The sinking of the Union gunboat the USS Housatonic by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley on Feb. 17, 1864, made military history, but Confederate forces did not celebrate the momentous event.

New clues to sinking of Confederate sub. January 28, ... It has been long thought the Hunley attached a torpedo to the bottom of the blockade ship Housatonic and then backed off.

The new evidence suggests that the Hunley positioned itself much closer to its target — the Union ship the USS Housatonic on Feb. 17, 1864 — than previously believed.

Mystery of 1864 sinking of Confederate sub remains. Skip to content. All Sections. Subscribe Now. 30°F. Sunday, April 6th 2025 Digital Replica Edition. Home Page. News. Latest Headlines; ...

The sinking of the combat submarine H.L. Hunley, ... It was ultimately found over a century later, in 1995, on the sea floor near the wreckage of the Housatonic, ...

On Feb. 17, 1864, a Confederate submarine known as the H.L. Hunley sank a 1,200-ton Union warship, the USS Housatonic. Mysteriously, however, ... Mystery of Civil War sub's sinking may be solved.

The Hunley and its eight crewmembers disappeared in February 1864 in Charleston Harbor shortly after signaling it had placed explosives on the hull of the Union ship the USS Housatonic.

Born and built amid secrecy during the Civil War, the H.L. Hunley – the first submarine to sink an enemy ship – has held tight to its murky mysteries.

The Hunley became the first successful combat submarine by sinking the Housatonic, but it never returned. Eight men died aboard the Confederate submarine, and five men died aboard the Housatonic.

Many believe the Hunley crew after sinking the Housatonic dove to the bottom to await the incoming tide so the crew could employ the same energy saving strategy in reverse for its return.