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Fredericksburg sailor died on Hunley
March 20, 2004 1:09 am
By SCOTT BOYD
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Researchers studying the fate of the Confederate submarine Hunley have determined that a Fredericksburg sailor was one of the eight crewmen whose remains were recovered inside the sunken vessel four years ago.
Frank G. Collins had earlier been identified as a member of the Hunley crew that was involved in the history-making attack on the USS Housatonic outside Charleston, S.C., but further information was not revealed at the time.
The Museum of the Confederacy identified Collins as a Fredericksburg native in a news release this week. The Friends of the Hunley, the group in charge of publicizing the preservation effort, plans to publicly announce more information about the crew at ceremonies next month.
The 1860 U.S. Census mentions a Frank G. Collins living in the household of Richard and Mary Bozel in Fredericksburg. Collins' age is listed as 22 and his occupation as day laborer.
His mother was deceased and his father was a traveling artist, so Collins lived with his brother in the Bozel residence, home of his maternal grandparents, according to a source close to the Hunley preservation effort.
Collins left town to join the Confederate States Navy at the recruiting station in Richmond, the source said. His naval career led him to Charleston, where he was one of eight volunteers in the final crew of the Hunley.
The Hunley made history on Feb. 17, 1864, by being the first submarine ever to sink an enemy vessel in combat. It would be 50 years later, at the start of World War I, before another submarine would sink an enemy vessel.
But the Hunley was lost at sea and never returned to base after its unprecedented victory.
The Hunley had already lost two crews, when it sank during training cruises in Charleston Harbor in 1863. After each accident, the Hunley was raised from the bottom, the dead crewmen were removed, and the vessel was cleaned and made ready again.
Despite the manifest danger posed to crewmen operating the primitive submarine, there was no shortage of volunteers.
The Hunley's only battle came when it engaged the Housatonic in an attempt to break the Union blockade of Charleston Harbor. The Confederate plan was to sink more ships on later nights, but the Hunley never returned.
Why it sank after the battle is still a mystery.
The entire submarine was recovered intact outside Charleston Harbor on Aug. 8, 2000. The vessel was raised and has been undergoing conservation at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston. The sealed vessel has been meticulously excavated and the remains of the eight crewmen identified and removed.
The remains of the Hunley's final crew will be buried on April 17 in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery, next to the remains of the first two Hunley crews.
The Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans tentatively plans to honor Collins with a ceremony in the Old Hall of the House of Delegates next Friday. The casket honoring Collins will be moved to the Museum of the Confederacy for display there next Saturday.
March 20, 2004 1:09 am
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Researchers studying the fate of the Confederate submarine Hunley have determined that a Fredericksburg sailor was one of the eight crewmen whose remains were recovered inside the sunken vessel four years ago.
Frank G. Collins had earlier been identified as a member of the Hunley crew that was involved in the history-making attack on the USS Housatonic outside Charleston, S.C., but further information was not revealed at the time.
The Museum of the Confederacy identified Collins as a Fredericksburg native in a news release this week. The Friends of the Hunley, the group in charge of publicizing the preservation effort, plans to publicly announce more information about the crew at ceremonies next month.
The 1860 U.S. Census mentions a Frank G. Collins living in the household of Richard and Mary Bozel in Fredericksburg. Collins' age is listed as 22 and his occupation as day laborer.
His mother was deceased and his father was a traveling artist, so Collins lived with his brother in the Bozel residence, home of his maternal grandparents, according to a source close to the Hunley preservation effort.
Collins left town to join the Confederate States Navy at the recruiting station in Richmond, the source said. His naval career led him to Charleston, where he was one of eight volunteers in the final crew of the Hunley.
The Hunley made history on Feb. 17, 1864, by being the first submarine ever to sink an enemy vessel in combat. It would be 50 years later, at the start of World War I, before another submarine would sink an enemy vessel.
But the Hunley was lost at sea and never returned to base after its unprecedented victory.
The Hunley had already lost two crews, when it sank during training cruises in Charleston Harbor in 1863. After each accident, the Hunley was raised from the bottom, the dead crewmen were removed, and the vessel was cleaned and made ready again.
Despite the manifest danger posed to crewmen operating the primitive submarine, there was no shortage of volunteers.
The Hunley's only battle came when it engaged the Housatonic in an attempt to break the Union blockade of Charleston Harbor. The Confederate plan was to sink more ships on later nights, but the Hunley never returned.
Why it sank after the battle is still a mystery.
The entire submarine was recovered intact outside Charleston Harbor on Aug. 8, 2000. The vessel was raised and has been undergoing conservation at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston. The sealed vessel has been meticulously excavated and the remains of the eight crewmen identified and removed.
The remains of the Hunley's final crew will be buried on April 17 in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery, next to the remains of the first two Hunley crews.
The Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans tentatively plans to honor Collins with a ceremony in the Old Hall of the House of Delegates next Friday. The casket honoring Collins will be moved to the Museum of the Confederacy for display there next Saturday.