Activity 1: Grades 5-8
Life Sized Drawing |
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In
an attempt to break the Union blockade of Charleston
harbor, the Confederates pursued the development of
a human-powered submarine. Named the CSS H.L. Hunley,
this vessel became the first submarine to sink an
enemy warship in battle. On the evening of February
17 1864, the Hunley attached a torpedo to the
hull of the federal sloop-of-war, USS Housatonic.
As the Hunley pulled away from its target,
an attached cord triggered the explosion that sank
the Housatonic. Although the Hunley
signaled a successful mission, it never returned to
port. Over 130 years later the Hunley wreck
was discovered and eventually raised.
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This
activity page will offer:
-
Insight into the actual dimension of the Hunley
- An
opportunity to sketch a full-scale drawing of the Hunley
- The
opportunity to use math and measuring skills
Scaling
Up a Drawing
Scale drawings are often used to represent objects that would
be too large or too small to reasonably illustrate at their actual
size. In this activity, you'll use a scale drawing of the Hunley
as a model from which to draw a full-scale version of this vessel.
MATERIALS
- Chalk
- Kite
string
- Ruler
CAUTION: Remind students not to inhale the chalk dust. It is
an irritant and can be harmful if breathed in.
PROCEDURE
- Work
with a small group of students in an outdoor area identified
by your instructor.
- Brainstorm
a technique for laying out a 40- foot long and 6-foot wide grid
on the ground. The gird will be drawn with chalk onto the exposed
ground surface. The lines must be spaced 2-feet apart.
- To
produce the grid lines, cover a length of kite string with chalk
dust. Two students hold opposite ends of the string against
the ground. The third student "snaps" the chalked string to
the ground recording its impact in chalk dust. You might need
to thicken the line by drawing over it with chalk to make it
easier to see.
- To
simplify the copying process, you might want to number the squares
on both the scale drawing and the full-scale chalk grid. Then,
box-by-box, copy the outline of the submarine from the page
to the ground.
Questions
- If
each chalked gird box represents a two-foot by two-foot square,
how long is the submarine?
- How
could you create a larger drawing of the submarine, but still
retain its scale dimensions?
- How
might increasing the number of lines in the scaled down grid
affect the accuracy of the final drawing?
EXTENSIONS
Tight Fit
The hatch through which the crew entered
the Hunley was a tight fit. It was an oval shape that measured
14 inches by 15¾ inches. Cut out a piece of string and arrange
it to these dimensions. Then, imagine older sailors slipping through
this tight portal during an emergency.
Reporting
for the Confederacy
Suppose you were a Civil War reporter
who was allowed to examine the Hunley and interview its crew before
the submarine's final mission? What might the crew confide concerning
the upcoming mission? Think about it. Then create a story that
would be published in the Charleston Gazette on the morning following
the sinking of the Housatonic and loss of the Hunley.
Submarine
Defense
Suppose that the Confederacy had perfected
and produced a fleet of Hunley-like submarines. If you were a
Union admiral wishing to protect your blockade vessels, what sort
of anti-submarine measures would you develop? What types of antisubmarine
weapons could you implement using the technology of the 1860s?
U-boats
During World War I, about 50 years
after the sinking of the Hunley, the German navy nearly dominated
the seas using its fleet of U-boats. Research these vessels and
prepare a presentation that addresses the advancements in these
weapons. How were the German U-boats of WWI different in design
and stealth from this Confederate prototype? How did the action
of the torpedo change? How do today's submarines compare to the
undersea vessels employed during this "war to end all wars"?
WEB
CONNECTION
Friends
of the Hunley - Inside the Hunley
http://www.hunley.org/main_index.asp?CONTENT=INSIDE
An interactive panorama of the inside of the submarine hull
Friends of the Hunley - Recovery
http://www.hunley.org/main_index.asp?CONTENT=RECOVERYDAY
Information about the recovery of the submarine
Archeology
in the Hunley http://home.att.net/~JVNautilus/Hunley/Hunleyarchaeology.html
Site that illustrates the hatchways and locking systems employed
to keep the hull watertight.
The
activities in this guide were contributed by Michael DiSpezio,
a Massachusetts-based science writer and author of "Critical Thinking
Puzzles" and "Awesome Experiments in Light & Sound" (Sterling
Publishing Co., NY).
Academic Advisors for this Guide:
Corrine Lowen, Science Department, Wayland Public Schools, Wayland,
MA
Suzanne Panico, Science Teacher Mentor, Cambridge Public Schools,
Cambridge, MA
Anne E. Jones, Science Department, Wayland Middle School, Wayland,
MA
Gary Pinkall, Middle School Science Teacher, Great Bend Public
Schools, Great Bend, KS
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