The Hunley

Even though I was only 9 years old when I viewed this show, I still recall the tension and terror of the Hunley crew that the episode was able to convey. This production did an incredible job depicting the sweaty, struggling crew members turning the crank that drove the submersible's propeller. The episode also brings out another poignant yet terrifying aspect of the whole Hunley operation: the crew was out at sea, at night, with CANDLE power as the only source of light. Thus, again, the episode brought forth these particular little aspects of the Hunley, its crew and its mission that, when it is all put together, go a long way to show not just how tough the mission was but also how the desperate situation of the South drove the men to even take this chance with the Hunley opertion. Great viewing.

On Friday, February 1, 2015, I went to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC to view "The Hunley" which was the initial episode in the 1963 TV series called "The Great Adventure." The episode is cataloged as: "The Great Adventure: The Hunley (1963) call number FCA 2689-2690. It was viewed in the Moving Image Section of the Library of Congress, room 236 of the James Madison Building. The telephone number there is (202) 707-9835. One must call ahead to have the archived tapes delivered to the Madison building for viewing. The episode is recorded on two electromagnetic tapes, and were viewed on a reel-to-reel machine. As described on various online sites, The Hunley stars Jackie Cooper as Lt. George Dixon. The cast includes some actors who would be familiar from other TV roles: James MacArthur (Danno) of "Hawaii Five-O" fame, Wayne Rogers (Trapper John) from "Mash" and George Lindsay (Goober) from "The Andy Griffith Show" as the skirt-chasing "Hampton." My main interest in The Hunley was whether it might portray a signal lantern, blue light, or other communication from the submarine to shore after sinking The Housatonic. There was no treatment of the Hunley's loss at all, however. The episode ends with the destruction of the Housatonic, and a shot of the Hunley's crewmens' graves. I therefore cannot say whether the blue lantern myth existed prior to the date of The Hunley's airing. It was, however, interesting as the first treatment of the engagement in the popular media. As might be expected, there were numerous errors in the show, since it predated the submarine's recovery, after which much of what had been believed about the sub was proved to be incorrect. For example, nine crew members were portrayed, as had been claimed by contemporary historians, although forensic study revealed only eight on board the Hunley. All of them are shown as native-born Americans, and we now know that several were immigrants. The uniforms worn by the characters were fanciful at times, so reenactors and experts on material culture of the 1860s are not going to be impressed (a raccoon tail on a kepi was particularly egregious). The sub portrayed bears only passing resemblance to the real thing, and Hampton ("Goober") observes that it is squat and fat, much like a girl he knew before the War. The crew operate the crankshaft from both sides, rather than just the port, as in the real craft. The destruction of the Housatonic was complete, being obliterated in a gigantic explosion, unlike its true demise when a large hole was imploded in its stern quarter. The arrangement of the torpedo was also incorrect: rather than detonating while still attached to the bow spar, the show displays the time-honored belief that the sub backed away and detonated the charge by means of a line unspooled from a reel mounted to the hull's exterior. It was interesting to see the producer's treatment of a "David" class semi-submersible as a motive means for the Hunley. Despite the historical flaws, the episode is entertaining, and does manage to cover the salient points of the Confederates' plan to break the blockade, the sub's technological and personnel failures, and the tension, anxiety and elation which must have been a part of the crews' experiences. It is obvious that the later Ted Turner movie on the Hunley drew from some of this show's thematic elements, especially the replacement of a transferred crewman by an underage, gung-ho volunteer. Should the series ever become available on DVD, I would recommend its purchase, especially for those who remember it fondly from their youth, when it planted a seed which would grow into a lifelong appreciation for our nation's history.

This is the only episode of THE GREAT ADVENTURE series that, if shown today, would need an epilogue. That is because of the portion of the show that was unknown in 1963, but is clearly known in 2006.

James McClintock was an engineer of some genius who worked with the backing of a wealthy citizen of New Orleans, Mr. Horace Hunley. The Confederate government had promised a large reward for the design of some weapon that could destroy the Union Blockade of the dwindling number of Confederate ports, and McClintock (with Hunley's backing) designed a series of torpedo boats and an experimental submarine. The experimental submarine would be moved by it's crew who would turn a crank to turn the ship's large rear propeller. Eventually, the submarine (named the "Hunley" after it's backer) was taken from the Gulf of Mexico to Charleston, South Carolina for tests.

It became known as the "parapatetic coffin" after two crews (about 17 men) were lost in two separate sinkings. One of the victims was Horace Hunley, asphyxiated as he tried desperately to relight a candle (the only light inside the totally dark hull) to see if he could clean out the primitive pump on board to regain whatever buoyancy he could for the ship. McClintock still urged that the "Hunley" could work as an underwater submarine against the Northern fleet. He was supported in his demands by Lieutenant Dixon (misnamed Dickson in the teleplay), who offered to command the ship himself. Against his better judgment, General Pierre Beauregard (Confederate Commander of Charleston) agreed.

Dixon (Jackie Cooper in this episode) led a crew of eight men in practice runs, including a test to see how long the ship could stay under water. The activities of the submariners did not go unnoticed in the Northern Fleet. Southern deserters told of some torpedo boat being tested. However, the Northern sailors had images of a current torpedo boat called a "David" that did ram explosives into Northern ships - but the "David" was a surface craft (albeit a trim low board surface craft). So the idea of a total underwater attack was not expected.

On February 17, 1864 Dixon took the "Hunley" out to test it's destructive abilities. A spar on the end of the ship included an explosive that would be rammed into the bottom of the Northern warship and then would explode (by timer) after the "Hunley" pulled out of the enemy ship. It is known that the "Hunley" was spotted by a lookout on the Federal sloop "U.S.S. Housatonic" that night - the sailors started shooting at the "Hunley". It dived and rammed the rammed the "Housatonic". An explosion doomed the sloop which sank within ten minutes. Five of the crew of the sloop were lost.

Those on shore later claimed that they saw the light of a signal lamp that was from the "Hunley" about half an hour after the sinking of the "Housatonic". But the Confederate sub never returned to port. In fact it was never heard from again from 1864 to 2002.

The episode about the first successful war submarine attack on an enemy ship ended with the Confederates (including Beauregard) sadly acknowledging that Dixon and his crew and their nice little submarine was lost forever. As a good brief account of the events leading to the torpedoing it was a pretty accurate account as far as it went. The members of the "Hunley"'s crew (including Gene Evans and Wayne Rogers) played their roles well, never knowing if they would return from each sea trial alive or trapped and doomed like those two crews that preceded them.

The rediscovery of the sunken submarine did not occur until 2002 - after serious efforts were made to seek it from about 1990. Except for a broken window, the "Hunley" was found intact, and raised. It's crew's remains were given a military funeral. The boat is now being preserved carefully, and will be on permanent display in a museum in Charleston. That portion of the story would have required the epilogue.