The Hunley, lying just beneath the surface, had a long metal spar coming out of the bow with a torpedo attached to it.
The Hunley was finally located on May 3, 1995 by Clive Cussler, New York Times best-selling author. Cussler has been interested in maritime history and founded the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), an organization that searches for some of history's most famous shipwrecks. Cussler and NUMA spent over a decade searching for the legendary submarine. The Hunley was located off the coast of Charleston in 30 feet of water.
It then took five years of planning to excavate the Hunley. Excavation began on January 21, 2001, and on August 8, 2000, the world watched as the Hunley was finally brought up.
Since the Hunley was sitting in salt water for so many years, it could not be left in the open air, so in order to preserve the Hunley, it is immersed in a chemical treatment except for the times it is being worked on. Material that has been submerged for a long time will deteriorate rapidly once exposed to air unless properly stabilized. Tours are only on Saturday and Sunday so the team is able to work on the submarine during the week.
Two major players in the bringing up and restoration of the Hunley are the Marine Diver and the Conservator. We know what the diver did, but what does a Conservator do? The goal of the conservator is to protect underwater artifacts so they can be preserved for future generations and studied by archaeologists and other researchers.
Before pictures:
After pictures:
Hunley submerged in its bath water:
During the excavation of the Hunley, a gold coin minted in 1860 was lying on Dixon's hip bone. It was warped from the impact of a bullet, and traces of lead were discovered on the coin. One side of the $20 gold piece bears the image of Lady Liberty, and the other side, depicting the symbol of a federal shield-and-eagle, had been partially sanded and inscribed with the following words:
"Shiloh - April 6, 1962 - My Life Preserver - G.E.D."
The forensic scientists who examined the remains of Dixon confirmed that his femur had been injured near his hip. X-rays also revealed radio-dense particles imbedded in his bone that could be traces of lead from the mini-ball. All evidence confirms that the legendary gold coin preserved Dixon's life.
Also found were Dixon's diamond ring and brooch.
The bodies of the last crew of the Hunley were removed and given a militiary burial on April 17, 2004. They were honored with a 4.5 mile procession through downtown Charleston, ending at Magnolia Cemetery. There, the eight-man crew was then laid to rest next to the others who lost their lives on Hunley test missions.
The burial was attended by tens of thousands of people who came to honor the crew and witness this historic moment. Visitors came from around the world, including Australia, Germany, France and Great Britain.
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