First Ancient Submarine Hunley

Hunley - the first submarine successfully torpedoed a ship of the enemy. It happened five years before the novel "1920 Leagues Under the Sea" in 1864. The American Civil War came to an end: the army of the Northern states scored victory after victory, the Southerners left to hope only a miracle. From a technical standpoint submarine "Hunley" was it is.

Designed by James McClintock submarine, was an engineering breakthrough at the time: length 12 meters, height of 1.75 meters, while autonomously 2 hours, the rate of 4 kilometers per hour. True, the rate is directly dependent on the physical training of the crew - the fact that across the entire submarine was the crankshaft, which were supposed to rotate eight divers, sitting in a rather awkward position. The torpedo was at the end of a long harpoon attached to the bow of the boat. Thus, the "torpedoing" more like a battering ram.

The boat was delivered to Charlstoun by rail in the summer of 1863, but during one of his teachings sank, taking with him five crew members. Two weeks later, picked it up, repaired, recruited a new team, a training conducted a successful attack, but four days later the submarine again went to the bottom. Among the soldiers behind her name stuck "floating coffin", which caused some difficulties with the set of the third crew. However, the money did their job - $ 2.5 million was guaranteed a team in the sinking of an enemy ship - Eight people have expressed their desire to become a submariner.

February 17, 1864, "Hanley" attacked corvette Hyusatonik. The crew noticed the approaching boat, and even opened fire on it, but it has not prevented the submarine to sink a torpedo into the side, and giving back up, pull the rope, which led to the detonation of gunpowder. Flood Hyusatonik ", " Hunley "signaled that the surgery was performed and it returns to port. Home submarine never returned. Submarine was found only in 1995. When it opened, it was found that all crew members are sitting in their seats, as if no one tried to escape. There are many versions of the sinking of the Hunley "from sabotage to injuries in the explosion. On one of them: the boat lay at the bottom to hide, and a tired team just fell asleep, invisible, as the candle went out, signaling a lack of oxygen.

One of the first raised inside the boat went ashore Charlstouona military commander, Gen. P. Berigard.

He later recalled:
"The spectacle was indescribably awful. Curved agony of people huddled in a heap at the bottom. the faces of all the frozen expression of despair and mortal anguish. Some were holding candles burned. Hanly was at his post. his right hand, he runs into the hatch cover, as if trying to open it was clamped on the left a candle. "