TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Did a "lucky shot" sink the submarine H.L. Hunley?
JO  - Forensic science international
A1  - Lance, Rachel M.
A1  - Warder, Henry
A1  - Bass, Cameron R. Dale
SP  - 103
EP  - 110
VL  - 270
IS  - 
N2  - The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine to be successful in combat, sinking the Union vessel Housatonic outside Charleston Harbor in 1864 during the Civil War. However, despite marking a milestone in military history, little is known about this vessel or why it sank. One popular theory is the "lucky shot" theory: the hypothesis that small arms fire from the crew of the Housatonic may have sufficiently damaged the submarine to sink it. However, ballistic experiments with cast iron samples, analysis of historical experiments firing Civil War-era projectiles at cast iron samples, and calculation of the tidal currents and sinking trajectory of the submarine indicate that this theory is not likely. Based on our results, the "lucky shot" theory does not explain the sinking of the world's first successful combat submarine.<br><br>Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0379-0738
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.11.038
ID  - ref1
ER  -