SeaJay
Contributor
RavenC and I will be heading up to Charleston, SC on Saturday, the 17th of April to attend the funeral for the eight Confederate crew members of the H.L. Hunley.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of the Hunley, it was the Confederate "secret weapon" during the latter months of the Civil War... A submarine. The "infernal machine" (as it was called by Confederate officers, due to it's history of sinking and killing it's own soldiers) sank in February of 1864 for unknown reasons after successfully attacking and sinking the Union blockade ship Housatonic, anchored outside the Southern port of Charleston. For nearly 140 years the tiny rebel sub was lost to the sea.
Recently the "torpedo boat" was found encased in sediment just 28 feet below Charleston's black waters - complete and with all soldiers still on board. A whopping $17 million was spent to salvage the vessel, in a much publicized project involving such entities as the U.S. Navy and National Geographic.
Today, the submarine is being slowly desalinized for preservation, and the contents of the vessel are being accounted. Amongst the debris are the remains of the eight crew members, who perished literally at the helm of their vessel.
The Hunley and it's crew is a source of great pride for The Old South, and many romantic stories of the crew abound. Steeped deep in tradition, Charleston has decided to give the crew a "propah burial" on the 17th of this month.
RavenC and I have had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Navy facility (currently open to the public) where the boat is being treated, and we have had the opportunity to talk with some of the workers and scientists who are responsible for the salvage of the vessel. We have seen the intact submarine with our own eyes and marveled at the history which has come alive before us.
We invite you to experience this with us - we'll be attending the funeral, which will be complete with armed Confederate guard, and we plan to enjoy the camaraderie that comes with experiencing this sort of event with other divers and wreckers. Won't you please join us?
The event will be highly publicized, and likely tens of thousands of individuals will attend the event. It is our desire, however, to join our friends from the various online communities to which we belong and experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Please RSVP to SeaJay@bftwave.net and let us know if you are interested so that we can plan the event. Likely we'll want to meet at a specific spot at a specific time, such as a restaurant or pub, and from there attend the public portions of the funeral ceremony. Afterwards we may try to see the Hunley itself, depending on crowds. Alternately, we may be able to get in touch with scientists assigned to the excavation or talk to relatives of the deceased in order to better understand the Hunley event.
Please join us!
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of the Hunley, it was the Confederate "secret weapon" during the latter months of the Civil War... A submarine. The "infernal machine" (as it was called by Confederate officers, due to it's history of sinking and killing it's own soldiers) sank in February of 1864 for unknown reasons after successfully attacking and sinking the Union blockade ship Housatonic, anchored outside the Southern port of Charleston. For nearly 140 years the tiny rebel sub was lost to the sea.
Recently the "torpedo boat" was found encased in sediment just 28 feet below Charleston's black waters - complete and with all soldiers still on board. A whopping $17 million was spent to salvage the vessel, in a much publicized project involving such entities as the U.S. Navy and National Geographic.
Today, the submarine is being slowly desalinized for preservation, and the contents of the vessel are being accounted. Amongst the debris are the remains of the eight crew members, who perished literally at the helm of their vessel.
The Hunley and it's crew is a source of great pride for The Old South, and many romantic stories of the crew abound. Steeped deep in tradition, Charleston has decided to give the crew a "propah burial" on the 17th of this month.
RavenC and I have had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Navy facility (currently open to the public) where the boat is being treated, and we have had the opportunity to talk with some of the workers and scientists who are responsible for the salvage of the vessel. We have seen the intact submarine with our own eyes and marveled at the history which has come alive before us.
We invite you to experience this with us - we'll be attending the funeral, which will be complete with armed Confederate guard, and we plan to enjoy the camaraderie that comes with experiencing this sort of event with other divers and wreckers. Won't you please join us?
The event will be highly publicized, and likely tens of thousands of individuals will attend the event. It is our desire, however, to join our friends from the various online communities to which we belong and experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Please RSVP to SeaJay@bftwave.net and let us know if you are interested so that we can plan the event. Likely we'll want to meet at a specific spot at a specific time, such as a restaurant or pub, and from there attend the public portions of the funeral ceremony. Afterwards we may try to see the Hunley itself, depending on crowds. Alternately, we may be able to get in touch with scientists assigned to the excavation or talk to relatives of the deceased in order to better understand the Hunley event.
Please join us!
Expect a report next Sunday, the day after the funeral.
