Wednesday, 13 February, 2019
The Civil Warriors Round Table will hold its next meeting at 7PM on Wednesday, February 13th, at Weiler’s Deli in West Hills, CA. Linda Clarke of the Los Angeles CWRT will present "The H.L. Hunley – The First Submarine to Sink a Warship.”
One of the Confederacy’s efforts to break the Union blockade of Southern ports during the Civil War was a submarine developed by civilians. Named the H.L. Hunley after its inventor, it was designed to attach an explosive torpedo under water to the hull of a warship, to back off, and detonate the torpedo. On February 17, 1864, near the beginning of the fourth year of the Civil War, the H.L. Hunley succeeded in attacking and sinking the Union warship USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor. This was the first sinking of an enemy ship by a submarine in combat in world history. However, the H.L. Hunley mysteriously disappeared on its return trip to dock and was lost for 131 years.
Linda will discuss the saga of the design and development of the Hunley, the loss of two crews to drowning during development and testing, the sinking of the USS Housatonic, and the mysterious loss of the submarine and crew on its return trip. Also discussed will be the expeditions to find the Hunley, its discovery and recovery, and the ongoing efforts to restore it and solve the mystery of why it sank in 1864.
Linda Clarke completed a M.A. degree in Military History/Civil War in 2018. She also retired from 20th Century Fox after a long career in Information Technology. She has been an avid Civil War buff since 1993, having spent much time on major battlefields, and participated in many of the 150th year commemorations. She is currently the Program Chair of the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table.
As always, come join us before the program starts. Our members start assembling around 6PM for refreshments like the Weilers deli sandwich dinner and for the camaraderie of their fellow Civil Warriors. Meeting attendance is $5 which includes soft drinks, cookies and an entry in our book drawing. The sandwich dinner is $15 which includes attendance, a deli sandwich and exclusive Weilers side dishes. If you wish to partake of the dinner, please RSVP before noon of 2/13/19 to Dave Goracke at: goracke@alum.mit.edu
and your dinner will be available when you arrive. Guests, new members and returning members are always welcome to join us for this and future meetings! If you can’t make this meeting, please consider one of our exciting upcoming meetings noted in our Future Presentations section.
Weiler's West Hills Deli
22323 Sherman Way - West Hills
Presentation at 7PM sharp!
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Questions and Enthusiastic Discussion Following Linda’s Presentation!