What Caused the Hunley to Sink?

I watched a special on the History Channel series "Digging for the Truth" about the ill-fated Confederate submarine Hunley which disappeared after its successful attack on a Union ship blockading Charleston, SC's harbor.

It was lost for 130 years until recently found, raised, and currently being stabilized. A big search is on to find out what caused the submarine to sink.

Some think it was caused by the force of the explosion that sank the USS Housatonic. A mock-up of the Hunley was made and plastic explosives approximating the charge were set off at a similar distance. This rocked the sub some, but nothing else.

A more plausible reason was carbon dioxide from the exertions of the seven crew members in the very confined area. A test was run on the show's host which measured his carbon dioxide output on a bike. This would have been enough to cause the men to die.

The bones of the men were found at their stations, so, whatever caused the Hunley to sink happened quickly. Had they had time, they would have been bunched up by the cunning tower attempting to escape.

They found a small piece of cast iron under the commander, Lt. Dixon. The only part of the sub that was cast iron was from the cunning tower. Presently, there is a big hole in the cunning tower by where a porthole was. When the Hunley attacked the Housatonic, it was pelted with small arms fire. Had a bullet stuck one of the portholes and broken it? Sounds like a plausible reason for sinking to me.

However, we will probably never really know why it sank.

It was a very well-done show, except when they referred to the Housatonic as a battleship and one of the Union Navy's strongest ships.

The Hunley's crew's remains were buried with full Confederate military honor at Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery. The next time I visit Charleston, that is high on my list of must-visit sites.

A Salute to a Very Brave Crew. --RoadDog