This is the story of those men, the crew of the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink a battleship. The Civil War mission came to a tragic end when the Hunley disappeared shortly after completing its task in the waters off the South Carolina coast in February 1864. The fate of the vessel and its crew remained a mystery until 1995. The novel is also a love story that survived for one hundred forty years. Among the men who served on the Hunley on its last mission, was its commander, Lt. George Dixon. It was rumored for years that Dixon's sweetheart, Queenie Bennett, gave him a gold coin that saved his life at the Battle of Shiloh. After raising the vessel, crews discovered the $20 gold piece. It was bent, just as it would be if it stopped a bullet. The coin was inscribed: Shiloh April 6, 1862 My life Preserver G. E. D