Tyler Satterley, Hunter Satterley, and Jackson Fitcher

H. L. Hunley

Website

Group Project

Junior Division

Word Count: 443

 Process Paper

The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship,

which was the U.S.S. Housatonic. The three of us chose this topic because we have been to the

conservation center, the building in Charleston that contains the H.L. Hunley, before and we all

agreed it would be an interesting topic to find more about. We thought this topic would have

many newspaper articles, websites, and pictures, since it was a major event in the history of

South Carolina.

We conducted our research by going to the campus of Coastal Carolina and

obtaining information from Roger Stroup, a historian who was the former director of South

Carolina Department of Archives and History. Mr. Stroup was assigned to our topic by the

National History Day (NHD) workshop provided at the Early College, in Conway, South

Carolina. We then used this research to lay out our design for the website, and what we would

add to the tabs that our website was designed around. Next, we established interviews with

Glenn McConnell and Mike Scafuri. Mr. McConnell is the former Lieutenant Governor and

Senator of South Carolina and current president of the College of Charleston, and Mr. Scafuri is

an underwater archaeologist who currently works on the Hunley. Both gentlemen played a large

role in the recovery and conservation of the Hunley.

The three of us chose a website because we thought it was something that has come about

because of advancements in technology we would like to learn to create. We also felt websites

were something the judges dont see as often as an exhibit or documentary. We quickly realized

that creating a website would require much perseverance, and cannot be put together in just a
week or so. Although it would take much time and effort, we knew we could do it and impress

the judges with a presentation type that can include interviews, videos, facts, and graphics.

Our project, the H. L. Hunley, is related to the NHD theme because during the Civil War,

Confederate soldiers put the Hunley into action as a weapon to break the Union Blockade. The

Confederates took a stand in history by deploying the Hunley into action in the Charleston

harbor against the Union Blockade on the night of February 17, 1864. The Hunleys crew took a

stand as well by risking their lives to support their beliefs of the South during a crucial war

during that time period of history. The H.L. Hunley took a stand by being the first submarine to

sink an enemy warship, this therefore makes for a major event in the history of South Carolina.