The 40-foot Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley, a hand-cranked vessel fashioned of locomotive boilers, sank the Union blockade vessel USS Housatonic in February 1864. The sinking of the Union ship launched the age of submarine warfare, but the submarine and its eight-member crew mysteriously vanished off Sullivan’s Island shortly after completing its historic mission. The vessel was finally located in 1995 by a team led by author Clive Cussler, sparking headlines across the world. The submarine was raised 5 years later and brought to the old Charleston navy base for preservation. The bones of its crew members were buried in a historic ceremony on April 17, 2004, at Magnolia Cemetery, 70 Cunnington Ave. (www.magnoliacemetery.net). The sub, which rests in a tank in the Lasch laboratory, is still being studied and remains the property of the U.S. Navy. On weekends you can peek down at the vessel itself on 20-minute tours, peruse exhibits, and see facial reconstructions of the crew members.