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Isn't it mind-boggling to think of anyone stepping into a submarine in the Civil War?

lyrics

8. The Death Machine (1864)

In the Civil War
The Confederates made a death machine
The H.L. Hunley was a submarine
The cannister took a crew of eight
Seven to push and pull the hand crank
One to navigate
On the first test
The skipper accidentally stepped on a lever
Only the skipper and two others survived
But the Hunley was recovered
On the second test
The entire crew drowned
Still the Hunley was recovered
In February 1864
The skipper, Lt. Dixon brought his lucky gold coin
That took a bullet for him at the battle of Shiloh
The crew heaved and hoed on the crank
Lt. Dixon aimed the spar torpedo mounted on the nose
Of the submarine straight for a Union steamship
Hunley rammed the ship
Punctured the hull
Detatched the torpedo
And tried to gain distance before
Detonating
The steamship went down
But so did the Hunley
Which turned from a submarine into a coffin
Taking the crew
And the skipper with his lucky coin
To the bottom of the sea

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Peter Ellis Los Angeles, California

When not suffering from moral turpitude, morbid fixations, and delusions of grandeur, I am taking my coffee very seriously.

My favorite albums of 2014:

Ariel Pink's Pom Pom,
Luluc's Passerby, Real Estate's Atlas,
Stephen Malkmus' Wig Out at Jagbags, Pallbearer's Foundation of Burden,
Ty Segall's Manipulator,
and
J Mascis' Tied to a Star
... more

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