Broadcast 27 September 1963 on the CBS television network.

Synopsis by curator@jmdigitalscrapbook.com

Lts. George Dixon (Jackie Cooper) and William Alexander (James MacArthur) of the Confederate Army are convinced that if only given a chance, they can re-engineer the thrice-sunk Hunley, the first practical submarine ever invented, and use her to break the Union blockade now crippling the war effort. Pleading passionately with General Beauregard to allow them the chance, they finally overcome his strong misgivings and get their orders.

After recruiting seven more brave volunteers, they begin the enormously difficult task. First comes a quick introduction to the ship herself, how she works, and the gruesome tale of each of her three sinkings. Next comes intensive training and test runs.

Finally, the ship is moved to a secluded inlet where weapons testing can be done. The Hunley's main offensive strength is its ability to hide from her enemies. Towing a contact mine on a 100-yard line attached to her stern, the Hunley submerges and passes beneath her target. The mine remains just below the surface, colliding with and blowing up the enemy on the surface while the Hunley passes safely on her way.

At last it's time for the Hunley's first mission. Enlisting the aid of a Navy tugboat captained by Mr. Toombs (Wayne Rogers), the two ships make their way through heavy fog and darkness toward the Union picket line. Things get tense when, while waiting for one of the pickets to finish her run, the Hunley's primitive torpedo drifts dangerously close to the two Confederate ships. They are saved only by Lt. Alexander, who risks his own life by diving into the inky waters and uses a boathook to corral the torpedo and keep it from making contact with either ship.

Realizing the danger such an unpredictable weapon poses, a new mechanism is created -- a sort of remote-control harpoon. That hurdle overcome, Dixon decides it's time to test how long the ship can stay submerged without her crew suffocating. As Toombs watches anxiously from the dock, eventually sending divers into the frigid winter water who can't find any sign of the submarine, the general consensus is that the doomed experiment has failed once again.

Miraculously, however, and despite a transient problem with one of the seacocks, the Hunley resurfaces with her entire crew safe, having stayed under for an astonishing 2-1/2 hours.

An unexpected blow awaits the crew next morning, though. Waiting for Lt. Alexander are orders transferring him to Mobile. Reluctantly, he bids his fellow submariners goodbye.

On 17 February 1864, the Hunley once again sets out to try to break through the blockade.

Everything works just as expected, with the Hunley successfully blowing up and destroying The Housatonic. The Confederacy's triumph is short-lived, however, when morning dawns and there's no sign of the Hunley. Disappearing without a trace, the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship retains an important place in U.S. and seagoing warfare history.

Special Note: At the time this program aired, the fate of the Hunley and her crew was still a mystery, nearly 100 years after her disappearance. On August 8, 2000, she and the remains of her crew were finally recovered. The Hunley is currently on display at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston, South Carolina.