The Beaufort History Museum will be hosting the H.L. Hunley Traveling Exhibition on March 17-18, 2023. This entertaining and educational exhibit features a full-scale replica of the Civil War era submarine CSS H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, along with other interesting displays.
For the very first visit of the Hunley Exhibit to Beaufort, the event is being held outdoors on Friday & Saturday, March 17th & 18th, in the parking lot of the Carteret Street United Methodist Church, at the corner of Craven & Scott Streets in downtown. The exhibit’s hours are 10am to 4pm.
Reenactors will be on hand to tell the unique story of this vessel, from the first launch to the tragic end. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience!
The hand-cranked 40-foot-long Civil War craft became the world’s first successful attack sub by sinking the Union blockade ship Housatonic off Sullivan’s Island in Charleston on Feb. 17, 1864. The Hunley rammed a powder explosive into the Housatonic’s hull, detonating in a massive explosion.
While the crew signaled they planned to return by reportedly flashing a blue lantern light toward shore, they never appeared. The sub with crew remains inside were found and later recovered four miles offshore in 2000. The crew was buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.
The Hunley exhibit in Beaufort will be led by its General Manager, Al Couch, who is a 7th generation Charlestonian.
His forefathers fought in the Revolutionary War with Francis Marion as well as numerous battles during the Civil War. Al has been affiliated with the exhibit since 2010, teaching history and education. He’s had the honor and privilege of playing a small role in the latest movie “Submerged” about the Hunley submarine. The exhibit was used in the filming of that movie also.
The event will be open to the public from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM on both days. Admission price is $5 per person with a maximum fee of $15 per family.
READ: Broken pipe may have sunk the Confederate Hunley submarine
