Clemson University is joining an international effort to conserve the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine in history to sink a warship in battle. The Civil War submarine, recovered off the coast of South Carolina, is one of the largest intact metal artifacts ever recovered from the ocean floor. The submarine is now being maintained in a special chilled freshwater solution at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, in Charleston, SC.

"We're charting new ground-it's not like there's a textbook out there we can follow," said Mike Drews, the materials scientist heading the Clemson research team. "There has been very little scientific research done on marine artifacts of this kind."

Drews estimates that it will take at least a year to analyze the sub and devise the best strategy for its conservation. The entire project could take up to seven years. Drews will coordinate a group of scientists and students from Clemson, who will work with team members from the Smithsonian Institution, France's Cold Plasma Research Lab, the Western Australian Maritime Museum, and other scientists from around the world. "The Hunley truly is a national treasure, and we've got only one chance to do it right," said Drews.

Once long-term stability is successfully achieved on the submarine, the Hunley will then be put on permanent public display. Until that time, she'll remain at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center.

The Hunley disappeared on Feb. 17, 1864, after becoming the first submarine in world history to sink a ship in battle. After being lost at sea for more than 130 years, the Hunley was located in 1995 and recovered in August 2000. Authorities are still working to solve the mystery of what caused the Hunley to sink after her historic mission.