The morning was warm, and the waters off Charleston Harbor were unusually calm. It was perhaps the same sort of sea conditions Hunley commander Lt. Dixon was waiting for in 1864 when he and his crew launched the experimental vessel that began the age of modern day submarines.
But this day would not mark the beginning of the Hunley crew’s mission, but rather the completion of their century long journey to a final burial. On April 17th, 2004, the submarine pioneers that manned the first successful combat submarine were buried.
The ceremony began at 9:15 a.m. with a memorial service at White Points Garden. Immediately after the ceremony, horse drawn caissons followed by a procession of men and women dressed in 19th century attire brought the crew to their final resting place. The procession marched 4.5-miles through downtown Charleston, and ended at Magnolia Cemetery. The Hunley’s eight-man crew was then laid to rest next to others who lost their lives on Hunley test missions.
