The Hunley

The Hunley is taken out into Charleston Harbor and sinks with all hands. The loss triggers renewed efforts to salvage and reuse the submarine later in the war. Despite the tragedy, Confederate leaders decide to pursue submarine warfare and assign new leadership.

General Beauregard orders the ship to be raised and appoints George E. Dixon to command. Work begins to assemble a capable crew, with volunteers slowly filling the ranks. They start practicing cranking the propeller to build endurance and familiarity with the craft.

Dixon experiences a flashback to the Battle of Shiloh, where a gold coin given by his wife deflected a bullet and saved his life. The memory underscores the personal cost of war and the stakes of their mission. It also foreshadows the dangers they are about to face.

They search for men willing to volunteer for a dangerous underwater assignment and finally fill the crew. Training is grueling as they drill the crank-propeller and learn the submarine's quirks. Tensions among crew members surface as the pressure builds.

They test how long the Hunley can stay submerged by taking it down to the bottom and watching the ballast. The crew nearly gets stuck, highlighting the limits of their equipment and the risk of a prolonged underwater voyage. These trials reveal the critical need for reliable ballast and pumping.

The U.S. Navy learns about the sub and prepares defenses. In response, the Hunley is fitted with draped metal chain netting over the side as protection. A line from the torpedo becomes entangled in the propeller, forcing an emergency cut.

Beauregard proposes mounting the torpedo on the end of a long spar to reach enemy ships. The plan evolves into a spar-torpedo attack, changing how the crew will approach targets. They adapt the submarine to this new tactic.

The USS Housatonic is ordered to change position in the harbor and stay ready to steam, preventing the Hunley from exploiting netting. The crew must work within these constraints as they prepare for an attack. This pushes them to improve coordination under pressure.

Lt. Alexander, the second in command, is ordered to Mobile, Alabama, while a young volunteer joins the crew. The shifting leadership patterns bring both disruption and renewed resolve. The crew continues to train and prepare for action.

On February 17, 1864, the Hunley sails out and attacks the USS Housatonic. The torpedo is rammed into the side of the ship, it explodes, and the Housatonic sinks, becoming the first ship ever sunk by a submarine. Dixon is wounded by a bullet that breaks a window in the conning tower.

The explosion opens seams on the Hunley and it takes on water. The submarine settles to the bottom as it cannot release ballast or pump. Following their plan, the crew opens the valves and floods the ship, killing the entire crew.

General Beauregard attends a memorial service in Charleston for Hunley and her crew. Inside the flooded submarine, Dixon envisions a reunion with his wife, welcomed into the afterlife. The scene closes on a somber note of sacrifice.