The waters surrounding Charleston
were cold and calm, with moonlit shadows, the night of February
17, 1864. The CSS Hunley made her way from Breach Inlet on the end
of Sullivan’s Island towards Union blockade runners in the Atlantic Ocean.
The crew, led by Lt. George
Dixon, aimed straight towards the 207 foot USS Housatonic. With her torpedo like spar filled with 135 pounds of black powered ammunition, the Hunley
rammed the blockade vessel. The crew of the Hunley was able to navigate
their tiny hand cranked iron sub away from the burning vessel. They
were to signal their unit, waiting anxiously on Sullivan’s Island, by use of a
lantern. This signal was received as the blockade runner Housatonic burned
and sank, killing five of her crew members. For the crew of the
Hunley, however,
the Civil War ended that night. She never returned after that mission.
the Civil War ended that night. She never returned after that mission.