Ralph Wilbanks led Clive Cussler's NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency) team that discovered the CSS Hunley sunken off of the South Carolina coast. Called one of the most entertaining speakers in diving, Wilbanks will present the keynote address at this year's ScubaFest banquet as well as be on hand throughout the weekend sharing his tales of discovery. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a diving legend.

Ralph spends most of his time these days operating electronic equipment that now replaces what he used to do with his hands more than his eyes – that is searching in low visibility, murky water for artifacts that illustrate life in the past.  While the high tech methods used now can sometimes lead to boring workdays, the projects never the less often encounter surprises that make entertaining stories!  

Discovery and Recovery of the H L Hunley

The H L Hunley was the first submarine to sink a warship. It occurred on the 17th of February, 1864 during the siege of Charleston in the Civil War. The confederate submarine sank the Union frigate USS Housatonic that was blocking access to Charleston Harbor. But Hunley never returned from her historic mission.
The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) along with its founder, author Clive Cussler, searched for the historic submarine in 1980 and 1981 without finding it.  In 1994 the search was resumed, building on the data collected from the earlier searches. 
However, it was not until May 3, 1995 that Wes Hall, Harry Pecorelli, and project leader Ralph Wilbanks finally located the elusive submarine. The announcement of the discovery made worldwide news. Specials on it have run in Russia, Germany and England, as well as the Discovery Channel, Learning Channel, Travel Channel and every major news channel in the US.
On August 8, 2000 the submarine was raised and moved to the Warren Lasch Conservation facility in Charleston, SC, where it is currently undergoing conservation. This presentation will cover the discovery, recovery and an update on the current status of this unique piece of American History.

Additional information can be found at www.hunley.com.

National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA): What We Are And What We Do

The National Underwater and Marine Agency is more than the fictional agency in the Dirk Pitt novels written by author Clive Cussler.  Since the late 1970’s when NUMA was formed as a 501-C3 non-profit organization for the discovery of historic shipwrecks of importance to the United States, the location of over 70 shipwrecks has been determined. This presentation will introduce the audience to some of these discoveries and the efforts involved in locating them.

Hunley being raised and Hunley Research Team