The American Submarine was not a new idea but it was not February 17, 1864, before a crew of a submarine actually sank an enemy vessel.

The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley played a small role in the War Between the States but a large role in the future of naval warfare. The CSS Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship and was tragically lost following the attack. The Confederate States of America lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings during Confederate CSS Hunley’s career. The submarine was renamed after the death of inventor, Horace Lawson Hunley and after she had been taken into the Confederate forces at Charleston , South Carolina .

The forty footer H.L. Hunley was built in Mobile , Alabama , launched in July, 1863, and was shipped by rail to Charleston , South Carolina . On February 17, 1864, the Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor , but shortly after, the Hunley also sank drowning all eight of the crewmen.

On August 8, 2000, the wreck of the Hunley was recovered and on April 17, 2004, the remains of the Hunley crew were interred in Charleston ’s Magnolia Cemetery with full military honors.

Tens of thousands of people crowded the streets to see to funeral procession. Lest We Forget!

A native of Georgia, Calvin Johnson lives near the historic town of Kennesaw, home of the locomotive "The General" from the War Between the States. He is Chairman of the Confederate History and Heritage Month for the Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans and he's the author of the book When America Stood for God, Family and Country. His email is: cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net.