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Hi Brian.
I don't believe he could ever get approval to take passengers
on an exact replica of the Hunley. With the ballast tank tops being open to
the hull interior in all honesty the Hunley was a death trap.
Besides that, what passenger would want to sit all cramped up
and have to turn the crankshaft with the only light being a single candle, when
they can go on a modern roomy tourist sub. Some people let their obsessions
override their
judgement. In this case I think the Hunley is best left to a
museum and as you said anyone making an exact replica without modern safety
measures and improved design might suffer the fate of
the Hunley's first two crews.
You asked what is going on with the hunt for the Alligator,
Brian.
The Alligator was another civil war submarine. Built for the
Union it sank while being towed. Today, a Navy Admiral's wife read about it and
notified her husband who had no idea of its existance.
Everyone had forgotten about the Alligator being the U.S.
Navy's first submarine and the Holland was thought to be the first. The admiral
got involved with trying to find out more and the search was on.
I don't believe the search has found it yet but I'm sure they
eventually will.
Here's some links about the Alligator and the search to find
her
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