The Hunley Moves Upright for First Time in Over a Century

The Hunley may not be ready to set sail again, but after today, she almost looks like she could. Scientists finished their work of carefully rotating the Hunley to an upright position, completing a major milestone in the effort to save the world's first successful combat submarine. And it was a moment 147 years in the making.

The Hunley has rested on her side at a 45-degree angle since the she was lost in 1864. The submarine was lifted from the ocean floor in that exact same position in 2000 and has remained on her side, until today. The historic shift in her delineation has left the Hunley upright on her keel as she was originally designed to be and in position to undergo her final mission: a complete preservation treatment.

Next, scientists will remove the straps and overhead truss that have held the Hunley since her recovery, exposing a new side of the vessel that has not been fully seen since the crew entered it over a century ago. This won't be done for a few weeks, however, so scientists can have the additional support of the slings available while they ensure the submarine is completely stable in the new position.

Hunley Commission Chairman Senator Glenn McConnell said he is eager to have access to this new area of the submarine, hoping new clues may be uncovered that will provide insight into the mystery of the crew's demise. "This is tremendous day for the project. Not only will the public soon have an unobstructed view, we will too. We may the find the crucial evidence we've been searching for in this newly exposed area" McConnell said.




The Hunley is a fragile 19th century artifact, making safely moving the approximate 7-ton, 40-foot submarine a challenging engineering feat and risky endeavor. The team spent two years planning the rotation and tested various simulations in advance on a 3D model.




The process to rotate the sub was at times slow and tedious and others nerve-racking. The painstaking project took days, with scientists rotating the submarine mere millimeters at a time. After each incremental move, a series of computer monitors were checked to ensure even weight distribution with no major stresses on the submarine.




Two technical issues added hours, and a little tension, to the project. At one point, the bow started to dip too much toward the ground and scientists had to make modifications to get the submarine level again. They had anticipated the potential of this occurring though had hoped it would not affect the rotation.
Also, a laser monitoring system -- critical to detecting any potential warping or damage that scientists were desperately trying to avoid -- had to be adjusted one morning, causing a delay of a few hours for rotation work to start.

"It's fair to say we are all breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the rotation is over. The laser never strayed more than a millimeter out of its target. Aside from minor technical issues, the rotation went according to plan with the sub remaining completely safe and intact," Mike Drews, Director of Clemson University's Warren Lasch Conservation Center, said.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support and expertise of J. A. King & Co., Parker Rigging, Inc., Detyens Shipyard and the entire Hunley team who worked tirelessly in support of this effort.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• hunley
• maritime
• history
• mystery
• upright
• keel
• recovery
• housatonic
• ocean
• raise
• raising
• rotate
• rotation
• submarine
• sub
• world
• first

[smiles1969able]

USA at WAr sinse 1863 !! Go USA

[WeLiveForFootball]

Fun

[powershop1903]

Very nice! Ok, I am not trying to be an idiot but what is the big deal about having the sub upright? Big deal, it got turned from a 45 degree angle to a more suitable position?

[sandman19681012]

Most impressive~!

[OzzyFan87]

It's amazing how tiny she really is!

[mrbloak]

I went to see this remarkable piece of history, and it was life changing for me when I visited the crew in the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. I joined the "Friends of the Hunley" and I have my official sticker on my truck.

[jmsmaxwell]

A massive amount of time, money and love have been give to this historic vessel. It

is fantastic to see her upright once again. There is still much to be done before she

can be placed upon public display and much to be learned. Congratulation to all the people who have contributed time, money, effort and love to this magnicifent vessel.

[Auralyte]

She's SO tiny! I love her so!

[JamesP444]

I couldn't have asked for a better time lapse showing than this!!!! Thank you guys so much for bringing this to us and giving all of us the birds eye view of one of the most important Naval historical restorations we in the south have ever had!

[mrbloak]

Awesome