Senator McConnell gave a personal and extremely interesting presentation on the search and recovery of the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley which sank on the 17th of February 1864 after attacking and sinking the USS Housatonic off the Charleston coast. The H. L. Hunley was the world's first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. The Hunley was recovered on 8 August 2000 off of Sullivan's Island.