Hunley Visit

[CarlS]

This weekend RelicRunner and I had the opportunity to visit the Hunley conservation site to see the displays and the actual submarine.  It was a very neat place to go and if you are in the area one weekend I highly recommend it.  A few images that may be of interest:

Back of the conservation building where the Hunley is temporarily kept until the conservation work can be completed:

Note the large tanks that hold the water containing sodium hydroxide which is refreshed in the electrolysis tank periodically.  The door is the entry point for the area where the Hunley's electrolysis tank sits.

This is the famous lifting frame used to cradle the Hunley so it could be lifted from the mouth of the Charleston Harbor:

That is RelicRunner photobombing for perspective.

This display shows the use of the individual straps that were run one at a time under the Hunley on the sea floor:

After in place they were injected with foam so they would form to the submarine's shape and fully support it.  This is an actual strap used in the recovery.

Some great recent images in a display showing the submarine on a maintenance day with the tank drained and the concretion slowing being removed:

It is amazing how well it is preserved given a long life in salt water.  The team is doing an excellent job.

This display showed the cross view of the Hunley to give an idea of what space the sailors worked in:

We were amazed at the size of the sailors.  At a time when most people were under 6 foot tall, there were two

This is an actual keel wieght off the Hunley:

This is an end piece which is why it is tapered on one end.  A number of these heavy pieces ran down the keel to keep the top up and bottom down.  The groove was to accept a long thin metal plate that held the steel sheets of each side together on the bottom; sort of a zipper strip.  These have been preserved and are coated with tannic acid.

In a steel incredibly secure room they have the gold items found on display:


A close up of the famous Dixon gold coin:

If you are not aware of the amazing story of this coin, see:
     http://hunley.org/main_index.asp?CONTENT=GOLDCOIN
It is the stuff legends and movies are made of.  Now the legend is known to be real.  At the museum they have a short video of archeologist Maria Jacobsen when she actually found it.
   
Another cool item is the CS Medal of Honor for Lt. Dixon:


The Hunley was sitting in a very large tank of sodium hydroxide infused water undergoing an electrolysis process.  it is expected to take about 5 years and has been underway I think  2 years at this point.  (RelicRunner please correct me if I am mistaken.)  Sorry but due to low light and lots of glare on the protecting elements around the Hunley, none of my images are worth sharing.  The one above of the concretion being cleaned is far better than anything I could take anyway.

While as a UGA grad it pains me to say anything good about Clemson who is managing this conservation but I must say I was impressed with the grand effort and attention to detail.  The team there seems to be doing a great job.  They are doing everything they know to preserve the ship and it's contents correctly to ensure it is preserved for the future.   I think it'll be worth the wait when it does get on display in a permanent home.

Hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of our excursion.

[Lamar]

Good stuff, Carl, thanks for posting.

Between this, and Mike's Alaska tutorial, I'm becoming an educated man!

[6lbgun]

Great pics Carl.
  I'll be spending a week at the end of the month in the Charleston / Wilmington area.  Looking forward to seeing the Hunley.  I have 18 CW related stops lined up so far. I might have add a few days to the trip.
God Bless
Dan 

[redbob]

The cemetery just down the road where the Hunley crew(s) are buried is also worth a stop.  So much to see and so little time (my motto when on a Civil War Roadtrip). They also preserved the guns and other relics from the CSS Alabama at this same facility.

[CarlS]

I did not realize they did the preservation work for the CSS Alabama here but the first thing you see when you enter the museum is the cannon:

CSS Alabama Cannon:


CSS Alabama Cannon Muzzle:


Fawcett Marking:




An earlier thread from forumite Jim J with others contributing gives more images and info on this cannon and others;
           http://bulletandshell.com/forum/index.php?topic=692.0

[Jim J.]

I would like to make a small clarification here, without "tooting" my own horn too much.  A total of four cannon have been raised from the CSS Alabama, a 7" rifled Blakely that was conserved in France (and on display there), two 32 pdr's conserved at the Hunley Lab, and the fourth that was conserved at CRL - the Conservation Research Lab at Texas A&M University.  The 4th was also a 32 pdr Fawcett & Preston gun, #153 if I remember correctly.  The Hunley Lab did an F&P and an Admiralty style 32 pdr, I do not know their numbers.  Our cannon, which I believe is on display somewhere in Maryland, has both sights but is missing the firing mechanism.  A sling broke when the cannon was being recovered onto the deck of the French Minesweeper Olan, and a large chunk of concretion broke off and went into the drink - with the clearly visible brass firing mechanism!  Life is not always fair.
Jim J.