Editing H. L. Hunley (section)

== Recovery of wreckage ==
{{Main|Conservation-restoration of the H.L. Hunley}}
''Hunley''{{'}}s discovery was described by William Dudley, Director of Naval History at the [[Naval Historical Center]] as "probably the most important find of the century."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehunley.com/factsheet.htm |title=H.L. Hunley Fact Sheet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174301/http://www.thehunley.com/factsheet.htm |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=usurped|website=The Hunley}}</ref>

[[File:CSSHLHunleyrecovery.jpg|thumb|''H. L. Hunley'', suspended from a crane during her recovery from off of Charleston Harbor, August 8, 2000]]
[[File:Hunley 001.jpg|thumb|Removing the first section of the crew's bench at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, January 28, 2005]]
[[File:H. L. Hunley in sodium hydroxide bath (3).jpg|thumb|''H.L. Hunley'' in sodium hydroxide bath, July 2017]]
The discovery of ''Hunley'' has been claimed by two different individuals. Underwater archaeologist [[E. Lee Spence]], president, [[Sea Research Society]], reportedly discovered ''Hunley'' in 1970,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070624/2hunley_2.htm |title=A Civil War Time Capsule From the Sea: Artifacts from the South's submarine are turning fable into fact |first=Andrew |last=Curry |date=June 24, 2007 |magazine=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Ghosts from the Coast |chapter=The Man Who Found the Hunley: Charleston, South Carolina |first=Nancy |last=Roberts |publisher=UNC Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-8078-2665-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ghostsfromcoast00nanc/page/89 89–94] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/ghostsfromcoast00nanc/page/89 }}</ref> and has a collection of evidence<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shipwrecks.com/attachments.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228024921/http://www.shipwrecks.com/attachments.html |archive-date=2008-02-28 |title=Letters, Charts, Maps, Documents, etc. attached to Dr. E. Lee Spence's Sworn Affidavit regarding Spence's 1970 discovery of the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley |website=Shipwrecks.com |url-status=dead }}</ref> claiming to validate this, including a 1980 Civil Admiralty Case.<ref>United States District Court, District of Charleston, Case #80-1303-8, Filed July 8, 1980</ref> The court took the position that the wreck was outside the jurisdiction of the [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals Office]], and no determination of ownership was made.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Witte|first1=Sully|title=A look back at Hurricane Hugo, five years after the storm|url=https://www.moultrienews.com/archives/a-look-back-at-hurricane-hugo-five-years-after-the/article_824c6f05-6be3-56eb-b442-87eaa6ee6467.html|access-date=13 December 2017|work=Moultrie News|publisher=Evening Post Industries|date=Sep 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707222238/https://www.moultrienews.com/archives/a-look-back-at-hurricane-hugo-five-years-after-the/article_824c6f05-6be3-56eb-b442-87eaa6ee6467.html|archive-date=7 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 13 September 1976, the National Park Service submitted the Sea Research Society's (Spence's) location for ''H. L. Hunley'' for inclusion on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Spence's location for ''Hunley'' became a matter of public record when ''H.L. Hunley''{{'}}s placement on that list was officially approved on 29 December 1978.<ref name=inventory>{{cite web |last=Yasko |first=Karel |title=H. L. Hunley (Submarine) |work=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form – Inventory |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |date=February 1976 |url=http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/charleston/S10817710107/S10817710107.pdf |access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> Spence's book ''Treasures of the Confederate Coast'', which had a chapter on his discovery of ''Hunley'' and included a map complete with an "X" showing the wreck's location, was published in January 1995.<ref>''Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The "Real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations'' by Dr. E. Lee Spence, Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995, p. 54</ref>

Diver Ralph Wilbanks located the wreck in April 1995 while leading a [[National Underwater and Marine Agency|NUMA]] dive team originally organized by archaeologist Mark Newell and funded by novelist [[Clive Cussler]],<ref>''Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine'' by B. Hicks and S. Kropf, Ballantine Publishing, N.Y., 2002, p. 131</ref> who announced the find as a new discovery<ref>NUMA News release, Austin, Texas, May 11, 1995</ref> and first claimed that the location was in about {{cvt|18|ft}} of water over {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} inshore of ''Housatonic'', but later admitted to a reporter that that was false.<ref>"Salvaging Hunley clues: Cussler fibs about sub's depth" by Schuyler Kropf, ''The Post and Courier'', Charleston, S.C., May 11, 1996</ref> The wreck was actually {{cvt|100|yd}} away from and on the ''seaward'' side of ''Housatonic'' in {{convert|27|ft|m}} of water. The submarine was buried under several feet of silt, which had concealed and protected the vessel for over a hundred years. The divers exposed the forward hatch and the ventilator box (the air box for the attachment of her twin snorkels) to identify her. The submarine was resting on her starboard side, at about a 45-degree angle, and was covered in a {{convert|1/4|to|3/4|in|cm}} thick encrustation of [[ferrous oxide|rust]] bonded with sand and seashell particles. Archaeologists exposed part of the ship's port side and uncovered the bow dive plane. More probing revealed an approximate length of {{convert|37|ft|m}}, with the entire vessel preserved under the sediment.<ref>''H.L. Hunley Site Assessment'', NPS, NHC and SCIAA, edited by Larry Murphy (SCRU), 1998, pp. 6–13, 63–66</ref>

On 14 September 1995, at the official request of Senator Glenn F. McConnell, Chairman, South Carolina ''Hunley'' Commission,<ref>Minutes of the Hunley Commission Meeting of September 14, 1995</ref> E. Lee Spence, with South Carolina Attorney General Charles M. Condon signing, donated ''Hunley'' to the State of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spence's Hunley papers – Assignment of Interest Sept 14 1995 |url=https://shipwrecks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Spences-Hunley-papers-Assignment-of-Interest-Sept-14-1995-150-dpi.jpg |access-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129043604/https://shipwrecks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Spences-Hunley-papers-Assignment-of-Interest-Sept-14-1995-150-dpi.jpg |archive-date=29 January 2022}} "Assignment of Interest," September 14, 1995, signed by E. Lee Spence and Charles Molony Condon, Attorney General State of South Carolina</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Spence's Hunley papers – Attorney General Condon thank you Sept 20 1995 |url=https://shipwrecks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Spences-Hunley-papers-Attorney-General-Condon-thank-you-Sept-20-1995.jpg |access-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129043449/https://shipwrecks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Spences-Hunley-papers-Attorney-General-Condon-thank-you-Sept-20-1995.jpg |archive-date=29 January 2022 |date=20 September 1995}}</ref><ref>"Hunley claimant signs over rights to state" by Sid Gaulden, ''The Post and Courier'', Charleston, S.C., September 15, 1995</ref> Shortly thereafter, NUMA disclosed to government officials Wilbank's location for the wreck which, when finally made public in October 2000, matched Spence's 1970s plot of the wreck's location well within standard mapping tolerances.<ref>'Whose X marks the spot?' by W. Thomas Smith Jr., ''Charleston City Paper'', Charleston, S.C., October 4, 2000, p. 16</ref> Spence avows that he discovered ''Hunley'' in 1970, revisiting and mapping the site in 1971 and again in 1979, and that after he published the location in his 1995 book he expected NUMA to independently verify the wreck as ''Hunley'', not to claim that NUMA had discovered her. NUMA was actually part of a [[SCIAA]] expedition directed by Dr. [[Mark M. Newell]] and not Cussler.<ref>"News," official press release by NUMA, listing Clive Cussler as a contact, Austin, Texas, May 11, 1995</ref><ref>''The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice & Success in the Civil War'' by Mark Ragan, Narwhal Press Inc., {{ISBN|1-886391-04-1}}, p. 186</ref> Dr. Newell swore under oath that he used Spence's maps to direct the joint SCIAA/NUMA expedition and credited Spence with the original discovery. Dr. Newell credits his expedition only with the official verification of ''Hunley''.<ref>''The Andy Thomas Show'', live radio interview by Andy Thomas with Dr. Newell, Dr. Spence and Claude Petrone, Columbia, S.C., August 2001</ref>

The ''in situ'' underwater archaeological investigation and excavation culminated with the raising of ''Hunley'' on 8 August 2000.<ref name=Neyland2005>{{cite journal |author=Neyland, Robert S |title=Underwater Archaeology and the Confederate Submarine H.L. Hunley |journal=In: Godfrey, JM; Shumway, SE. Diving for Science 2005. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences Symposium on March 10–12, 2005 at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, Groton, Connecticut. |publisher=[[American Academy of Underwater Sciences]] |year=2005 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/9012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130113043821/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/9012 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 13, 2013 |access-date=2011-01-09}}</ref> A large team of professionals from the Naval Historical Center's [[Underwater Archaeology Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command|Underwater Archaeology Branch]], [[National Park Service]], the [[South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology]], and various other individuals investigated the vessel, measuring and documenting her before removal. Once the on-site investigation was complete, harnesses were slipped underneath the sub and attached to a truss designed by [[Oceaneering International]]. After the last harness had been secured, the crane from the recovery barge ''Karlissa B'' hoisted the submarine from the sea floor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prolamsausa.com/pdf/casestudies/HunleyCS.pdf|title=Tubería y Perfiles |website=Prolamsa.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715121343/http://www.prolamsausa.com/pdf/casestudies/HunleyCS.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Teaster|first=Gerald|title=Karlissa B Crane|url=https://myhighinfo.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-karlissa-b-600-ton-capacity-crane.html|website=My High Info}}</ref> She was raised from the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, just over {{convert|3.5|nmi|km}} from Sullivan's Island outside the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Despite having used a sextant and hand-held compass thirty years earlier to plot the wreck's location, Dr. Spence's {{cvt|52|m}} accuracy turned out to be well within the length of the recovery barge, which was {{cvt|64|m}} long.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.titansalvage.com/jackupbarges/jackupspecs.pdf |title=Crowley Maritime Corporation |website=www.titansalvage.com |access-date=11 January 2022 }}{{dead link|date=October 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shipwrecks.com/mapHunleySitefield1979.htm|title=Annotated section of November 24, 1979, edition of NOAA chart 11523 with Spence's 1980 claim area and showing sites marked "it" which is the wreck of the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley and "W.O," which is the old Housatonic wreck buoy.|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704114344/http://www.shipwrecks.com/mapHunleySitefield1979.htm|archive-date=July 4, 2008}}</ref> On 8 August 2000, at 08:37, the sub broke the surface for the first time in more than 136 years, greeted by a cheering crowd on shore and in surrounding watercraft, including author Clive Cussler. Once safely on her transporting barge, ''Hunley'' was shipped back to Charleston. The removal operation concluded when the submarine was secured inside the [[Warren Lasch Conservation Center]], at the former [[Charleston Navy Yard]] in North Charleston, in a specially designed tank of fresh water to await conservation until she could eventually be exposed to air.

The exploits of ''Hunley'' and her final recovery were the subject of an episode of the television series ''[[The Sea Hunters: True Adventures With Famous Shipwrecks|The Sea Hunters]]'', called ''Hunley: First Kill''. This program was based on a section ("Part 6") in Clive Cussler's 1996 non-fiction book of the same name (which was accepted by the Board of Governors of the Maritime College of the State University of New York in lieu of his Ph.D. thesis).<ref>''The Arizona Republic'', May 18, 1997; page unknown, dated cut-out article</ref>

In 2001, Clive Cussler filed a lawsuit against E. Lee Spence for unfair competition, injurious falsehood, civil conspiracy, and defamation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1980&dat=20011011&id=k3UiAAAAIBAJ&pg=3450,1370913|work=The Item |title=H.L. Hunley Discovery Case Heads to Court|agency=Associated Press|author=Bruce Smith|date=October 11, 2001}}</ref> Spence filed a countersuit against Cussler, in 2002, seeking damages, claiming that Cussler was engaging in unfair competition, tortious interference, and civil conspiracy by claiming Cussler had discovered the location of the wreck of ''Hunley'' in 1995 when she had already been discovered by Spence in 1970, and that such claims by Cussler were damaging to Spence's career, and had caused him damages over $100,000.<ref>Civil Action Number 2:01-cv-04006-SB, Date Filed 05/31/2002, entry number 35, pp. 32–40</ref> Spence's lawsuit was dismissed through summary judgment in 2007, on the legal theory that, under the Lanham Act, regardless of whether Cussler's claims were factual or not, Cussler had been making them for over three years before Spence brought his suit against Cussler; thus the suit was not filed within the statute of limitations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Judge dismisses counterclaim in Hunley lawsuit |url=http://www.historynet.com/judge-dismisses-counterclaim-in-hunley-lawsuit.htm |website=HistoryNet.com |publisher=The Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105072135/http://www.historynet.com/judge-dismisses-counterclaim-in-hunley-lawsuit.htm |archive-date=January 5, 2015 |date=May 18, 2007}}</ref> Cussler dropped his suit a year later,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20080823/PC1602/308239956|title=Cussler ends lawsuit over finding Hunley|first=Schuyler|last=Kropf}}</ref> after the judge agreed that Spence could introduce evidence in support of his discovery claims as a truth defense against Cussler's claims against him.<ref>Civil Action Number 2:01-cv-04006-SB, Date Filed 06/06/08, Entry Number 209, p. 8 of 30</ref>

''Hunley'' may be viewed during tours at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston. A replica is on display at the [[USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park]], Mobile, Alabama, alongside the {{USS|Alabama|BB-60}} and the {{USS|Drum|SS-228}}.