FEBRUARY 17TH, 1864:
The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, Lt. George E. Davis, CSA, destroyed the USS Housatonic off Charleston, SC. It became the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship in combat.
The Hunley had sunk Oct. 15, 1863, for the second time. It was raised and a new volunteer crew trained. For months, under the cover of darkness, the submarine would move out into the harbor awaiting favorable conditions and a target.
This night,the small craft with a spar torpedo attached to the bow found the sloop of war Housatonic anchored outside the bar. Just before 9 o'clock in the evening, Acting Master John K. Crosby, the Housatonic's officer of the deck spotted an object in the water about a hundred yards off and making directly for the ship.
--Old B-R'er
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