The remains of Lt. George Dixon, captain of the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley, have been found inside the long-submerged vessel that was raised last year off the coast of Charleston Harbor.
With the discovery, the recovery project has now identified the partial remains of all nine crew members who were aboard the Confederate submarine when it sank on February 17, 1864, shortly after an attack on the Union blockader U.S.S. Housatonic.
Archaeologists excavating the submarine last week discovered several bones, including three skulls. Doug Owsley, a forensic expert with the Smithsonian Institution, confirmed that one of the skulls, found underneath the forward conning tower, was that of Lt. Dixon.
Robert Neyland, the project director, said, "Presumably, based on the location and age of the skull, we can now say that Lt. Dixon as well as the other eight crew members are all accounted for."
Also found were some scraps of fabric, possibly the remains of a jacket. They are thought to have belonged to Lt. Dixon because they are of higher quality material than other similar textile remains that have been found, indicating a higher military rank.
Steady Progress
The remains of the submarine, buried at a 45-degree angle under a layer of silt, with its the 40-foot-long (12-meter-long) hull intact, were found in May 1995 off Charleston Harbor. They were raised in August 2000.
Since then, scientists have been painstakingly recovering the bones of the crew and other artifacts from the sludge-filled submarine hull.
The newly discovered remains are still inside the hull, and the skulls do not appear to have been damaged.
"Finding Lt. George Dixon now assures that the commission's goal to reunite all three crews of the Hunley at Magnolia Cemetery will be a reality," said Senator Glenn McConnell, chair of the Hunley Commission.
Two previous crews had already perished in the Hunley before it was commissioned again and met its final fate when it sank in the encounter with the U.S.S. Housatonic.
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