According to Hunley project coordinators, the excavation process will be broken down into three stages. Through an existing hole in the upper starboard side of the sub, scientists will peer into the interior of the submarine to study the condition of the hull plates, ballast tank, backing plates, and rivets. They will also search for the location of ship machinery such as propeller shaft and steering controls.

The removal of the sub’s plates and the sediment inside will be the next stage as planned by excavation project scientists. Scientists hope this excavation and review may reveal how the Hunley’s iron plates are fastened and how the sediment entered the sub.

HISTORIC FIND

Ahead of its time in design, the Hunley’s hull was made from a cylindrical iron boiler. Eight men powered it manually by cranking a direct-drive shaft extending along the length of the vessel.

“The Hunley is the largest, most complex [iron composite] artifact ever recovered,” said Neyland, Hunley recovery project manager, when the sub was recovered.

“This is one great step for underwater archaeology.” Neyland calls the revolutionary vessel “a national treasure” comparable to the Wright brothers’ flying machine. Archaeologist and conservators hail the recovery of the Hunley as an innovative and impressive archaeological endeavor.

Experts are learning more about how cramped the sub was the night of February 17, 1864, when it attacked and sank the Union blockader, the U.S.S. Housatonic, with a harpoon armed with a blackpowder charge. But there was no celebration. The Hunley promptly turned around, signaled its success to shore, and then disappeared.

The sub lay in its watery grave, undetected, until May, 1995, when a team funded by author Clive Cussler discovered the 40-foot-long (12-meter) hull intact. The Hunley was buried at a 45-degree angle under a layer of silt.

RAISING THE HUNLEY

Divers, archaeologists, and engineers worked double shifts during the home stretch of the project, which is a culmination of a five-year mission driven by Cussler.

Divers placed 32 slings around the Hunley, stretching from bow to stern, which supported the sub’s 65,000 pounds (29,484 kilograms) of sand-and-water-filled weight. The loop straps attached to a steel frame cradled the sub while a crane lifted the unit to the surface. As added protection, divers cushioned the hull with a bed of inflated foam pillows.

A water tank in a lab in the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, in old Charleston Naval Shipyard, houses the Hunley, and is specially designed to slow the deterioration of the submarine. In addition, to prevent further corrosion, artifacts from the submarine will be placed in an electrolysis tank for several years.

Conservators plan to remove the encrustation that covers all but the sub’s glass view ports. Experts say that sifting through the silt, artifacts, and debris inside will be a lengthy and meticulous process, expected to take seven to ten years. After the painstaking conservation and preservation process, archaeologists hope to learn more clues as to how the Civil War treasure sank.

RESPECT FOR HUMAN REMAINS

Experts believe that the nine crew members and their possessions may still remain inside the vessel in a semi-preserved state.

The names of the crew of the Confederate submariners who died in the Hunley are known. If their remains are found, they will be interred at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston with Confederate military honors.

Tremendous care is being taken by the project team to ensure proper burial of the crew. “We will treat the remains with utmost respect, dignity, and honor,” Neyland said.

“FLAWLESS OPERATION”

The Hunley recovery project, which started in August “has been a great success,” said Neyland.

The National Park Service, the state of South Carolina, the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Naval Historic Center, Friends of the Hunley, the National Underwater Marine Agency, and the National Geographic Society’s Expeditions Council supported the raising of the Hunley. Under agreement between state and federal agencies, the Hunley will remain in South Carolina.

“The National Geographic Society is tremendously excited to be a part of this historic project,” said Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s senior vice president for Mission Programs, who was present at the recovery. “A major grant from our Expeditions Council will help the world finally learn the secrets that have rested within the Hunley for 137 years. We expect National Geographic to bring that story to the world as soon as possible.”