No good, definitive news yet in search for USS Aligator prototype (Alligator Junior).  Searchers used a magnetometer to scan a suspected mound along a tributary of the Delaware River but the results indicated a smaller mass of metal that was expected.

  Philadelphia Inquirer article...

Local volunteers, NOAA and the Office of Naval Research are all abuzz about a mound found near Rancocas Creek in Riverside, Pennsylvania.  The hope is that it may contain the remains of a submarine, the prototype of the USS Alligator.  The US Navy, while not the owner of this prototype sub, may assist with a ground penetrating radar to evaluate the possible wreck site.

  Courier Post Online article...

Until now only scientists have gotten a close view of the CSS Hunley.  Now four lucky people will have a chance to look inside this Civil War era submarine.  A silent auction will sell the tour and bidding starts at 300 USD.

  Tuscaloosa News article...

Friends of the Hunley website...

CSS H. L. Hunley was a submarine of the Confederate States Navy that demonstrated both the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. Hunley was the first submarine to sink a warship, though the sub was also sunk in the engagement...

Imagine living in Philadelphia during the early days of the Civil War and reading the latest issue of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. A front page story reveals a strange and alarming tale: Harbor police have captured a partially-submerged, 33-foot long, cigar-shaped contraption moving slowly down the Delaware River...

NOAA, with support from the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research, has sponsored a search September 9-12 for the Civil War submarine the USS Alligator.  Because of poor weather the team spent one day on the water running search patterns with sidescan sonar and a magnetometer.  Hurricane Ophelia then caused evacuations of Ocracoke Island and neighboring areas of North and South Caronlina.  Checkout the NOAA Mission Logs for more detail.

Launched in 1862, the green, 47-foot Alligator represented a significant leap forward in naval engineering. But before it could prove itself in battle, the Union sub was lost while being towed to Charleston, S.C. and never seen again.

- larger image -	Secrets Of A Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H. L. Hunley ASIN: 1575058308 Binding: Hardcover List price: $18.95 USD Amazon price: $16.19 USD

Attractively illustrated book, for adolescent readers, that tells the story of the Confederate submarine Hunley and then quickly dives into describing the recovery and preservation of this vessel.  Compelling text tells the various phases of the Hunley story and keeps it interesting.  Over half of the book is on the recovery and preservation effort and what this has taught researchers about the boat and its last crew.  Illustrated with period photos, documents and paintings, along with modern photos of the recovered boat and its contents, recreations of the crews faces and original artwork illustrating the operation of the Hunley.

Heroes: archaeologists, and the Hunley's crews for bravery in operating such a craft

Boat: CS Hunley

Location: South Carolina, USA

Category: juvenile, historical wreck preservation

Technical content: Light

A contemporary of the CSS Hunley, the Alligator was a Union submarine with a man-powered propellor, diver lockout hatch, compressed air tanks and an air scrubber.  This advanced vessel isn't well known, probably because it had no operational successes.   She finally sank while under tow in a storm off Cape Hatteras.  There is an effort underway to find her involving NOAA and the US Navy.

Quite a lot of information about the boat at this site: 
http://www.navyandmarine.org/alligator/ 

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2781190p-9220117c.html

A lower-profile search is also underway for the Alligator Jr., a prototype of the larger USS Alligator:
Courier Post Online article..

- larger image -	Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea ASIN: 0375703373 Binding: Paperback List price: $15.95 USD

Category: treasure hunting

Boats: SS Central America is the main ship but there's a very capable ROV

Heroes: Tommy Thompson, engineer and leader of the whole adventure

Location: USA, Midwest and offshore East Coast

Synopsis: Highly recommended story of the very capable Tommy Thompson and his multi-year quest to find and recover the treasure of the Central America. Provides insight into modern treasure hunting including fund raising, and legal and engineering issues. There's not a great deal of technical detail on the ROV but I didn't miss it here.