The National Civil War Society, The War Between the States
Historical Association, and the American Civil War Society
Present the California CSS Hunley Tour
Background – The CSS Hunley
Horace L. Hunley, James McClintock and Baxter Watson were
the three men responsible for the planning, financing and
construction of the CSS H.L. Hunley. They built the
submarine Pioneer in 1861 in New Orleans. That ship
had to be scuttled as Federal forces advanced into the city.
Moving to Mobile, Alabama they built two more submarines:
the American Diver and after her loss, the CSS H.L.
Hunley.
On a cold February night, the confederate submarine set out
for a daring late night attack on USS Housatonic, a
1,240-ton sloop-of-war with 16 guns, in Charleston Harbor
off the coast of South Carolina. The Hunley rammed
Housatonic with a spar torpedo packed with explosive
powder and attached to a long pole on its bow. The spar torpedo
embedded in the sloop’s wooden side was detonated by
a rope as Hunley backed away. The resulting explosion, which
sent Housatonic with five crew members to the bottom
of Charleston Harbor, also sank Hunley with its crew
of eight. CSS H.L. Hunley earned a place in the history
of undersea warfare as the first submarine to sink a ship
in wartime.
The California CSS Hunley Tour
In May, an accurate replica of the CSS H.L. Hunley will be
coming to California. The California Tour is a fundraising
event by the Friends of the Hunley for the restoration effort.
The California Tour is supported by the National Civil War
Association and the War Between the States Historical Association.
The display is an accurate reproduction cut away so the interior
facilities can be seen.
The full schedule of Southern California tour sights is listed
below. Please come out and help support this most worthwhile
exhibit.
May 11, 12 Wed and Thurs.Bakersfield at the Kern County Fairgrounds
May 13 Friday Oxnard at the Ventura County Maritime Museum.
May 14 and 15 Sat and Sun Oxnard At the Ventura County Maritime
Museum
May 20 Friday San Diego at the Maritime Museum
May 21, 22 San Diego at the Maritime Museum
May 24, Wed. Saint Catherine's school, Anaheim.
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