The press boat keeps pace with the recovery barge as it is towed to the conservation lab by two tugboats. Hundreds of other boats follow, horns blasting every once in a while. As they pass Fort Sumter, the fort's flag is at half mast and cannon are fired. They pass Fort Moultrie, and men in Civil War uniform render a 21-gun salute. They pass the Yorktown , and military men and women stand at attention.
Church bells begin ringing on shore, one after another.
After 136 years, the Hunley and her crew of nine finally have come home. J. A. Hitchcock is a lecturer, book author, and freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. All items on this page copyright 2001 U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md., unless otherwise indicated.