Question: who invented the submarine during the civil war?
Answer: Horace Lawson Hunley

H.L. Hunley , often referred to as Hunley , was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War . Hunley demonstrated the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare . She was the first combat submarine to sink a warship ( USS Housatonic ) , although Hunley was not completely submerged and , following her successful attack , was lost along with her crew before she could return to base . The Confederacy lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings of Hunley during her short career . She was named for her inventor , Horace Lawson Hunley , shortly after she was taken into government service under the control of the Confederate States Army at Charleston , South Carolina .