The August 23rd Charleston (SC) Post and Courier reports that Clive Cussler has dropped his court case over who found the Hunley. He says that by nature he isn't litigious.It was against Edward Lee Spence who claims he found it years earlier than Cussler did in 1995.
The suit was filed in 2001 to stop Spence from going around and telling everyone that he he had found it first.
Cussler found the Confederate submarine in 1995. Spence says he found it in 1970 while trying to free a fish trap off the side of a friend's boat, but didn't announce it until 1975.
Spence has a countersuit, seeking between $100,000 and $309 million for damages.
There were some interesting comments to the article.
Auger said many knew something was down there. He had fished, anchored and played on it for a long time, but "didn't know what the 'bump' at the bottom really was."
Spence had a lot of comments, calling himself HunleyFinder. It doesn't appear he is interested in giving up.
In 7 posts, he says that he had written three books in 1976, 1985, and 1990 about the discovery. In the last oine, he had a map and an "X" where Cussler found the Hunley.
Further, he says that in 1976 the wreck was nominated for the National register of Historic Places using his 1970 discovery and a 1974 map of the location that he provided.
There is a Wikipedia entry on Spence that is an interesting read.
My big question is why Spence didn't push his find more than he did? The Hunley's location has been a big question ever since it sank. However, with copies of the books on the subject as Spence claims, it shouldn't be too hard to prove or disprove his efforts.
Who Found It, That is the Question. --Old B-R'er
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
