Hunley Found essays

Hunley Found essays Since the dawn of man, humans have sought to push the limits of existence. This is evident throughout our history in many ways. Sometimes these pushes are from daredevils willing to risk their lives for no possible gain, and sometimes this is caused by the need of new designs and ideas in order to preserve a way of life. The latter is the case of the submarine. One in particular is the famous H.L. Hunley. Built by the Confederate States of America, this is a vessel largely surrounded in mystery. What is the Hunley? Where did it come from? Why was it built? How was the Hunley significant throughout history? These questions and more have been asked time and time again. The story of the Hunley is a story unsolved and almost forgotten by time. But this story has been raised with the raising of the sub itself and the questions are ready to be answered. To more accurately understand the Hunley and its concept, one needs to look all the way back to the American Revolutionary War. With this war came the invention of an infernal machine. This machine was the Turtle. The Turtle was a small, one-man submarine made out of painted wood that resembled a large wooden keg barrel. The Hunley and the Turtle had, remarkably, many similar features. They both were man powered, they both had explosives that were stuck into the hull of another ship, and they had the basic qualities that allowed the to be called submarines. Continuing to look at what influenced the construction of the Hunley, the only other predecessors came from the same men who eventually would build the Hunley. These submarines were more familiar in shape but still used the crude technology of the time. The first of these submarines was officially christened the Pioneer. Like the Hunley, it too was man powered but of only three men. The second submarine was called both the American Diver and the Pioneer II. This sub was nearly identical ...