A High-spirited Celebration

The people of Charleston were in a festive mood. Two hundred pleasure boats welcomed her. Confederate and U.S. flags were flying. The US flag at Fort Sumter was at half-mast, and she was greeted by a 21-gun salute by men in Civil War uniform. Indeed, the people of Charleston had a good reason to celebrate. Reality would set in eventually, and restoration work would have to begin soon.

Seventeen Years And Counting

Scientists began restoring the Hunley after the festivities and the task is far from over. Removing grime from the hull alone took a year. Most of the submarine’s exterior has been cleaned and visitors can now see its interior even if build up from its center has yet to be removed. The Hunley would be transferred to a museum once restoration work is completed. In the meantime, the submarine’s archaeologists and scientists are making progress both in terms of the ship’s restoration and in terms of solving the mystery of her disappearance.