The Surprising Way a Confederate Submarine Crew Died at the Hands of Its Own Weapon (H. L. Hunley)

[Machiavelli]

George Dvorsky
Gizmodo
August 23, 2017

During the latter stages of the American Civil War, the H.L. Hunley made history by becoming the first combat submarine to sink an enemy ship. The Confederate crew never returned from its mission, sparking a mystery that’s lasted for over 130 years. An exhaustive new analysis suggests these pioneering submariners didn’t drown or suffocate as commonly believed, but instead died from the shockwave triggered by their very own weapon.

The eight-man crew of the 40-foot Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley died instantly when its powerful barrel torpedo exploded into the hull of the 1,200-ton Union warship USS Housatonic, according to new research published today in PLoS One. Duke University biomechanist Rachel Lance’s exhaustive, three-year investigation suggests the explosion caused minimal damage to the sub, which was less than 20 feet away, but the ensuing shockwave caused catastrophic injuries to the crewmen’s soft tissues, especially to their brains and lungs. The finding subsequently fills in an important gap in US Civil War history, while offering fresh insights into human physiology and the physical forces we’re able—or unable—to endure.

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[Oceander]

Very interesting. 

[Suppressed]

@Oceander @Machiavelli

Problems with this story, such as this quote...

The mission may have been a success, but the crew of H.L. Hunley was never heard from again.

Not true.

Hunley signaled to shore that she'd completed her mission and was on the way back. 


So the copper shroud hypothesis (that the torpedo was directly on the spar) could be considered shot down by this study...or the lookout was wrong, along with the Union report of the blue light, too.