As South Carolina Republicans were making history at their primary Saturday, a newly-displayed piece of the state's Civil War history is attracting attention from all over the country. CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano takes us on a voyage through time:
No one knows more about the history of the H.L. Hunley than South Carolina Senate president Glenn McConnell.
"When the Hunley went out on Feb. 17, 1864, and sank the U.S.S. Housatonic, it forever changed the rules and game and techniques by which warfare would be fought on the water," he said.
The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley completed its mission, but then mysteriously sank four miles off the coast of South Carolina. McConell has worked to salvage the vessel's legacy since 1995.
"This is not just about South Carolina's history?" Quijano asked.
"It's about America now," said McConnell. "And it's world history because it's the world's first successful combat submarine."
The submarine was carefully raised from the ocean floor in 2000. Last week, the steel truss that lifted the vessel was removed, allowing the public to see the Hunley unobstructed for the first time.
Quijano and McConnell were looking at the submarine in a pool of water.
"When you look at that, what do you see?" she asked.
"I see a sleek, hydro-dynamically-designed vessel 50 something-years ahead of its time," said McConnell.
A New Orleans lawyer, Horace Hunley, designed the 42-foot long technical marvel. It was powered by hand crank, and it's depth-controlled by filling tanks with seawater. An artist's rendering illustrates how the Hundley sank the Housatonic by ramming it with a 135-pound torpedo.
The reason the Hunley sank is still a mystery. Eight sailors were aboard and their bodies discovered still at their stations 136 years after their final mission. McConnell is one of a select few who've sat inside the Hunley.
"It's like having your head in Darth Vader's mask," he said. "You can hear your breathing and the echoing of everything around your head."
When conservation work is complete, the Hunley will be placed in its own museum -- a permanent resting place for what was in its day the only weapon of it's kind.
Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsMain/~3/VoKdKggRLsQ/
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