Document text
Local crew creates images of Civil War sub By Shari Downhill A 137-year-old Confederate-era time capsule will relinquish its secrets on Monday when scientists take out the first rivets and hull panels from the recovered submarine H.L. Hunley. Doug Devine, owner of Pacific Survey Supply of Medford, and his digital-imaging crew will be on hand for the opening of the sunken submarine, discovered in 1995 beneath murky water and silt in South Carolina�s Charleston Bay. The Hunley�s nine-man crew is believed still entombed in the sub, which sank Feb. 17, 1864. The Hunley was raised in August and has since rested in a tank of cold water at the former Charleston Navy base. Scientists drained the tank and opened the vessel�s rear ballast compartment Jan. 23 to scrape out accumulated silt, hoping to get a clearer view of just how the Hunley was constructed and how well it had survived its watery grave. Devine and digital mapper Carlos Velazquez were called to the East Coast shortly after the Hunley was brought to the surface and charged with creating an accurate image of the historic, doomed sub. "We�re basically taking science into the world of new technology," Devine said of his crew�s scanner-imaging work. The $250,000 scanner plotted thousands of points across the vessel�s surface, then created connecting planes and a resulting high-resolution image of the Hunley, accurate to within 3 millimeters. Designed much like a steam locomotive, the eight-man crank-powered vessel and its contents, are likely well-preserved from submersion in Charleston Bay�s 50-degree, saline environment, Devine said. "It was basically pickled," he said. Based on the success of their first imaging assignment, the second phase of work for Devine and his crew includes mapping the inside of the cramped Hunley after the chamber�s silt is removed. Empty, the Hunley weighs seven tons. Silt-ridden, it weighs 30 tons and now sits at the same 45-degree position in which it sank and listed in 1864. As anxious as Devine is to further prove the usefulness of his high-tech equipment, his excitement, as well as that of his crew, revolves around finding answers to why the Hunley sank. After successfully imbedding an explosive charge in a Union ship laying siege to Charleston, S.C., and signaling its return to shore, the Hunley disappeared. Both ships sank. Scientists and historians alike are hoping to answer questions surrounding the mystery behind why the Hunley went down. The crew, which died when the Hunley sank, was the third to be killed inside the 20-foot long, 4-foot wide and 3 1/2-foot high Civil War submarine, one of the first submersible vessels ever built. The Hunley was twice recovered until its last sinking. The Hunley�s excavation and conservation efforts, expected to take several years, are being sponsored and overseen by the National Geographic Foundation and Friends of Hunley. The vessel�s interior excavation phase will likely last up to three months, after which the remains of the crew are expected to be buried in Charleston�s Magnolia Cemetery next to the two earlier ill-fated crews. Although Devine�s expenses are being reimbursed, he said most of his and others� labor is donated. "It�s just being a part of history," he said of the experience. "It�s an exciting project." Devine said he hopes to expand the company�s digital-imaging work to include underwater projects for both scientific and military clients. For now, Devine said he�s happy to be involved with the Hunley and to stand in the front row for its opening. "This will probably be in the history books," Velazquez said. "It�s going to be phenomenal. Just being there is amazing. Everybody that was there has come from all over the world to offer their services. "Once it�s raised after 136 years, nobody is even sure what�s inside of it. Just to see how true the tale has been, the speculation, what exactly is inside, how many people ... ." Devine�s entire crew considers participation in the project an honor. Team member Ryan Woodward agrees. Although not able to attend the first Hunley trip, Woodward is set for the second. "Just to be there when they open it, is going to be something," Woodward said. "Regardless of what they find, the fact is, it will be a major time capsule." The Hunley will go on display at the Charleston Museum after preservation efforts are completed. Work on the H.L. Hunley can be viewed on a live-feed video cam at: www.hunley.org on the Web. Reach reporter Shari Downhill at 776-4463, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.