"Hunley: Experts find new evidence in submarine mystery" Topic

link

Oi.

That's a design I expect to be accompanied by, "Here, hold my beer."

Conflicts with the story of the "we're coming home" light … doggone it.

It will be interesting to see what further research reveals.

I got to wondering how far from the Housatonic wreck the Hunley was located. According to the Wikipedia article on the Hunley, its wreck was located about 100 yards away from the wreck of the Housatonic. If this is accurate, then the scenario described is very feasible and likely.

Interesting stuff. Thanks.

"Maria Jacobsen, the senior archaeologist on the project, said small models might also be used to recreate the attack."

Does anyone already make a Hunley? I wonder what rules she will be using, sounds like a fun project! I just hope she finishes it faster than I finish mine.

Please tell me if I have this correct: the copper sleeve was attached to the torpedo, and the torpedo+sleeve were supposed to slip off the iron spar, after the torpedo+sleeve lodged into the target?

So, the fact that the sleeve was found still wrapped around the iron spar meant that the torpedo detonated while attached to the iron spar. Since the iron spar was attached to and jutted from the Hunley, then it exploded right next to the Hunley.

And this is corroborated by the fact that the iron spar is deformed consistent with an explosion.

Do I have this correct?

Yes, you have that correct.

It is very likely that, considering this hypothesis, Hunley's crew was either knocked out or killed by the concussion from the blast. The spar being deformed as it is, means that the shock wave, amplified by the water, traveled back along it's axis, and pushed Hunley away from USS Housatonic. Likely she drifted and slowly settled to the bottom upright some 100 yards away.

Her crew either died of asphyxiation while concussed, or were dead already. Either way, any survivors would have likely been unable to exit the craft, it being such a confined space, and they certainly would not have been able to operate it with only a partial crew.

TKindred, how submerged was the Hunley at the time of impact? Or was the Hunley just meant to be a very low-profile craft, like a shark swimming on the surface?

The main school of thought is that she had her hatch trunks exposed so that the skipper (Dixon) could see the approach to the vessel and place the torpedo properly against the hull.

The main support for this is that Housatonic's crew spotted her approach and opened fire with small arms. One possibility is that just as the torpedo came against the hull, a musket ball or pistol round hit and broke the viewing port where Dixon was standing, and either blinding him, or otherwise wounding him and causing him to pull the lanyard on the torpedo as he fell away from his position.

That's just one theory, but it's backed up by the fact that the observation window WAS broken. Now, that might also have occurred by either the concussion of the blast, or a fragment blown back from either the torpedo or the hull. Thing is, only PART of the glass is broken away, which somewhat argues against the blast which would have been more likely to knock ALL of the glass out, rather than just part of it.

We'll probably never know for sure, but this new hypothesis seems to answer MANY of the questions and, for now, seems the best answer to what really happened that evening.

V/R

Thank you, TKindred.

Well, even if the Hunley was completely underwater, you can see a submarine quite clearly from above, to a pretty amazing depth (over 100 feet down!).