Was it coincidence or destiny that Lieutenant George E. Dixon commanded the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley on its fateful run? During the American Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh, Dixon suffered a bullet wound to his left leg, but a gold $20 coin given to him by his sweetheart Queenie Bennett absorbed the brunt of the damage, miraculously saving both his leg and his life.
Civil War Confederate submarine Hunley was first sub to sink a warship businessinsider.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from businessinsider.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stories from the Shipyard: USS Housatonic
By Mike Manning – Chair – Friends of the Boston Harborwalk
In terms of name recognition, USS Housatonic is another lesser known vessel built in the Boston Navy Yard (Charlestown). However, she would become recognized as the victim of a naval warfare innovation late in the American Civil War. Named after the 149-mile-long river that flows through the western regions of Connecticut and Massachusetts, Housatonic was one of four Ossipee-class sloops-of-war ordered by the US Navy in 1861. She was launched on November 20th, 1861 and commissioned on August 29th, 1862. Sloops-of-war displaced nearly 2,000 tons – a weight less than that of ships-of-the-line and frigates. This class of warships was designed and built with three masts (fore, main, and mizzen), square-rigged sails, and a single gun deck.