British submariners honour crew of Confederate sub in Charleston, SC
February 17, 2012
By MichaelThe Charleston Post and Courier has the following story about British submariners paying respects to the heroic crew of the CSS Hunley. Half of the eight man crew were European volunteers.
British submariners are in South Carolina to pay tribute to the crew of the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship.
Members of the Portsmouth Submariners Association in the United Kingdom place a poppy wreath Friday at the graves of the crew of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley in Charleston. The poppy is a symbol of courage and sacrifice.
Association members have sent a poppy wreath to the grave every year since 2004, when the last Hunley crew was buried in what has been called the last Confederate funeral.
It was 148 years ago Friday that the hand-cranked sub sank the Union blockade ship Housatonic off Charleston. But the Hunley itself sank before returning.
The sub was raised from the Atlantic Ocean 12 years ago.
Click here for the Friends of the Hunley site which has lots of information about the boat, its crew, mission and the recovery of its remains.
