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In the Waves: My Quest to Solve the Mystery of a Civil War Submarine
How a determined scientist cracked the case of the first successful—and disastrous—submarine attack
On the night of February 17, 1864, the tiny Confederate submarine HL Hunley made its way toward the USS Housatonic just outside Charleston harbor. Within a matter of hours, the Union ship’s stern was blown open in a spray of wood planks. The explosion sank the ship, killing many of its crew. And the submarine, the first ever to be successful in combat, disappeared without a trace.
For 131 years the eight-man crew of the HL Hunley lay in their watery graves, undiscovered. When finally raised, the narrow metal vessel revealed a puzzling sight. There was no indication the blast had breached the hull, and all eight men were still seated at their stations—frozen in time after more than a century. Why did it sink? Why did the men die? Archaeologists and conservationists have been studying the boat and the remains for years, and now one woman has the answers.
In the Waves is much more than just a military perspective or a technical account. It’s also the story of Rachel Lance’s single-minded obsession spanning three years, the story of the extreme highs and lows in her quest to find all the puzzle pieces of the Hunley . Balancing a gripping historical tale and original research with a personal story of professional and private obstacles, In the Waves is an enthralling look at a unique part of the Civil War and the lengths one scientist will go to uncover its secrets.
On the night of February 17, 1864, the tiny Confederate submarine HL Hunley made its way toward the USS Housatonic just outside Charleston harbor. Within a matter of hours, the Union ship’s stern was blown open in a spray of wood planks. The explosion sank the ship, killing many of its crew. And the submarine, the first ever to be successful in combat, disappeared without a trace.
For 131 years the eight-man crew of the HL Hunley lay in their watery graves, undiscovered. When finally raised, the narrow metal vessel revealed a puzzling sight. There was no indication the blast had breached the hull, and all eight men were still seated at their stations—frozen in time after more than a century. Why did it sink? Why did the men die? Archaeologists and conservationists have been studying the boat and the remains for years, and now one woman has the answers.
In the Waves is much more than just a military perspective or a technical account. It’s also the story of Rachel Lance’s single-minded obsession spanning three years, the story of the extreme highs and lows in her quest to find all the puzzle pieces of the Hunley . Balancing a gripping historical tale and original research with a personal story of professional and private obstacles, In the Waves is an enthralling look at a unique part of the Civil War and the lengths one scientist will go to uncover its secrets.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
May 9, 2020
I'm an Engineer who loves a mystery, enjoys well done research, and has a library of war and submarine books. This tags them all. Well done.
May 19, 2020
In the Waves is that rare gem of a nonfiction book where the author is able to bring you on both a personal and factual journey very well. Some books get one or the other down, but Lance is able to balance science, history, and her own journey to the truth perfectly. I highly recommend it, and I eagerly look forward to more of her work.
April 5, 2020
I received a complimentary galley of IN THE WAVES: MY QUEST TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE by Rachel Lance for an honest review. Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley!
Rating: 4.5 / 5
IN THE WAVES follows Rachel Lance’s quest to solve a Civil War mystery. On February 17, 1864, the HL Hunley, a small submarine manned by confederates, deployed a torpedo against the union’s USS Housatonic near Charleston. It was successful in its mission to destroy the union ship, but the submarine and its crew disappeared. When it was raised 131 years later, it was a surprise to find that the crew was still in place at their stations having made no apparent attempt to escape. Many theories have been floated as to why the ship sank and how the men died, but Lance set out to get scientific proof as part of completing her PhD at Duke.
I really went into this knowing very little about the Hunley, but I was intrigued by the synopsis. Having been a bit hard to engage with a lot of books, I was thrilled to find myself immediately hooked by the author’s writing in this one. Rachel Lance is an excellent writer, effectively setting the scene for the story. While some of the science was definitely beyond my knowledge, she did an excellent job of making it approachable.
This book combines science, historical research, experiments and recreations. She examines eye witness testimony from those who survived the sinking of the US S Housatonic and other historical research, such as the makeup of the explosives that would have been used during the civil war. The author also shares some of her personal story in pursuit of her PhD. She reviews others’ theories and sets out to prove or disprove before delving into her own.
I found this to be an enjoyable read and it is one I would recommend for the history and non-fiction fans!
Rating: 4.5 / 5
IN THE WAVES follows Rachel Lance’s quest to solve a Civil War mystery. On February 17, 1864, the HL Hunley, a small submarine manned by confederates, deployed a torpedo against the union’s USS Housatonic near Charleston. It was successful in its mission to destroy the union ship, but the submarine and its crew disappeared. When it was raised 131 years later, it was a surprise to find that the crew was still in place at their stations having made no apparent attempt to escape. Many theories have been floated as to why the ship sank and how the men died, but Lance set out to get scientific proof as part of completing her PhD at Duke.
I really went into this knowing very little about the Hunley, but I was intrigued by the synopsis. Having been a bit hard to engage with a lot of books, I was thrilled to find myself immediately hooked by the author’s writing in this one. Rachel Lance is an excellent writer, effectively setting the scene for the story. While some of the science was definitely beyond my knowledge, she did an excellent job of making it approachable.
This book combines science, historical research, experiments and recreations. She examines eye witness testimony from those who survived the sinking of the US S Housatonic and other historical research, such as the makeup of the explosives that would have been used during the civil war. The author also shares some of her personal story in pursuit of her PhD. She reviews others’ theories and sets out to prove or disprove before delving into her own.
I found this to be an enjoyable read and it is one I would recommend for the history and non-fiction fans!
January 6, 2020
Great combination of historical mystery, popular science, and current day memoir. Biomedical engineer Rachel Lance tells the story of how she and a rotating team of assorted professionals finally cracked the mystery of how a Civil War submarine exploded and sank, leaving the crew seemingly undisturbed and at their posts, their skeletons to be discovered over a century later. She explains so that a non expert can follow and the process of determining what could have happened, followed by computer simulations and live experiments, many involving blowing things up, is quite fascinating and occasionally hilarious. She also looks into the historical record to see what eyewitness accounts and contemporary conclusions were drawn. In the process we learn about the sailors in the submarine, about Lance's bid for a doctorate, and how the scientific method can lead to unexpected friendships and even love.
April 20, 2020
I’ve been fascinated by the mystery of the Hunley since I was a kid: I saw the movie, I saw the submarine twice at the Warren Lasch Center, my family took a special trip down to Charleston for the lectures and funerals when South Carolina buried the crew.
This was by far the best thing I’ve read on the Hunley.
Dr. Lance gives plenty of important (and some new!) historical narrative, teaches some fascinating bits of science, knocks out other theories of the demise of the Hunley, and then proves her own — all culminating with an incredible narrative of what likely happened that night.
This was by far the best thing I’ve read on the Hunley.
Dr. Lance gives plenty of important (and some new!) historical narrative, teaches some fascinating bits of science, knocks out other theories of the demise of the Hunley, and then proves her own — all culminating with an incredible narrative of what likely happened that night.
January 29, 2025
The perfect mixture of science and history. A conversational presentation of the research done to dispel the myths that surround and seemingly some still think are responsible for the Hunley and its demise. To understand the dynamics of this mystery in a digestible way through a compelling narrative was fantastic. In addition to gain new historical perspective and facts was an added bonus. The book was so good that it has sparked a desire for me to put eyes on the actual sub.
January 3, 2023
Loved this book. The author relishes explaining technical, scientific concepts to laymen. How much water pressure is on the door of a submarine? "I choose to describe the force in units of Rachel. I personally am 160 pounds' worth of human-being mass, mostly comprised of cake... If Bauer wanted to leave the submarine, he would have needed to be strong enough to lift the 350 Rachel Lances standing on the hatch door."
I appreciate how she handles the fact that the subjects of her mystery are Confederates. She tells the story straight and neither turns them into heroes nor strips them of their humanity.
Bonus: all Lance's scientific detective work took place just down the road from me at Duke University.
I appreciate how she handles the fact that the subjects of her mystery are Confederates. She tells the story straight and neither turns them into heroes nor strips them of their humanity.
Bonus: all Lance's scientific detective work took place just down the road from me at Duke University.
March 3, 2020
This book is a fascinating blend of history and science focusing on what happened to the Confederate submarine, the HL Hunley and her crew, and how it can be proven over a century and a half later. Once I got to reading this, I could hardly put it down it was so interesting. I already knew the HL Hunley only served one mission which it did not survive. It hadn't realized it had some history even before that mission. I certainly wasn't aware of how it was operated or even explosives in general other than they blow things up. Dr. Lance, with her background as a biomedical engineer and interests in blast injuries and diving projects, brings a lot to examining what happened as well as tons of information on blast injuries. She does clearly explain to readers that she won't provide the specifics on gunpowder making or bomb making but makes the physics and how it works very understandable as she worked on her experiments for her Ph.D. This is as good as any detective story except using science as she shows how much research, searching for contacts, and experimentation goes into good science. My copy is an ARC copy for this is due out April 7, 2020. I highly recommend this book because almost anyone will find this one of interest.
April 28, 2020
A fantastic book - engagingly written, full of vivid details and intrigue! Lance has a way of explaining complex scientific topics in a manner that is both accessible to and enjoyable for the average reader, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
April 16, 2020
I love history, but this was a bit gruesome for my liking and I felt an overwhelming desire to escape through the hatch!
October 18, 2020
Dr. Lance's novel mashes up the science & physics entertainment of the Mythbusters, the engineering puzzle-solving of The Martian, and the personal journey of grad school into an addictive narrative. This book teaches that the mysteries of history require more than just modern tools to solve - they require critical thinking, persistence, and that kind of all-absorbing passion that hooks certain people on especially tough problems. Interwoven narratives take the reader through Civil War scenes, modern-day science sleuthing, and the emotional journey of the author as she follows the trail of engineering and science to answer a question not addressed for more than a hundred years: "What about the Hunley?"
This book is great for that science, mystery or history buff in everyone's family - from high schooler to grandparent. Strongly recommended!
This book is great for that science, mystery or history buff in everyone's family - from high schooler to grandparent. Strongly recommended!
December 9, 2020
I like Civil War stuff. As a dad, I’m obligated to like anything with a submarine in it. And I terribly enjoy mystery stories. In this new book, Rachel Lance has brilliantly combined all of those in a lively and highly readable account of what had long remained a Civil War question mark.
In 1864, a smallish, 40-foot Confederate submarine hovered just under the surface of Charleston Harbor with a torpedo attached out front on a 22-foot-long spur. This vessel had been haunted by poor luck and numerous prior deaths, but this mission against the USS Housatonic appeared to be a success. There was a direct hit and the enemy ship sank in a matter of minutes (albeit with minimal loss of life). But as her operators waited back on shore, the Hunley failed to show up. The submarine and her eight sailors were lost.
When the boat was found and recovered in the 1990s, it was mostly intact, and the preserved skeletons of the men didn’t seem to show any sign of an escape attempt.
What on earth happened down there?
Rachel Lance, as an engineer and blast scientist, was immediately intrigued when she happened upon the story. Rather than just give us science-y explanations (of which there are plenty, don’t worry), she blends genres a bit: the readers get into the history of submarines and explosions and submarine explosions, we get an utterly fascinating anatomy lesson of what happens to the human body after an explosion (the internal stuff is as bad as the external!), and we also get Rachel’s own narrative of chasing down the mystery through some wild first-hand experiments.
For being a book about explosions and a group of men dying in a small metal cylinder, it’s surprisingly fun. Rachel’s personal touch even gives it, at times, a lighthearted tone, without minimizing the mystery and tragedy of death.
In 1864, a smallish, 40-foot Confederate submarine hovered just under the surface of Charleston Harbor with a torpedo attached out front on a 22-foot-long spur. This vessel had been haunted by poor luck and numerous prior deaths, but this mission against the USS Housatonic appeared to be a success. There was a direct hit and the enemy ship sank in a matter of minutes (albeit with minimal loss of life). But as her operators waited back on shore, the Hunley failed to show up. The submarine and her eight sailors were lost.
When the boat was found and recovered in the 1990s, it was mostly intact, and the preserved skeletons of the men didn’t seem to show any sign of an escape attempt.
What on earth happened down there?
Rachel Lance, as an engineer and blast scientist, was immediately intrigued when she happened upon the story. Rather than just give us science-y explanations (of which there are plenty, don’t worry), she blends genres a bit: the readers get into the history of submarines and explosions and submarine explosions, we get an utterly fascinating anatomy lesson of what happens to the human body after an explosion (the internal stuff is as bad as the external!), and we also get Rachel’s own narrative of chasing down the mystery through some wild first-hand experiments.
For being a book about explosions and a group of men dying in a small metal cylinder, it’s surprisingly fun. Rachel’s personal touch even gives it, at times, a lighthearted tone, without minimizing the mystery and tragedy of death.
February 6, 2022
I picked this book up ahead of a Duke Alumni book talk I’m going to take part in later this week. I might not have taken the time to read it otherwise, but I’m so glad I did! It’s a well-written book, a fascinating cross between science and American history.
November 14, 2022
This book was so unexpectedly good for me. It melded an interesting historical event and mystery from the US Civil War; the incredible science behind it; and a woman's attempt to earn her doctoral degree.
March 14, 2021
The author is amazing--this book is a perfect blend of validating the reader's intelligence, while still explaining tricky science-y goodness. Total package: fun, interesting, faster paced, concise, and human. Really exceptional.
First spoilers review--everrrr below. Mostly because the first chapter makes lots of hints--therefore I don't feel like I'm out of line with it. But nothing feels better than having your initial hypothesis proven by the end of a smart book like this. And that's exactly what this book was for me: "hey, the torpedo propulsion scrambled their brains because of the metal reverb--but why is it a mystery?"
I'm gunna' be wearing my smuggest smile for a week.
First spoilers review--everrrr below. Mostly because the first chapter makes lots of hints--therefore I don't feel like I'm out of line with it. But nothing feels better than having your initial hypothesis proven by the end of a smart book like this. And that's exactly what this book was for me: "hey, the torpedo propulsion scrambled their brains because of the metal reverb--but why is it a mystery?"
I'm gunna' be wearing my smuggest smile for a week.
February 21, 2023
Reads like a combination history book and extended Mythbusters episode!
June 5, 2020
Thank you NetGalley for my free review copy.
The Hunley, a Confederate submarine notable as the first to damage another vessel during the Civil War, never returned from that mission. The submarine was raised this century and the mystery of her crew's death has never been satisfactorily explained. As she attends Duke University to earn her doctorate, Rachel Lance works to prove her own theory.
Lots of math and other (to quote the author) enginerdy fun! I love the glimpses of the author's personality she includes in her narrative. While I got bogged down in a lot of the science, I really found the story of the Hunley and her crew extremely interesting. I am looking forward to taking a trip to Charleston to visit the museum.
The Hunley, a Confederate submarine notable as the first to damage another vessel during the Civil War, never returned from that mission. The submarine was raised this century and the mystery of her crew's death has never been satisfactorily explained. As she attends Duke University to earn her doctorate, Rachel Lance works to prove her own theory.
Lots of math and other (to quote the author) enginerdy fun! I love the glimpses of the author's personality she includes in her narrative. While I got bogged down in a lot of the science, I really found the story of the Hunley and her crew extremely interesting. I am looking forward to taking a trip to Charleston to visit the museum.
April 28, 2020
It’s hard to believe I had never heard of the HL Hunley before this book. A history making submarine missing since The Civil War is found and there is no obvious reason as to why the crew died. This was such a bizarre mystery and I really wanted to know what happened. The use of science, history, detective work, and personal narrative made this such a compelling read. Seeing all of the work that went into this and how everything came together was amazing. I really admired Lance’s tenacity for discovering what happened to this submarine and it’s crew.
Lance is very knowledgeable and has done a lot of research and so some of the technical information was a bit heavy. But I really enjoyed her writing style overall. What happened in that submarine was truly fascinating!
Thank you Dutton for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lance is very knowledgeable and has done a lot of research and so some of the technical information was a bit heavy. But I really enjoyed her writing style overall. What happened in that submarine was truly fascinating!
Thank you Dutton for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2020
It is about the first successful submarine attack in Charleston. Lance is a PhD student at Duke and she decides to determine what happened to the submarine's crew. The submarine disappeared after the attack and was found 131 years later with the remains of the crew showing no trauma or indication that they knew they were going to die.
Lance is aware that her audience is not science-forward, so she uses figurative language to explain concepts and doesn't weigh the reader down with explanations that you need a science degree to understand. She's also funny in a self-deprecating way.
Lance is aware that her audience is not science-forward, so she uses figurative language to explain concepts and doesn't weigh the reader down with explanations that you need a science degree to understand. She's also funny in a self-deprecating way.
April 15, 2020
I have been fascinated by the story of the HL Hunley since its discovery after 131 years and eager to know more. This is the book I have been waiting for and it was a great read. History, science, mystery and academia and things that go boom - Rachel Lance combines it all in the story of her quest for answers of what happened to the HL Hunley. No matter how technical the science of blowing things up, etc. she has a way of making it all make sense so don't worry about getting lost in the technical stuff. I read it over two days - yes, I'm a speed reader - and I became so engrossed in it that I had to remember to eat.
My thanks to the publisher Dutton and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
My thanks to the publisher Dutton and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
November 28, 2020
The dark hull of the submarine rose a few inches above the waterline, belying the impressive metal body submerged below.
On February 17, 1864 the Confederate submarine HL Hunley sunk the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor. The submarine never returned to shore. When it was recovered over 130 years later, the bodies of the eight men on board were found fairly intact at their stations. No one had a great answer for what killed the men. Blast and ballistic trauma researcher Rachel Lance decided to take a stab at solving the mystery as part of her doctoral studies at Duke. This is her story of experiments gone wrong, secretive history groups, and waterlogged moments of triumph as she tries to explain what happened in the cold Atlantic that night in 1864.
If you go into this book expecting a history book, you will probably be disappointed. If you go into this book expecting to go on a detailed journey on the scientific process with a little bit of historical information, you will enjoy this. I was expecting more of a history book, but I found it very enjoyable nonetheless. I liked reading about the various experiments that Lance tried and her taking on the Friends of the Hunley. I learned a great deal more about blast trauma than I thought possible. Occasionally the book was a bit too scholarly and difficult to read, but overall it is highly readable and fascinating.
I definitely recommend this book if you want to know more about how the men on the Hunley died, as well as the scientific process that led to those answers.
On February 17, 1864 the Confederate submarine HL Hunley sunk the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor. The submarine never returned to shore. When it was recovered over 130 years later, the bodies of the eight men on board were found fairly intact at their stations. No one had a great answer for what killed the men. Blast and ballistic trauma researcher Rachel Lance decided to take a stab at solving the mystery as part of her doctoral studies at Duke. This is her story of experiments gone wrong, secretive history groups, and waterlogged moments of triumph as she tries to explain what happened in the cold Atlantic that night in 1864.
If you go into this book expecting a history book, you will probably be disappointed. If you go into this book expecting to go on a detailed journey on the scientific process with a little bit of historical information, you will enjoy this. I was expecting more of a history book, but I found it very enjoyable nonetheless. I liked reading about the various experiments that Lance tried and her taking on the Friends of the Hunley. I learned a great deal more about blast trauma than I thought possible. Occasionally the book was a bit too scholarly and difficult to read, but overall it is highly readable and fascinating.
I definitely recommend this book if you want to know more about how the men on the Hunley died, as well as the scientific process that led to those answers.
March 19, 2020
As a self-professed science and American history nerd, this book hit all the right buttons. It was a story I didn't even know I needed to hear until I first read the description.
On February 17th, 1864, a Confederate submarine called the HL Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic floating near Charleston Harbor. While the Hunley was victorious in its mission, the vessel and her crew were not seen again until 131 years later, when the Hunley's remains were found at the bottom of the harbor with the crew still manning their battle stations as if nothing were amiss. So what happened? Rachel Lance, a PhD student and blast and ballistic trauma researcher at Duke, makes it her mission to find out.
Lance's years of hard work really shown in this book. Although I'm no explosion expert, I was able to follow along and understand every step she took to get to the truth. What I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall for those experiments!
Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced digital copy of this book :)
On February 17th, 1864, a Confederate submarine called the HL Hunley attacked the USS Housatonic floating near Charleston Harbor. While the Hunley was victorious in its mission, the vessel and her crew were not seen again until 131 years later, when the Hunley's remains were found at the bottom of the harbor with the crew still manning their battle stations as if nothing were amiss. So what happened? Rachel Lance, a PhD student and blast and ballistic trauma researcher at Duke, makes it her mission to find out.
Lance's years of hard work really shown in this book. Although I'm no explosion expert, I was able to follow along and understand every step she took to get to the truth. What I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall for those experiments!
Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced digital copy of this book :)
June 1, 2020
This is one of those books that you take with you even when you set it down. Dr. Lance brings you along on her personal journey while diving deep into history, science, and engineering in such a compelling and human way. I find myself daydreaming about what mystery will be uncovered next, only to remember that I've already finished the book. I'm eagerly awaiting whatever she writes next!
May 22, 2024
Great read about both the author and final fate of the crew. Highly recommend for civil war buffs.
February 11, 2021
This book's appeal rests in the intersection of naval engineering and Civil War history in which the author represents someone who is a bit of an outsider and a renegade when it comes to the Friends of the Hunley. A great deal of this book consists of the author's personal discussion of her research and her fears about not graduating in time given the pressure she was under to finish graduate school in five years, as well as her efforts to solve the riddle of the destruction of the Hunley, the first ever submarine vessel to successfully sink a surface ship. The author has a lot to say about her relationship with her now husband, and her fretting over the grind of research and being a workaholic, and her struggles to understand the scientific problem of the Hunley and how to adequately test given the vagaries of black powder and the effect of shock waves on people inside of submarines with very thin walls. By and large this book is a success, and if it is more casual than I would prefer, this book certainly has mass appeal, it must be admitted.
This book is between 250 and 300 pages, and is divided into eleven chapters. After a prologue, the author discusses how she became interested in the Hunley as a way of exploring wounds and the damage of pressure waves (1). This leads to a discussion of the theory that the crew of the Hunley died because of suffocation (2). After this comes a discussion of fish boats from the Confederacy (3), later called torpedo boats, as well as the fury beneath the waves in spar torpedoes (4). This leads to a discussion of the anatomy of the explosion (5). After this there is a discussion of the preparations that were made by the author to study now the explosion happened and its results (6) as well as some stories of the crew members of the Hunley (7). This is followed by a discussion of the traces of pressure that could be found (8) from tests and research as well as the perspective of the Housatonic (9), the Union ship sunk by the Hunley. The book then ends with two chapters, one on the blast (10), and another on a reconstruction of the attack of the Hunley (11), as well as the epilogue, as well as an author's note, acknowledges, notes, bibliography, credits, and an index.
This book is properly speaking a personal quest, and a rather entertaining one, even if the author does not include all of the details that would flesh out this particular quest. The author, for example, keeps the math relatively limited and spends a fair amount of time talking about an imaginary personal unit of force known as the Rachel, as well as cutting out details about how she created her black powder spar torpedo and who all was involved in the testing of the CSS Tiny, her model of the Hunley, to show the pressures that resulted from the explosion of a spar torpedo given the location of the torpedo relative to the ship target as well as the submarine the spar was connected to. The author points out the ways that the Hunley was built in such a way that its demise was certain, and points to the desperation of the Confederacy in seeking infernal weapons that would turn the tide given their logistical weaknesses compared to the Union. The author manages to be sympathetic to the individual Confederates who died, giving some of them some detail concerning the knowledge that we have of them, without being at all sympathetic to the cause of the Confederacy. And this, I think, is quite the right approach to have in these matters.
This book is between 250 and 300 pages, and is divided into eleven chapters. After a prologue, the author discusses how she became interested in the Hunley as a way of exploring wounds and the damage of pressure waves (1). This leads to a discussion of the theory that the crew of the Hunley died because of suffocation (2). After this comes a discussion of fish boats from the Confederacy (3), later called torpedo boats, as well as the fury beneath the waves in spar torpedoes (4). This leads to a discussion of the anatomy of the explosion (5). After this there is a discussion of the preparations that were made by the author to study now the explosion happened and its results (6) as well as some stories of the crew members of the Hunley (7). This is followed by a discussion of the traces of pressure that could be found (8) from tests and research as well as the perspective of the Housatonic (9), the Union ship sunk by the Hunley. The book then ends with two chapters, one on the blast (10), and another on a reconstruction of the attack of the Hunley (11), as well as the epilogue, as well as an author's note, acknowledges, notes, bibliography, credits, and an index.
This book is properly speaking a personal quest, and a rather entertaining one, even if the author does not include all of the details that would flesh out this particular quest. The author, for example, keeps the math relatively limited and spends a fair amount of time talking about an imaginary personal unit of force known as the Rachel, as well as cutting out details about how she created her black powder spar torpedo and who all was involved in the testing of the CSS Tiny, her model of the Hunley, to show the pressures that resulted from the explosion of a spar torpedo given the location of the torpedo relative to the ship target as well as the submarine the spar was connected to. The author points out the ways that the Hunley was built in such a way that its demise was certain, and points to the desperation of the Confederacy in seeking infernal weapons that would turn the tide given their logistical weaknesses compared to the Union. The author manages to be sympathetic to the individual Confederates who died, giving some of them some detail concerning the knowledge that we have of them, without being at all sympathetic to the cause of the Confederacy. And this, I think, is quite the right approach to have in these matters.
September 24, 2024
On February 17, 1864 the Confederate submarine Hunley attacked and sank the Union warship USS Housatonic off Charleston, SC. The first sinking of an enemy combatant by a submarine in history. And she disappeared. Briefly noticed on the bottom in 1870 when salvage crews were stripping Housatonic and other ships, she laid undisturbed for another 100 years. She was found again in the 1970s, but nothing came of it. Then author and adventurer Clive Cussler ‘discovered’ the wreck in 1995 and she was raised in August 2000.
All eight crewmen were found aboard, still at their stations within the sub. In the process of the years of archeological and preservation efforts that followed, several theories were suggested for what happened. The ship was damaged and sunk by gunfire from the Housatonic; she was damaged and sunk by her torpedo (200 pounds of black powder on a 16 ft spar attached to her bow); the crew asphyxiated; the crew drowned... no definitive answers were established... until now!
Rachel Lance is a bio-medical engineer and blast injury specialist who specialized in underwater topics. She took up the question of what happened to Hunley and her crew and this book is the result of her extensive, scientific investigation into the matter. It is fascinating, compelling, educational and simply a delight to read. Lance disproves the various conventional theories, one by one using scientific experiments and engineering expertise. Along the way, she educates the reader in a variety of related subjects – submarines, early submarine history, black powder use and manufacture, early Civil War era small arms effectiveness (the shooting from Housatonic), carbon dioxide poisoning, biomechanics of drowning, blast effects and shock waves, plus her compelling personal story throughout as well as excellent portrayals of the various historical figures involved such as Hunley himself, and the crew of the ship bearing his name.
Lance is a gifted writer, able to describe and explain the physics, natural phenomena and scientific/engineering concepts necessary to understand what happened, and why. She brings clarity and humor to her subjects that further enhances the reader’s understanding and comprehension. For example, describing and explaining pressure differentials (critical to submerged considerations) she converts the conventional measures of force (mass, gravity, Newtons) into a unit based on her self (she describes herself as 160 lbs composed mostly of cake) and calls it a “Rachel” – thus providing an indelible image for the reader, for example, describing Hunley dying trapped inside his own submarine unable to open a hatch with 3 Rachels of force on it. It's a brilliant device that makes arcane items instantly comprehensible.
In addition to the science and the research, Lance gives us history as well. History of early submersibles, targeted history of the Civil War relative to submersibles and explosives and issues with Confederate logistics. It is simply a marvelous, worthwhile, and vastly rewarding reading experience. And she definitively answers both what happened to the Hunley, and what happened to her crew.
All eight crewmen were found aboard, still at their stations within the sub. In the process of the years of archeological and preservation efforts that followed, several theories were suggested for what happened. The ship was damaged and sunk by gunfire from the Housatonic; she was damaged and sunk by her torpedo (200 pounds of black powder on a 16 ft spar attached to her bow); the crew asphyxiated; the crew drowned... no definitive answers were established... until now!
Rachel Lance is a bio-medical engineer and blast injury specialist who specialized in underwater topics. She took up the question of what happened to Hunley and her crew and this book is the result of her extensive, scientific investigation into the matter. It is fascinating, compelling, educational and simply a delight to read. Lance disproves the various conventional theories, one by one using scientific experiments and engineering expertise. Along the way, she educates the reader in a variety of related subjects – submarines, early submarine history, black powder use and manufacture, early Civil War era small arms effectiveness (the shooting from Housatonic), carbon dioxide poisoning, biomechanics of drowning, blast effects and shock waves, plus her compelling personal story throughout as well as excellent portrayals of the various historical figures involved such as Hunley himself, and the crew of the ship bearing his name.
Lance is a gifted writer, able to describe and explain the physics, natural phenomena and scientific/engineering concepts necessary to understand what happened, and why. She brings clarity and humor to her subjects that further enhances the reader’s understanding and comprehension. For example, describing and explaining pressure differentials (critical to submerged considerations) she converts the conventional measures of force (mass, gravity, Newtons) into a unit based on her self (she describes herself as 160 lbs composed mostly of cake) and calls it a “Rachel” – thus providing an indelible image for the reader, for example, describing Hunley dying trapped inside his own submarine unable to open a hatch with 3 Rachels of force on it. It's a brilliant device that makes arcane items instantly comprehensible.
In addition to the science and the research, Lance gives us history as well. History of early submersibles, targeted history of the Civil War relative to submersibles and explosives and issues with Confederate logistics. It is simply a marvelous, worthwhile, and vastly rewarding reading experience. And she definitively answers both what happened to the Hunley, and what happened to her crew.
September 17, 2020
(Audiobook) This work is an interesting take on the history of the HL Hunley. In particular, this is the story of a doctoral student who used the research on the Hunley to not only finish her doctorate program, but attempt to solve the mystery of the final fate of the crew of the world's first successful attack submarine. After the discovery of the resting place of the Confederate sub, there was an increase in attention and focus on the origin and the combat death of the submarine. Yet, even after the sub was found, there still remained so many questions about the sub, from the lives of the final crew of the ship to just what killed the men. Various theories were postulated, but none successfully proved. Lance took on the challenge of trying to solve the mystery of the fate of this ship, all while dealing with life and a target that was just as challenging nearly 150 years after its last deployment.
The work is combination memoir, history and scientific analysis. Lance will go into extensive detail on the science behind various theories. Yet, the stories of how she managed to test and simulate equipment, how to get scopes and devices to work to provide the needed data is almost as fascinating as the story of the Hunley itself. You will learn more than you thought possible on certain subject, but Lance intersperses enough humanity to keep this from getting too technical. Overall, she comes to the conclusion that the crews was killed by the concussion from the detonation of its own torpedo. The weapon that enabled her to sink the Housatonic ended up killing her and her crew, but accounted for why the crew, when discovered, appeared calm and serene, not having struggled to get out or fight for air.
Overall, a solid work of history that can almost get too technical, but Lance describes it in a way that you don't get too lost in the narration. Her accounts of how she found the people and material to help her out are also a strong point of the book. The narrator does a good job with the material, but both would rate about the same. For a Civil War buff, a maritime buff, or just someone who likes a good scientific mystery, this is work the time to read/listen.
The work is combination memoir, history and scientific analysis. Lance will go into extensive detail on the science behind various theories. Yet, the stories of how she managed to test and simulate equipment, how to get scopes and devices to work to provide the needed data is almost as fascinating as the story of the Hunley itself. You will learn more than you thought possible on certain subject, but Lance intersperses enough humanity to keep this from getting too technical. Overall, she comes to the conclusion that the crews was killed by the concussion from the detonation of its own torpedo. The weapon that enabled her to sink the Housatonic ended up killing her and her crew, but accounted for why the crew, when discovered, appeared calm and serene, not having struggled to get out or fight for air.
Overall, a solid work of history that can almost get too technical, but Lance describes it in a way that you don't get too lost in the narration. Her accounts of how she found the people and material to help her out are also a strong point of the book. The narrator does a good job with the material, but both would rate about the same. For a Civil War buff, a maritime buff, or just someone who likes a good scientific mystery, this is work the time to read/listen.
August 22, 2020
I heard this author interviewed earlier this year on Civil War Talk Radio, and I knew that night I had to own this book. My only minor disappointment with it is that she didn't narrate the audio version. The narration is fine, but she would have done an even more compelling job, based on how she sounded in that interview.
What really happened to the men of the ill-fated HL Hunley? Eight of them died almost instantly, so it seems. Was it, as many have claimed through the years, a lucky shot fired from the Housatonic as it was in its death throes? Rachel Lance says no. The deaths of the men had nothing to do with a lucky shot fired from anywhere. Indeed, you could argue that the men of the Hunley were literally victims of their own success. Granted, they sank the Housatonic, but Lance says the shocks from the blast of the Hunley's torpedo reverberated through the Hunley and ultimately killed the crew almost instantly.
This was a fascinating book on so many levels. Lance succeeds in teaching you things about explosions and the blast waves they produce that will fascinate you. She describes her triumphs and temporary failures here, and she manages through her excellent writing style to provide both a solution to a long-term mystery and a human face on what would have been dry statistics in the hands of a lesser writer. She helps you see how Hollywood's way of treating explosions can lead to all kinds of misinformation and false ideas.
She is candid about the opposition she faced in the early months of her research--opposition that seems to me to have been both unfortunate and unnecessary.
This is gripping fascinating writing at its best, and even if you have only one credit from Audible this month, it's well worth the expenditure of your credit. You'll both be entertained by a great story and learn new things about the difficulties involved in carrying out good science. Much of this book is trial and error, and its both fun and fascinating to see how Lance evolves her ideas by trying new and different solutions.
What really happened to the men of the ill-fated HL Hunley? Eight of them died almost instantly, so it seems. Was it, as many have claimed through the years, a lucky shot fired from the Housatonic as it was in its death throes? Rachel Lance says no. The deaths of the men had nothing to do with a lucky shot fired from anywhere. Indeed, you could argue that the men of the Hunley were literally victims of their own success. Granted, they sank the Housatonic, but Lance says the shocks from the blast of the Hunley's torpedo reverberated through the Hunley and ultimately killed the crew almost instantly.
This was a fascinating book on so many levels. Lance succeeds in teaching you things about explosions and the blast waves they produce that will fascinate you. She describes her triumphs and temporary failures here, and she manages through her excellent writing style to provide both a solution to a long-term mystery and a human face on what would have been dry statistics in the hands of a lesser writer. She helps you see how Hollywood's way of treating explosions can lead to all kinds of misinformation and false ideas.
She is candid about the opposition she faced in the early months of her research--opposition that seems to me to have been both unfortunate and unnecessary.
This is gripping fascinating writing at its best, and even if you have only one credit from Audible this month, it's well worth the expenditure of your credit. You'll both be entertained by a great story and learn new things about the difficulties involved in carrying out good science. Much of this book is trial and error, and its both fun and fascinating to see how Lance evolves her ideas by trying new and different solutions.
December 30, 2020
What caused the crew of the Confederate submarine HL Hunley to die after their successful attack on the USS Housatonic in February 1864 outside Charleston Harbor? I can think of no better researcher than author Rachel Lance, who specializes in injury biomechanics generally and trauma patterns from blast and ballistic events specifically. She also worked in a civilian post for the Naval Surface Warfare Center and currently is a research scientist studying human survival in extreme environments. She published In the Waves to document her research into that question for her doctoral dissertation at Duke.
Science and history. This book is full of both, which I loved. She presented both throughout the story, weaving together not just a narrative of how she completed her dissertation from hypothesis through experimentation to analysis, but also the story of the Hunley and its crew. In terms of the science, each time she encounters an aspect of the incident, she breaks it into its scientific theories: four types of blast trauma, cold water immersion, black powder manufacturing, vision over a distance, buoyancy, carbon dioxide production in an enclosed space, and of course pressure waves. I learned more about how (secondary) pressure waves act within structures such as armored vehicles, submarines, body armor, and organs here than in any prehospital course for responders. Lance is a wonderful writer who presented all the complex information in an engaging, accessible manner.
Part of her research involved building a model of the Hunley and analyzing pressure waves that struck it from black powder explosions in a pond. How cool is that? Her description of how she and her team conducted the experiment and troubleshooted mistakes highlighted how beautiful the scientific process can be when it is followed properly. This book and her project resonated with my brain and heart. Add this book to your wish lists. It was so good, I bought my own copy after 50 pages of the library’s edition. This book is one of the best I’ve read this year.
Science and history. This book is full of both, which I loved. She presented both throughout the story, weaving together not just a narrative of how she completed her dissertation from hypothesis through experimentation to analysis, but also the story of the Hunley and its crew. In terms of the science, each time she encounters an aspect of the incident, she breaks it into its scientific theories: four types of blast trauma, cold water immersion, black powder manufacturing, vision over a distance, buoyancy, carbon dioxide production in an enclosed space, and of course pressure waves. I learned more about how (secondary) pressure waves act within structures such as armored vehicles, submarines, body armor, and organs here than in any prehospital course for responders. Lance is a wonderful writer who presented all the complex information in an engaging, accessible manner.
Part of her research involved building a model of the Hunley and analyzing pressure waves that struck it from black powder explosions in a pond. How cool is that? Her description of how she and her team conducted the experiment and troubleshooted mistakes highlighted how beautiful the scientific process can be when it is followed properly. This book and her project resonated with my brain and heart. Add this book to your wish lists. It was so good, I bought my own copy after 50 pages of the library’s edition. This book is one of the best I’ve read this year.
September 22, 2024
One of the hardest things to do as an author is to think of "comps," which are books that are sort of like the one you have just written. The "comp" is a marketing tool. The first time I remember buying a book because of the comp was a Larry Bond book that was supposed to be "for fans of THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER." (When Tom Clancy wrote THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, he didn't have any comps because nothing else like it had been written before.)
I don't know if there's a good comp for IN THE WAVES, but I have two books for you that I liked immensely: one was SHADOW DIVERS, by a bloke named Robert Kurson, about the discovery of a WWII U-boat off the New Jersey coast. The other is THE DEMON OF UNREST, about Charleston, South Carolina in the Civil War, by Erik Larson. (I have SHADOW DIVERS in paperback; if I had THE DEMON OF UNREST in print they would sit next to each other on my bookshelf.) Both excellent, excellent books and I recommend them highly.
What if they had a baby?
Said baby would look something like IN THE WAVES, which combines wrecked submarines with the Civil War, and is about the HUNLEY, an early submarine which sunk a blockading Union ship in the Charleston harbor and then was sunk itself, only to be recovered and put on display. (Lance pedantically points out that, technically, the HUNLEY was never given the honorific of CSS, as it should have been.) Lance is investigating what happened to the HUNLEY after it sank USS HOUSATONIC and was never heard from again, combining these story elements with a will-she won't-she story about whether said research will culminate in her doctorate.
IN THE WAVES is part history, part scientific labor of love, part love story, and part blowin'-stuff-up-real-good. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I don't know if there's a good comp for IN THE WAVES, but I have two books for you that I liked immensely: one was SHADOW DIVERS, by a bloke named Robert Kurson, about the discovery of a WWII U-boat off the New Jersey coast. The other is THE DEMON OF UNREST, about Charleston, South Carolina in the Civil War, by Erik Larson. (I have SHADOW DIVERS in paperback; if I had THE DEMON OF UNREST in print they would sit next to each other on my bookshelf.) Both excellent, excellent books and I recommend them highly.
What if they had a baby?
Said baby would look something like IN THE WAVES, which combines wrecked submarines with the Civil War, and is about the HUNLEY, an early submarine which sunk a blockading Union ship in the Charleston harbor and then was sunk itself, only to be recovered and put on display. (Lance pedantically points out that, technically, the HUNLEY was never given the honorific of CSS, as it should have been.) Lance is investigating what happened to the HUNLEY after it sank USS HOUSATONIC and was never heard from again, combining these story elements with a will-she won't-she story about whether said research will culminate in her doctorate.
IN THE WAVES is part history, part scientific labor of love, part love story, and part blowin'-stuff-up-real-good. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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