Hunley Conservation Laboratories

Anywho, before moving here, I visited Charleston a lot. I mean a LOT! Never once did I give a second thought to going to see the HL Hunley submarine. With my girlfriends Civil War reenactment brother in town, I thought, this would be a perfect opportunity to go and see it! Plus he gets a military discount for being ex-​Navy. The location of the actual vessel is in a very industrial area of N. Charleston. Housed in a research, warehouse style building. A perfect area to set the mood for exploring the secrets she holds. There’s not much I can add that hasn’t already been said in terms of what the exhibit looks like. But to really get a great experience? All depends on the tour guide you get. Our guide was a man named Carl. This guy worked on a nuclear sub for 20 years so I’m pretty sure he knows his stuff when it comes to this sort of stuff. Carl was excellent in his delivery of the tour and I was super impressed with his specific knowledge of the Hunley. He fielded questions with straight forward answers without skipping a beat. If you go, I strongly encourage you to request Carl as your tour guide. Otherwise, you’ll love this very informative and interactive exhibit. 2 downsides to this. 1 and this is VERY important. You only get to see the sub from the top view and you’re behind a 12 foot tall wall of Plexiglas. Couple that with a 2 foot wide cat walk between you, the plexi and the sub tank and you really can’t see much. That was extremely disappointing. They do tell you why the reason for the Plexiglas, but still… Disappointment number 2 is the cost for what you get. $ 16 for adults (non-​military) and don’t really get to get even a good view of the sub. Pricey if you ask me. Lucky for me, my GF’s brother was in the Navy so he flashed his Military ID and we got in for $ 14 apiece. Discount = good. And oh! I almost forgot. My cell phone died while in the tour, so sadly I only have the 2 pictures. Guess I’ll have to go back and take more.

We took the 4:40 tour on a Saturday.
— Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Passionate. Really made us feel like we were there in the boat. Warning: if you are anti-​Confederate you may want to check your biases at the door.
— I recommend going earlier in order to have more time to view the standalone exhibits. The place closes at 5:30, I believe, so we felt a little rushed to get out. Really fascinating stuff and if you enjoy history you’ll want time to ponder it and figure out … exactly how this boat sank.
— A great bit of American history and certainly for Southerners, this is a key piece of history.
— Our 10 year old liked it, but we had kids 8 and younger who had a hard time following what the guide was saying, despite his great efforts to throw in content to appeal to them, so I would advise against young kids joining.
My vote is that the Hunley was rammed or run over by a Union vessel going to rescue the Hunley’s victim …

They have done such a GREAT job with informing people about the Hunley!
The Hunley is only open on Saturdays and Sundays, which is kind of a bummer for locals, as it definitely gets quite crowded. That is the only negative thing I could say about the Hunley!
The volunteers who give their time to educate the public are incredibly passionate and knowledgable. When they tell you the history of the Hunley, the story telling is so good that you actually feel like you are there!
The Hunley is currently enclosed behind glass because it is in a solution that is potentially harmful to us humans, as it is trying to work down the concretion inside and outside of the sub. They say it will take another 5 years before this process will be finished! However, you can still see the Hunley, and the volunteers point out different parts of the sub with a laser pointer.
The museum was not what I expected, at all. It is very interactive, and has a great flow. It isn’t one of those exhibits with tons of useless information that you try to cram into your head but can’t. No, it has incredibly memorable facts, and it does a great job at assisting your memory but creating great displays and exhibits so you remember everything!
I know the Hunley is a bit of a drive from downtown Charleston, where most people stay during their visit, but I strongly urge them to come visit. It is off the beaten path, there is good food nearby at Park Circle and it is just such an interesting part of Charleston’s history!

While visiting Charleston consider taking about 1 – 2 hours out of your day and explore the Hunley museum and learn about the first submarine to sink a ship in combat. The mysteries and legends about this vessel are now coming to the light of day with the help of the researchers who work here. I’m a history buff and really enjoyed myself here. Tons of information and videos for those of you who want to take the time and learn about the history of the Hunley.

The actual Hunley submarine is here, preserved in a solution. You will not be able to see much of it in 2014 because they are still working on finding a way to keep it from disintegrating. There are some nice artifacts on display and you get a brief tour when it is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. I think it cost $ 36.00 for the four of us, two adults and two children. The kids liked the interactive subs displays better than the tour itself. I found it interesting. The confederates were trying to break a union blockade in 1764. They failed twice but sunk a ship on the third try.
I think a nice addition would be a replica of the Hunley itself and maybe a short film in the genre of Ken Burns «Civil War» documentaries. My daughter was studying the civil war this year and this added to her educational experiences. I was glad we took the time to go.

I love history so this was right up my alley. The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the Hunley… it’s past and the on going research they are still doing. The museum before you go into see it was very interesting. They did a good job with telling its story and the men that perished that day.
Entrance fees I thought were a little expensive but I guess everything is these days.
Also, my 12, 11 and 8 year old kids loved it too. They had a few interactive displays for the kids… including a half size replica of the sub that kids can go in and try to crank and get the full experience.

Well worth the visit whether you’re a history buff or not. Even my 12yo understood the ambition and significance of the Hunley, and bravery of its crew. I wish the tour was longer than the 20 minutes allotted. I’d recommend buying your tickets online. Tours are only on the weekends and fill up quickly. The tours are led by volunteers, some were Navy veterans. While the submarine itself is impressive, the personal artifacts and stories of the crew bring her story to life. The only downside was that our tour guide talked too fast and his words ran into each other, which made it difficult to understand him. Thankfully the other exhibits in the warehouse give you the history, so I didn’t feel completely lost. I look forward to when the Hunley will be housed in a permanent museum when the conservation is complete.

I’ve seen a couple of history channel documentaries about the CSS Hunley but I was extremely happy to see her in person. But it is not as easy as you might think. They are only open on Sat-​Sun. You should really purchase a ticket in advance b/​c they only let in so many people per tour. Each tour lasts a mere 20 minutes. No cameras are allowed in the area with the sub. We were not told why, I can’t imagine that camera flashes are going to harm the metal hull. You’ll need a car to get out there or grab a taxi but you’d have to make arrangements to get back as there were no taxis waiting outside. It is located in a very run down part of the area that used to be the Charleston navy base. And no public transportation either.
I do wish that they allowed more than 20 minutes per tour. There is so much to learn about the sub. You are not actually forced out of the sub area but you do have tour group after tour group filling in. I have to think that they are trying to maximize revenue and get as many people through there as possible. Some of the tour guides are ex-​navy guys and are very friendly.
Beyond seeing the sub in its water tank, you can also see the schnorkel, the boom that held the explosive charge that sank the USS Housatonic. It was the first sinking of a naval ship by a submersible ever. The next successful attempt was over 50 years later during WW One! Amazing.
They have info on the crew and reconstructed wax heads depicting the third and last crew to die in the CSS Hunley. Very brave men fighting for many reasons, not just slavery. A very complex subject. But I could not help to notice that there were no blacks among the visitors. Who can blame them? Slavery was a major cause of the war.
You also get to see the gold coin that had saved Lt Dixon at Shiloh as well as the two diamond rings that he had in his posession. As well as other objects found in the sub. They also have a mock up that you can get in but there was a chain preventing one from turning the crankshaft. Still, it gave you an idea of what it would be like.
I learned many things like: there were three European (German) born crew members. The Union navy had fore warning of the attack from some confederate desserters so the USS Housatonic was able to get under way by a few meters almost making the CSS Hunley miss its target.
I understand from the tour guide that in 5 – 6 years they will be opening a much bigger museum so that they can show off the many objects that they found in the sub but don’t have the room to show now. I look forward to see that.
The only unpleasant thing was our tour guide (Joan, I think) got off topic and started to describe her disdain for global warming theories. Believe what you want but such political discussion absolutely does NOT belong in part of a tour guide’s work.
I snagged a cool book on the Hunley and a cool t-​shirt for the memories of such an interesting event in history.