CSS Hunley - PICT1157

"The Hunley Crew's Final Journey

The crew's journey to this day began on February 17th, 1864, when they achieved a maritime first by sinking the USS Housatonic. After the Hunley successfully completed its mission, the sub's crew signaled to shore that they were on the way home and then mysteriously vanished. Since then, the fate of the Hunley and her crew became a part of American legend and intrigue.

When the Hunley was finally located in 1995, one of the main goals of the Hunley Commission and Friends of the Hunley was to bring these maritime pioneers home and lay them to rest with honor. Warren Lasch, Chairman of Friends of the Hunley, explained the importance of that goal in his burial remarks when he said, "All Americans have a responsibility to preserve our nation's history, and we all have an obligation to honor the achievements of the generations that came before us."

The Hunley crew's 140-year journey of maritime achievement, technology and intrigue finally has ended with the burial fate had for so long made impossible. Now, at last, they are at rest."


text borrowed from: http://www.hunley.org/