7. Hunley Submarine, H.L.
Current Estimated Value: *$97 million (salvage operation costs)
Disappeared in the 1860s
Date of Discovery: 2000
A submarine called the H.L. Hunley participated in the American Civil War to a minor extent. It was a prime example of the benefits and drawbacks of submarine warfare, and it belonged to the Confederate Army. The first combat submarine to successfully sink a battleship was the Hughes.
H.L. Hunley submarine via Wikipedia Commons and the American Civil War Museum
But Hunley was also destroyed in that onslaught, bringing her crew with her. During her career, the Hunley sank three times, losing twenty-one crew members in total. The Confederates allowed her to repose at the ocean’s bottom after the third sinking. She was raised in the year 2000 and is currently on exhibit in a North Charleston, South Carolina, museum.
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