Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-20
Untes in Homage Men Who Manned Her Gallant Nauy
HEROIC CREWS MANNED I
FIRST UNDERSEA CRAFT
Hundlcy Four Times Wen! to
Bottom and Drowned
All Aboard.
SENT Federal. sIIIr down
ADMIRAL Wright Tells of First At
tcmpts to Use Submarines In wnr.
Confederate NAVY Developed Two
Types OF Subm~ rslbIes.

'cmp'a 10 Use submarines In Wnr.
Confederate Nnvy Developed Two
Types OF Submc rslbies.
-
Development OF undcrsea craft tor
naval warfare !s credited TO the Con-
federate navy by Admiral a. @.
Wright. commander OF the Depart
:nc't OF the Navy. United Confeder-
ate Veterans, vino has written inter-
estlngiy on the work OF the early
volunteered to man the dangerous
craft with certain death staring them
in the face. Is told BY Admlra, Wright
in his short account OF one OF the
greatest chapters OF Confederate ma
val history.
Two outstanding types of subma-
| r!nes were developed by the South.
| according TO Admiral Wright, The
David and Hundlcy were the craft
from which the types became known.
The former accomplished little. bat
the Hundley and her brave crews.
four OF which were lost. will go
down to eternal fame
story OF Submarines.
Am'ral Wright tells the story of
the Confederate submcrsiblcs. as fol-
lows:
Our navy originated the subma-
! rine. and used 1t to break the block
adeB of our ports. In more than one
instance the venturous Federal gun
boat. going too far up our rivers.
found Itself in the air, and then un-
der the water. Their mystery OF on
Grafton paralyzed the Invaders et-
forts IN accommodating.
Two types are outstanding and L
shall say word about them here.
The first. known as the David. was
steam launch about nifty feet long
covered after the manner of a duck
| boat. small opening i'm the center
serving as hatchwny. Protruding
| from her Prov was pole. at the
end or which was percussion tor
Dedo. which was usually triced IN
| being lowered below the water when
| ready for action. Her lighting water
level left but a small rim OF ex-
posture. On the night OF October 5,
1868. In command OF Captain Glas-
| sell, with Engineer J. H. Tomb. Pilot
j. w. Cannon and Fireman James
sullivan. she went out of Charleston
aarbor and torpedoed the pride OF
the Federal navy. the New Ironsides.
I Is
torpedo larger. II would have sunl,
| the ship. AS IL was. she was rem
dered hors du combat. and never
amounted TO anything positive in the
war. The volume OF water that was
| thrown up swamped the David. and
all hands took to the waves. Glas-
| sell swan to the anchor chain and
was pulled aboard the ship: so was
sullivan. who swan to the rudder
chains. Tomb and Cannon. being un.
able TO swim. fingered near the David
with life preaervers on. and as she
arose. they climbed on board again.
restarted the fires and steamed
back to Charleston.
Iinndley Lost In Action
The Hundley requires especlal
mention. as her manner OF work her
career. and her heroic end Will never
re forgotten so long as pride swclIs
In the bosom or Southern men and
women. She was 4 submarine. pure
ami simple. She was built In Mobile
by liundlcy & McClintock, and after
ward was shipped to Charleston. She
was about sixty feet long. with no
inside deck, and was run by man :
power. eight men. four on each side,
turning continuous CRANK Her tor
pedo was trailed behind, instead OF
being in front like that of the David.
|
was so constructed that when she
dived under ship, pulling her tor
pedo after she had passed beyond
the torpedo would be pulled against
the ships lower opposite side and
the submarine make her escape by
releasing the torpedo rope.
| Her record all through was dis
astrous 10 her crew. for at least four
of these crews lost their lives in
this work. When they entered this
submarine they left hope behind, for
there was little possibility that any
of them would survive the expedi-
ton Three OF the casualties result
cd from experiments. and the fourth,
was fatal success. On February
IL 1864 at night under command OF
Lieutenant George Z. Dixon, with
Arnold Reckncr. C. Simpkins, James
a. Weeks. f. Collins. John Ridge
way and James Carlson. the Hundlev
manned" out of Charleston harbor.
passed under the splendid man-ot-
war Housatonic. exploded her tor
pcdo. and the Housatonic sank. going
down in four minutes.
Dead Crew liz Found.
After the war when the harbor OF
Charleston was being cleared OF
sunkcn wrecks, the Housatonic was
found. all on board being either
Killed or drowned. except a few that
saved themselves by timely climbing
into her rigging. y few feet away
from her lay the gallant little Humid
ley, nl!rd with the bodies OF dead
heroes u mute record OF what South
crn bravery had done.
Although every time She went
down She stayed dowa. and four
crews lost their lives as u result.
there was never any difficulty in get
ting volunteers TO serve her. and
many men regretted that they were
not permitted TO be OF her crew.