DiscoverThe Atlas Obscura PodcastThey Had Submarines During the Civil War?
They Had Submarines During the Civil War?

They Had Submarines During the Civil War?

Update: 2025-10-02
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Probably when you think of submarine warfare, WWI or WWII comes to mind. Not… the American Civil War. But oh, they had them back then! Or rather, they had one back then, and it worked exactly one time. Dylan is joined by longtime friend of the show Caitlin Doughty, of Ask a Mortician, to talk about one of their shared obsessions: the candle-lit, hand-cranked, Civil War submarine which has one of the most gruesome undersea histories you can imagine.

Find more of Caitlin’s work: https://caitlindoughty.com/

Watch her doc about the HL Hunley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiDThvhadss

Visit the Hunley for yourself: https://www.hunley.org/


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They Had Submarines During the Civil War?

They Had Submarines During the Civil War?

SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura