Raising the Hunley

by Brian Hicks, Harry Chase (Narrated by), Schuyler Kropf

On a brutally cold night in February 1864, all seemed calm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. But beneath the placid surface of the sea, a Confederate submarine named the H. L. Hunley was about to attack the USS Housatonic, the Union Navy's largest warship. The sub plunged a 135-pound torpedo into the Houstonic's stern, sinking it within three minutes, and becoming the first submarine to sink a ship in battle. Lieutenant George Dixon and his crew signaled their victory to their Rebel compatriots on Sullivan's Island and steamed toward shore and a heroes' welcome. Sadly, their triumph was short-lived: For reasons that remain mysterious, the H. L. Hunley abruptly disappeared.

But not, it turns out, forever. Though treasure-hunters had searched for the sub since the Civil War, it remained undisturbed for 136 years. Aided with newly-developed technologies, a team of divers bankrolled by novelist Clive Cussler found the Hunley in 1995.

Two price-winning journalists, Brian Hicks and Schulyer Kropf, have chronicled this fascinating story of military daring, momentary victory, sudden death, buried secrets, persistence, and ultimate payoff. As described by the authors of The H. L. Hunley, its discovery and subsequent recovery have revealed a veritable treasure trove of human-interest anecdotes and solutions to decades-old mysteries.

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, War, American History, Maritime, Archaeology

420 pages, Audio CD

First published October 22, 2002

Reviews

[Katherine Addison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is by the reporters who covered the raising of the Hunley, and let me say first of all that they have done their homework. They have combed through the primary sources and laid out all the contradictions---which are legion: how many times did the Hunley sink before she was lost? 2? 3? 6?---and made their choices about which source to believe, and they have put together a quite readable story. The second part, about the raising of the Hunley, is based on their own reporting, and is likewise careful and in depth (so to speak). And it is not badly written.

I applaud the achievement of the people who raised the Hunley. But I also notice that Raising the Hunley very carefully frames the Civil War as States' Rights and agrarian vs. industrialized economies and does not talk about chattel slavery as a cause of the war at all. And that is both profoundly disingenuous and bad faith history.

[Sy De Witt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book on the flight to Miami on Saturday, August 25, 2012 and thanks to Tropical Storm Isaac, finished it on Sunday, August 26th.

Given my interest in the Civil War, in the narrative the author mentioned many names of persons and places with which I was very familiar.

I was surprised (but shouldn't have been) at the clashes of egos over the search for the missing "fish boat" and subsequently for which state would benefit from its raising and ultimately get to keep it.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished reading Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine by Brian Hicks. The book was alright, but had some flaws. I would have given it a 2.5 if that was available.

What made me choose to read it was that it seemed to represent recovery of a submarine from a major naval battle. In fact, I remember being taken as a child to a shipwreck museum or gallery somewhere in New York City and found it fascinating, when I must have been ten or eleven years old. Also my Dad was in the Navy in the Korean War.

The book should have been able to easily hold my interest and attention. In fact, it did not. After three false starts, I finally read it through. The book went into numbing detail about the fickle weather and turgid water prevailing near Charleston, South Carolina. The book did have its memorable moments, particularly about how a gold coin given to the captain saved his life when he was shot at one of the major civil war battles, Shiloh. The bullet saved him from a Union bullet but could not save him from a watery grave.

Finally, and one last flaw. The book takes a strongly pro-Confederate stance. The war is repeatedly called "The War Between the States." It is clear who the author is rooting for even though it is definitely a "lost cause," just as building a serviceable attack submarine was years ahead of the technology and the times.

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is it a good account of the Hunley, but it really picks up some great accounts of the people who found it or looked into it. I think specifically of the man who came across it but wouldn't reveal it's location for a while, and also the historical detective type lady known as Goldfinger.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a well researched book, and attempted to bring the Hunley and crew to life. It was a demonstration of courage.
The Hunley was a submarine created for the confederate army to end the North's blockade of Charleston Harbor.
There was a successful venture to recover the Hunley led by best selling writer Clive Cussler,and state Senator Glenn Mc Connell that cost millions, and involved hundreds of people, many working 12 hour days 6 days a week!
From reading this book I arrived at the conclusion that the Hunley should have stayed covered up at the bottom of the harbor.
It is undeniable that the soldiers on board were heroes, and I didn't feel their grave should be desecrated. The bodies were now just hundreds of separate bones, their skulls sent to be x-rayed.
The Hunley is spoken of reverently through-out the book. But in fact, it wasn't even the first submarine engaged in a war. There was a 1776 submersible-the Eagle used during the revolutionary war; that failed in its mission to attack a British warship.
It actually wasn't even the first submarine, Corneelis Drebbel invented the first submarine in 1620. Robert Fulton's Nautilus, built in France in 1800 was self propelled.
The Hunley didn't have a good track record, 21 died in this human propelled sub, and it didn't survive it's one attack of the USS Housatonic, it's 8 passengers died, while it did destroy the Housatonic, only 5 lives were lost on the ship.
Passenges on the ship thought the Hunley was a floating log cutting through the waves, they couldn't manage to fire their deck weapons so they peppered it with pistol shot.
But, what struck me most was that it was never mentioned that the building of this submarine was to assist the South in winning the war in order to maintain slavery. I It was presented more as a states rights issue. It became quite clear that the authors sympathies lied with southern heritage.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down! It answered a lot of questions I have had about this Confederate submarine, even though it was published shortly after raising it from the sea. I have visited it twice and they are still discovering more facts about the sub. Highly recommend for any Hunley, Civil War fan.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well written and highly detailed novel recording what is believed to be the history of the Hunley before it's sinking and it's recovery over a century later. The only complaints that I have was that they were a bit too detailed about the state of the remains found inside it. But I understand why they felt it necessary to include those facts.

[Carol D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The remarkable story of the H.L. Hunley the Confederate submarine that disappeared after its legendary encounter with the Union warship Housatonic, in Charleston Harbor.

Lost for 136 years this book tells the story of the people who built, the crew members who lost their lives in it and the second battle over state ownership once it was raised from the depths.

Well worth the read.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Well-told account of the Hunley's history in battle (the Southern sub killed more Confederates than Union sailors), its 130-year sleep on the sea floor and its re-discovery. Thoroughly researched and entertainingly told, as you would expect from a couple of newspaper guys.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Very easy read. It was like reading a treasure hunt. It is the story of the first successful submarine and what happened to it. I knew none of this history but found it very interesting.

[Pj Anderer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of the first true submarine, reading this combined with a few other events in my life sparked a renewed interest in archaeology.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is alternately interesting and infuriating. The story of the Hunley itself, her mission and ultimate discovery, is gripping. What mars the book for me as a reader is the "Lost Cause" miasma that hangs over it. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you --- you know, like Nikki Haley --- you will find this a totally enjoyable light read,

[Hans Guttmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technology way ahead of it's time. If it had worked better the South might have fought off the blockade.

[Aarong3eason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first history book I remember buying myself. Couldn’t put it down.

[Jeffrey Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads quickly like a novel.

[James Hardeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well written

[Alan J. Bomberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical reporting

The book is beautifully researched, but never rises above pedantic reporting. No detail is left out. I ended up knowing too much about too little.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and written. I got a little bogged down w/ so many people and dates in the story but no fault of the authors. Loved all the photos and drawings included. I will get to Charleston soon to finally see the Hunley in person.

[Leo Mccarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. I was especially surprised to learn that they still don't have all the answers about the H. L. Hunley. Just this past January they found more data about it, and there may be more to come. They still have not removed the layer of concretion from the hull. This is an ongoing endeavor.

I thought this book was a nice balance of Civil War era naval warfare, and modern day shipwreck discovery and archaeology. Several photos were included in the historical portions of the text, but there were no photos of the archaeological project surrounding the Hunley. I guess that's ok. Nine men were entombed in the sub, after all. A little respect is good.

There were parts of the book where I felt like the authors were letting their personal feelings about some of the contemporary individuals involved with the location of this wreck shine through. I felt the clear hot and cold toward individuals detracted from the story of the sub a bit. Still, this is a book worth reading if you like Civil War history, or stories about shipwreck discovery and archaeology.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly interesting: I'd heard of the Civil War era Hunley (the 1st submarine in history to successfully torpedo a ship) but hadn't realized that when it sank after its success that it was actually the 3rd time it had gone down, killing its crew. It made the bravery (or desperation) of the volunteer crew all the more remarkable. I listened to this as an audiobook, and didn't realize that it was so old (from 2002). When the book was published they had come to no conclusion as to what ultimately killed the crew: it would be interesting to hear what the scientists have discovered in the past 12 years.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not normally pick up this genre of book but glad I did. Not being a Civil War buff I was a little confused when it jumped around different periods of history.

I was surprised that the people who invented and built the Hunley were able to find so many willing volunteers to man it. Especially with it's history or prior sinkings.

It just goes to show the dedication of the confederates to win at all costs.

I admired the people who raised it up and are restoring it. I can't imagine going into the sub with all the muck and carefully mapping and extracting the bones. But I know it had to be done.

I would recommend it to anyone, not just Civil War fans.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to any student of history, the U.S. Civil War, or if you're a fan of shipwrecks. The book takes you through the history of the Hunley itself, during the Civil War, and then the decades, actually century long search to recover it. Both stories are interesting and remarkable. Highly recommended.

[David R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brisk and fascinating account of the building, loss and recovery of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley. The authors are fixtures in South Carolina journalism and have a good feel for a story that keeps the pages turning. There's also nice sensitivity to the process of archaeology: this is not a "treasure hunter" book.

[Josh Stottman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cool book, with the history of the HL Hunley (whose namesake was born in Sumner County TN BTW) and the subsequent decades of trying to find it, and then raising it from the bottom and the painstaking excavation, all culminating to make this one of the most interesting reads in a long time.

[Bonnie Carruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A combination of civil War history, overview of the development of the submarine service and Clive Cussler adventure, he even plays a pivotal part in the hunt for the C.S.S Hunley.The only gold found is a twenty dollar gold piece but that one artifact makes the entire search worthwhile.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward account of the history of the first submarine used in a wartime attack, and the story of its recovery 135 years later after it disappeared following its one and only mission.

Great history, OK writing. Co-author Hicks, Brian

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lived in Charleston, SC for a year, and most of this book takes place there, so it was good to hear about the history of a place that, aside the weather and the "smell", I enjoyed living.

[Kittrell Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable - which is appropriate because the author is an excellent journalist

[Dutchess]

read ing this book as part of a class assignment, but unexpectantly, I am enjoying this book. its very entertaing