The Confederate Submarine

 

Abraham Lincoln

Definition of Confederate Submarine: The C.S.S. Hunley
Definition: The most famous Confederate Submarine was the C.S.S. Hunley which was developed by the Confederacy during the American Civil War. The C.S.S. Hunley was a completely submersible craft that was hand-propelled by a crew of eight by a hand crank attached to her propeller shaft. The 25-foot Hunley Confederate submarine sank off Charleston along with her first and only victim, the U.S.S. Housatonic on February 17, 1864.

Confederate Submarine
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th American President who served in office from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. One of the key events during his presidency was the development of the Confederate Submarine during the Civil War. This article contains the history of the Confederate Submarine and a Facts sheet on the C.S.S. Hunley.

     

Confederate Submarine
Interesting Facts and information about the Confederate Submarine are provided via the facts sheet provided in this article.

Confederate Submarine: New Era in Warfare
The strategy and tactics employed during the American civil War were revolutionized by the many developments and inventions made possible by advances in technology and the determination of the Confederate leaders to use whatever they could to break the  Union Blockade of the southern states. The union Blockade was part of the Anaconda Plan that was designed to crush the very life out of the Confederacy by preventing essential provisions  and supplies reaching the Confederate army and the people of the South. This new era in warfare not only brought the submarine and torpedo boats but also the use of land mines, ironclads and even manned balloons - refer to Civil War Inventions and Technology.

Confederate Submarine: C.S.S. Hunley

C.S.S. Hunley- Confederate Submarine

History of the Confederate Submarine
The following fact sheet provides interesting facts and information about the Development and History of the Confederate Submarine. We then go on to provide facts and info about the torpedo boats and the most famous Confederate Submarine of the American Civil War - the CSS Hunley.

Civil War for Kids: Confederate Submarine Fact Sheet

Facts for KidsFacts and Information
Confederate Submarine Fact 1The first military submarine, The Turtle, was built in 1775 to accommodate a single man by an American named David Bushnell during the Revolutionary War. The main purpose of the early submarine was to attach explosives to enemy ships.
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 2The first submarine design failed because they had to be hand-cranked and could not catch the warships.
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 3The second American submarine, was the Alligator, was constructed by Brutus de Villeroi a member of the Union during the Civil War. The Alligator was caught in a storm and sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1861.
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 4The inventors of the Civil War started to the develop the Ironclad Warships and the interest in developing a Confederate Submarine increased
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 5According to Confederate records in July 1862, Colonel E.H. Angamar made an attack on the Union fleet off Mobile with rocket-propelled torpedoes.
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 6Small steam-powered Confederate torpedo boats were also developed but they were only capable of partially submerging. A Submarine can be submerged and navigated under water
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 7A 34 foot long Confederate Submarine, called the Pioneer, was able to travel submerged underwater. But the Pioneer was unstable and slow to maneuver. The 'Pioneer' Confederate submarine was scuttled in April 1862
 
Confederate Submarine Fact 8The Pioneer was developed by the inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley and built by James McClintock, Baxter Watson and  William A. Alexander. The men started work on a new Confederate Submarine aptly called the 'American Diver' but was sunk at sea a Mobile Bay in February 1863 during a terrible storm. But the inventors and builders kept working on their new Confederate Submarine - the Hunley (see Facts Sheet below).
Facts for KidsFacts and Information: Confederate Submarine Fact Sheet

Civil War for Kids: Confederate Submarine Fact Sheet

The Confederate Submarine and the Torpedo Boat
The submarine boat is in reality a diving torpedo-boat that was designed to do its work submerged under water.

Confederate Submarine and the "Davids"
Steam powered Confederate Navy torpedo boats were capable of partially submerging with only their stacks showing. These tiny "Davids" were named after the famous warrior of the Bible. The  "Davids" could be either manned or remotely controlled from shore. Twenty torpedo boats, the "Davids" were built and operated by the Confederate navy. Most of these Confederate torpedo boats were sunk and their crews drowned with them.

Torpedo Boats: The CSS David
One of the famous Confederate torpedo boats was coincidently called the CSS David. The CSS David was engaged in attacking the Ironclads during the blockade of Charleston harbor.

Civil War Torpedo Boat: CSS David

Civil War Torpedo Boat

Torpedo Boats: Mines and Torpedoes
Two weapons are employed in under-water warfare - the Mine and the Torpedo. Both are explosive devices. Mines are stationary, but torpedoes are propelled. The American inventor Robert Fulton gave the name "torpedo" to that naval weapon we now call a mine. The pictures illustrate the type of Confederate Torpedo used to attack the blockade formed by Union warships during the Civil War.

Torpedo Boats: The Confederate Torpedo
The Barrel Torpedo used at Charleston, made of an ordinary barrel with ends of solid wood; fired by electricity. The Confederacy made a considerable effort to develop submarine mines and torpedoes in an effort to prevent the ships of the big Union naval fleet from penetrating the estuaries and harbors of the South.

 

Presidential Seal

 

Confederate Submarine: Facts about the CSS Hunley
The Confederate Submarine called the CSS Hunley is the most famous ship of its type that was used during the American Civil War. The following fact sheet provides interesting facts and information about the most famous Confederate Submarine of the American Civil War - the CSS Hunley.

Civil War for Kids: CSS Hunley Submarine Fact Sheet

Facts for KidsFacts and Information
Confederate Submarine Hunley Fact 1The Hunley was developed by the inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley and built by James McClintock, Baxter Watson and William A. Alexander.
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 2The crews of these innovative fighting vessels were manned by volunteers. The first two crews of the Hunley were lost on August 29, 1863 and October 15, 1863.
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 3The Hunley submarine was 25 foot long and just under 4 feet wide
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 4Its crew consisted of 1 officer and 7 volunteers
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 5The Hunley was armed by a spar-torpedo that consisted of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole with a charge attached to the end. The picture is the star-torpedo used on the CSS David.

Spar-torpedo

 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 6It was given the nicknames of the 'Porpoise and the 'Murdering Machine'
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 7On December 14, 1863, General P.G.T. Beauregard sent orders for First Lietenant George E. Dixon to take command of the Submarine Torpedo-Boat H. L. Hunley and "sink and destroy any vessel of the enemy"
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 8The crew cosisted of  of Lieutenant George E. Dixon (Commander), Frank Collins, Arnold Becker, Corporal C. F. Carlsen, Joseph F. Ridgaway, James A. Wicks, C. Lumpkin, and Augustus Miller.
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 9The crew survived several test runs, sometimes towed by large vessels, and proved the submarine was not a complete 'death trap'.
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 10On February 17, 1864 the Hunley engaged the U.S.S. Housatonic that was stationed at the entrance of Charleston Harbor. It is believed that they charged the ship with the spar-torpedo and the explosive charge  was detonated at a distance from the Housatonic.
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 11The fate of the Hunley is not fully understood but it is believed that the explosive charge was detonated too close and knocked the crew unconscious and the submarine sank
 
Confederate Submarine  Hunley Fact 12The Confederate Submarine, the Hunley,  succeeded in torpedoing the Federal sloop Housatonic, but like other torpedo boats all sank into the depths of "Davy Jones's locker".
 
Confederate Submarine F Hunley act 13The Hunley found its unique place in American history as the first submarine to sink an enemy ship

 Cutaway Drawings of Confederate Submarine Hunley

Facts for KidsFacts and Information: Confederate Submarine Fact Sheet

Civil War for Kids: Confederate Submarine Fact Sheet

 Confederate Submarine - President Abraham Lincoln Video
The article on the Confederate Submarine provides an overview of one of the major inventions during his presidential term in office. The following Abraham Lincoln video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 16th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865.

 

 

 

Confederate Submarine
 
Interesting Facts about Confederate Submarine for kids and schools
Definition of the Confederate Submarine in US history
The Confederate Submarine, a major event in US history
Abraham Lincoln Presidency from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865
Fast Confederate Submarine about major events in his presidency
Foreign & Domestic policies of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln Presidency and Confederate Submarine for schools, homework, kids and children

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