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The Hunley Project
Iron Fragments Found Onboard May Shed Light into the Hunley's Final Moments
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Hunley scientists have uncovered a series of tiny pieces of iron found concreted to the bottom of the crew compartment. On the surface, this find may not seem significant for a submarine that was made of iron, but these fragments could prove to be one of the most important clues discovered to date and may shed light into the Hunley crew's final moments.
Early analysis shows these shards of iron may be the first indication that damage to the submarine happened very early, perhaps even the night of its attack on the USS Housatonic in 1864. When the submarine was found resting on the bottom of the ocean a century later, there were several areas of damage, including a mysterious, empty hole that once held one of the five view ports Hunley captain Dixon used to navigate the submarine towards its target.
"You can't just look at the Hunley and assume the breaches in the hull are what caused her to sink. Actually, we are learning that a majority of the damage to the submarine happened long after the attack on the Housatonic," said Maria Jacobsen, Senior Archaeologist to the Hunley project.
After careful study of the submarine's structure, scientists have learned that most of the holes happened slowly over time, where sections of its iron skin were rubbed away by the sandpaper effects of the coarse silt carried in and out by the tides. The one known exception is the missing forward view port, and the series of shattered iron fragments found inside the submarine appear to have originated from this area.
More research will need to be done before scientists can verify the discovery, but the potential impact this revelation has on the various theories surrounding the Hunley's disappearance could be far reaching.