Sterling Marlin first learned of the Civil War at the knee of his relatives in Tennessee. On Wednesday, Marlin touched a piece of Confederate history as he toured the recovered submarine H.L. Hunley [ www.thehunley.com ]. Marlin flew to Charleston, SC from Charlotte, N.C., after several days of interviews for the upcoming Winston Cup season. Marlin, his wife Paula and 12-year-old daughter Sutherlin spent about 2½ hours learning about the Confederate sub that became the first to sink a ship during wartime. The best part? “Probably, all of it. You say, ‘How they did things so well 130, 135 years ago,'” said Marlin, marveling at the watertight seals and smooth, machined edges on the fledgling sub’s remains. Marlin’s great, great grandfather, William Marlin, fought with the 32nd infantry in the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A. and young Sterling heard tales passed down through generations of growing up around Columbia, TN, and near the site of the Battle of Franklin. The Hunley rammed the U.S.S. Housatonic in Charleston Harbor on Feb. 17, 1864. While the Union ship was destroyed, the nine-man crew of the Hunley were also lost. After a presentation at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center about the Hunley’s history and recovery, Marlin’s family then stepped in the 12-foot deep holding tank clad in ankle-high galoshes for a hands-on experience. The Hunley was found beneath decades of sediment in 1995. Lasch’s group is raising funds for a permanent home for the submarine which some estimate could cost up to $40 million once the scientific salvage part is complete.( Greenville News/AP )(1-23-2003)
