DATE: August 07, 2008

CONTACT: Mike Drews, 843-744-2974, ext 11
dmichae@clemson.edu

WRITER: Peter Hull, 843-554-7226, ext. 118
phull@clemson.edu

South Carolina public broadcasting showcases Clemson University’s Restoration Institute and H.L. Hunley

NORTH CHARLESTON — Clemson University professor Mike Drews sat calmly in a chair while the crew of South Carolina ETV’s “The Big Picture” buzzed around him.

A camera was moved a little to the left, then a little to the right. The lighting adjusted until it was just right. A small microphone was clipped to Drews’s shirt. Then silence. It was show time.

Public broadcasting station ETV visited Clemson University’s Restoration Institute for two days in July to film the popular television show, which aired this week.

Host Mark Quinn interviewed Drews, Restoration Institute executive director John Kelly, and S.C. Senate President Pro Tempore and chairman of the Hunley Commission, Sen. Glenn F. McConnell.

But the star of the show was the CSS H.L. Hunley and the science that Clemson researchers, led by Drews, have developed since the Civil War submarine was raised from the bottom of Charleston harbor on Aug. 8, 2000.

The Hunley has led Clemson researchers to discover new ways to preserve the submarine’s materials, including glass, rubber, wood and metal.

Quinn said he was excited to learn of the real world applications Clemson’s research may create. For example, the science may lead to techniques that prevent metal-fatigued bridges from collapsing.

“That’s the most exciting thing to me,” Quinn said.

The Hunley sank to the bottom of Charleston harbor on Feb. 17, 1864, drowning all eight crew members. Shortly before sinking, the Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic, an 1,800-ton steam-powered battleship armed with 12 large cannons.

For more than a century, the Hunley enjoyed legendary status, its whereabouts unknown.

Upon the vessel’s recovery eight years ago, the Hunley was described as the most important underwater archaeological find of the 20th century.

Today, the Hunley is housed in the Warren E. Lasch Conservation Center at Clemson’s Restoration Institute, where scientists discover the historic vessel’s secrets, attracting international recognition.

Their job is all the more challenging since the submarine is only protected from rapid deterioration by a cocoon of concretion that formed while the vessel was submerged.

Drews said after the filming that he wasn’t surprised the ETV crew learned that the Hunley is as much about the science as it is the submarine.

“That’s the general impression people leave here with,” Drews said. “They leave the place with more of an appreciation of what we’re doing here.”

END