The USS Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was the first combat submarine to sink an enemy warship, the USS Housatonic, in 1864. The Hunley was hand-cranked and operated by a crew of eight, with a unique design featuring a spar-mounted torpedo for attacking enemy ships. Despite its historic achievement, the Hunley itself sank just moments after the successful attack on the Housatonic, leading to the loss of the entire crew. The submarine was later recovered in 2000 and is now housed in a museum in Charleston, South Carolina. The discovery and preservation of the Hunley have provided valuable insights into Civil War naval warfare and submarine technology of the era. The USS Hunley remains a significant artifact in maritime history, representing a pioneering effort in submarine warfare.

This description has been generated using GPT-3.5-TURBO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.