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INTRODUCED
February 10, 2000
S. 1138
S. Printed 2/10/00--S. [SEC 2/15/00 12:25 PM]
Read the first time February 10, 2000.
DECLARING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2000, AS "HUNLEY DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, on the night of February 17, 1864, the submarine H. L. Hunley and her nine brave crew members left from Breach Inlet in Charleston, South Carolina, and sailed into history when the Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in battle by sinking the Union Sloop of War Housatonic; and
Whereas, this monumental achievement in the annals of maritime history earned the Hunley an important chapter in the histories of our State, nation, and the world; and
Whereas, the Wright brothers feat at Kitty Hawk ushered in the era of aviation and air technology as the voyage of the Hunley and its crew ushered in the era of underwater warfare and technological development; and
Whereas, after the attack, a signal was received by the battery at Breach Inlet that the Hunley's attack was successful and the Hunley was beginning her journey home but she was never heard from again; and
Whereas, the journey home was never completed after it set out for home that fateful night; and
Whereas, the mystery surrounding the fate and location of the Hunley culminated after over one hundred thirty years when author Clive Cussler notified the world that he and his team had located the site of the Hunley off the coast of Charleston; and
Whereas, the bravery, ingenuity, and sacrifice that are the hallmark of the story of the Hunley resonate as loudly now to this generation as they did then and will serve as a wonderful testament to the generations that follow; and
Whereas, the discovery and story of the Hunley have excited the interest of people all across America and around the world and resulted in the filming of a movie in South Carolina on the Hunley; and
Whereas, the State of South Carolina's Hunley Commission, the United States Navy, and the Friends of the Hunley have begun the process of raising funds to complete the journey started on that winter's night in 1864, the journey to bring the Hunley and her crew home so that the crew can be interred on South Carolina soil like the two previous crews of the Hunley. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, declare Thursday, February 17, 2000, as "Hunley Day" in South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the South Carolina Hunley Commission, the United States Navy, and the Friends of the Hunley.
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