tremendous hopes of breaking the Union's naval blockade of Charleston, only to drown two crews on disastrous test runs. But on the night of February 17, 1864, the "Hunley finally made good on its promise. Under the command of the heroic Lieutenant George E. Dixon, the sub rammed a spar torpedo into the Union sloop "Housatonic and sank the ship within minutes, accomplishing a feat of stealth technology that would not be repeated for half a century.
And then, shortly after its stunning success, the "Hunley vanished.
This book is an extraordinary true story peopled with a fascinating cast of characters, including Horace Hunley himself, the Union officers and crew who went down with the "Housatonic, P. T. Barnum, who offered $100,000 for its recovery, and novelist Clive Cussler, who spearheaded the mission that finally succeeded in finding the "Hunley. The drama of salvaging the sub is only the prelude to apage-turning account of how scientists unsealed this archaeological treasure chest and discovered the inner-workings of a submarine more technologically advanced than anyone expected, as well as numerous, priceless artifacts.
Hicks and Kropf have crafted a spellbinding adventure story that spans over a century of American history. Dramatically told, filled with historical details and contemporary color, illustrated with breathtaking original photographs, "Raising the Hunley is one of the most fascinating Civil War books to appear in years.

"From the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

“Forget the Titanic; this sub wreck is hot.”
–The Wall Street Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0786249110
• ISBN 13: 9780786249114
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 499