Rachel Lance’s exciting new book In the Waves is neither a straightforward history of the first successful submarine attack, nor a dive into the naval technology that made the Hunley possible. Even after its discovery, the reason for the Hunley’s sinking has been as unclear as the murky waters that concealed the vessel for over 130 years.
The fate of the submarine remained unknown until the 1990s, when it was discovered near the wreckage of the Housatonic. However, the experimental Hunley did not return. The blast killed five men aboard the Union ship, and within minutes it had sunk- the first victory for a submarine in history. Crewed by one officer that controlled the vessel and seven men who provided propulsion through means of turning a large hand crank, the Hunley placed and detonated its deadly spar torpedo against the Housatonic’s hull. The approaching Confederate submarine designed by Horace Lawson Hunley, and bearing his name, was nearly unknown to the Union Navy. It was assumed to be a porpoise or marine creature the danger was not realized until it was too late. Shortly before 9:00pm, they spotted a long cylindrical shape moving toward their ship. One of many Union ships blockading one of the Confederacy’s few remaining major deep-water ports, Housatonic’s 150-man crew remained vigilant for small, hostile vessels possibly carrying explosives. On a calm, cool February night in 1864, the USS Housatonic lay at anchor just outside of Charleston harbor. In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine by Rachel Lance.
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