Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-21
FIRST SUBMARINE wAS,N
THE CONFEDERATE NAVY.
United States Steamer Housatonic Sunk
After Numerous FruitIess Attempts
to Break Through Blockade.

the first use OF the submarine in war
was made by the Confederates. and
this item was so generally copied by
the newspapers of this State Il may
be OF further interest to read more
about this strange craft" says the
Chatham IN. c. } Record.
"Of course. Il was a very crude sort
of boat, and cannot be compared 70
the latest improved submarines now
being used so effectively by Germans.
This Confederate submarine was nam
ed the II. L. Hunley, was constructed
at Mobile and was brought from there
on fiat cars TO Charleston for the pur-
pose of trying TO break up the block
ade of that port by the Federal yes
sells off the harbor.
1T was about forty feet in length
and six in diameter. and shaped like
a cigar. Its motive power came from
seven men turning cranks attached to
the propeller shaft. and when work
ing their best the boat would make
only four miles an hour This is in
most striking contrast with the speed
Of modern submarines, one of which
recently made a voyage of three thous-
and miles to the Dardanelles.
Several experiments or attempts
to use the Hunley were successful ,-
each time sinking, and its crew Of
abOue eight men drowned; until it's f.
nal trip, thirty-three men having lost
their lives. These experiments being
Ypoda Ia tha harhor 80 Chav1ae4n,,
where the water was not very deep
the boat was raised each time II had
sunk and the dead crew taken out. It
thus seemed to be a veritable death
trap or coffin, and yet a new crew was
always found ready to risk their lives
in it, in no way daunted by the deaths
of all who had been in it.
"The last experiment with this ill
fated boat was on the night of Febru-
airy II, 1S64.when it attacked and sank
the United States steamer Housatonic.
but, while successful in blowing up and
sinking that ship, itself was sunk. and
its crew of seven were drowned The
commander of this expedition was Lieut.
George T.. Dixon, of Alabama, who,
VIII Ills GlGMf MGlA hAtW AHt NduEEI
Of the boat sinking and their being
drowned, and yet they were willing TO
risk their lives in the Inflated boat.
The Federal ship to be attacked was
the Housatonic, which was inside the
harbor and about five miles from Fort
Sumter
Although it was a moonlight night
and a calm sea, and although there
was vigilant watch on the Housaton-
ic. yet the approach Of the Hunley was
not discovered until quite near. and
then IL seemed to be a plank or log
floating in the water, which came close
alongside the doomed ship and then
shot torpedo which struck the Hou-
satonic on the starboard side between
the main and mizzen masts and sank
her almost Immediately in twenty
seven feet of water.
"Only five of the sunken ship we're
drowned, the remainder (about $50
men and officers) found refuge in the
rigging (Which was above the water)
and we're soon rescued by another of
the blockading ships. Although thus
successful in sinking the enemy's ship,
the Hunley and it's brave crew sank
and met a watery grave. IL is sup
posed that the suction caused by the
sinking of the Housatonic wrew the
Hunley into the vortex, from which il
could not arise. The destruction of
the Federal warship greatly alarmed
the naval officers in charge of the
blockading feet off Charleston and
Admiral Dahlgren urged his govern
ment to provide means to destroy
these mischievous devices, as he term
ed the Hunley in his official report.
And the Confederates were cores
pondingly elated and encouraged, and
hoped that they had discovered the
means of breaking up the blockade OF
their ports. But the fears of the for
mer and the hopes of the latter were
not realized, for no other ship was at
tackled by another submarine. It
should here be mentioned that the Con
federates never attempted TO destroy
a merchant ship and its crew, but our
submarines always attacked a warship
whereon were armed men ready for
battle. When the Confederate prlya-
teers and warships captured a mer-
chant ship 0 fthe enemy they always
saved the crew and passengers, il any
weer aboard. AS general Lee stated
in his orders against plundernig when
marching into Pennsylvania, We make
war only on armed men, and not on
non-combatants.'