The
H. L. Hunley was a
submarine of the
Confederate States of America that played a small part in the
American Civil War. The
Hunley demonstrated the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. She was the first combat submarine to sink a warship, although the
Hunley was not completely submerged and, following her successful attack, was lost along with her crew before she could return to base. The Confederacy lost 21 crewmen in three sinkings of the
Hunley during her short career. She was named for her inventor,
Horace Lawson Hunley, shortly after she was taken into government service under the control of the
Confederate States Army at
Charleston,
South Carolina.