The water that February night was understandably cold as the vessel made its way towards the coastal city. The night was moonless, and that helped the submarine avoid detection. The harbor was filled with enemy ships, and the captain of the submarine had his orders to destroy as much as he could to help relieve the blockaded port. The captain, a man named George Dixon, singled out an enemy vessel that was heavily armed. It was an large, 1300-ton vessel that bristled with armaments on all sides. Dixon carefully maneuvered the sub into place.

Dixon was from Mobile, AL although he was a Kentucky native. Quite young at age 23 to be captaining a submarine, he was from a wealthy background. He was known in the service for wearing expensive, tailor-made uniforms. He also flashed expensive jewelry. Unlike many of his fellow soldiers, Dixon volunteered to fight instead of waiting to be drafted. He had received wounds in a previous battle, and even after his rehabilitation, still had a slight limp in one leg. And he carried with him an unusual good luck charm: A gold coin. You see, his girl back home in Mobile had given him the coin when he left for the war, telling him that it would bring him success and luck and protect him. It would also serve as a constant reminder that there was a girl waiting for him back home when he returned.

Dixon ordered his crew to position the submarine to where a silent attack could be made. The enemy never saw it coming. On Dixon’s order, the torpedo was sent into the hull of the large enemy ship. The enemy vessel sank to the bottom of the harbor less than 3 minutes after the torpedo reached its mark. After the attack, Dixon turned the sub for home.

However, something was wrong. The submarine had been damaged in the attack. Dixon is reported to have sent out a distress signal, hoping that some friendly vessel would see that the sub needed assistance. But none did. We’re not sure what happened next. We know that when recovery crews reached the sub, they found the crew still at their stations, long dead. The sub was raised and investigators made a thorough and careful analysis of both the vessel and the remains of the crew members. Whatever happened, it happened quickly. The men who served on that vessel and even the captain, captain Dixon, had all been volunteers, you see. And the fact that they all died at their posts told the investigators that not one of them shirked in their duty. They were identified and messages were sent to any remaining relatives telling of the death of the men. the body of George Dixon was identified easily. He still had his beau’s gold coin on him. It was an 1860 US $20 gold piece, minted in Philadelphia.

That coin was struck only four years before Dixon and his vessel, the Confederate submarine The Hunley, became the first sub to sink another ship in battle, on the night of February 27, 1864, during the American Civil War.