On Feb. 17, 1864, a torpedo from a Confederate submarine called the H.L. Hunley blew a hole in the side of a Union ship called the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor, becoming the first combat submarine to sink a warship in history. But after the attack, the Hunley disappeared.
It was finally found on the ocean floor in 1995, and raised from the depths in 2000. The Hunley was remarkably intact. The bodies of the eight crewmen remained inside. And they left behind a mystery: Exactly how did they die?
Rachel Lance may have solved that mystery. As a grad student at Duke, with expertise in explosions and the trauma they cause, Lance set out to learn whether the same blast that sank the Housatonic may have killed the Hunley’s own crew. She has published the story of her research in a new book called “In the Waves.” It’s both a serious work of scholarship and a fun look into history, mystery, and the joy of blowing stuff up.
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Show notes:
- The official book page for "In the Waves"
- Lance's bio
- A magazine story about her research
- The official site for the Hunley
Other music in this episode:
- Pictures of the Floating World, "Waves"
- Rest You Sleeping Giant, "Slow Moving Waves"
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SouthBound is a production of WFAE. Our host is Tommy Tomlinson. Our audience engagement manager is Joni Deutsch, and our main theme comes from Josh Turner.