Lantern Testing

The lanterns were first tested at night at Hamburg Area High School, in Pennsylvania, on June 21, 2010. We tested both a clear lens lantern, like the Hunley had, and a flashed blue lens lantern as W. T. Kirkman, a lantern expert in California, said would be needed to produce a blue light. Both lanterns were visible with the naked eye at a distance of 1100 feet. This could back up the light’s sighting by the Union sailor, Flemming, who was at a distance of roughly 1000 feet in the sunken Union ship’s rigging awaiting rescue.

On June 24, 2010 we tested the clear and blue lens lanterns at Locust Lake, one of our local lakes, to see how they would work over water. From one end of the lake to the other is a ½ mile. Both lanterns were seen with the naked eye.

On June 25, 2010 we rented an airplane and flew in rings of one mile to three miles around the airport. There were three people in the airplane. We all saw the clear lens lantern at 3 miles. All three people saw the blue lens lantern at 2 ½ miles and the pilot saw the blue lens lantern at 3 miles . All sightings were with the naked eye.

The distance of the H. L. Hunley sinking to Battery Marshall was 4 miles.