The design of the Submarine was quite simple. It was a 40 ft. long iron tube with a rudder and propeller that was operated by an eight man crew. The captain sat in the front where he would steer the sub while looking out two small glass holes. Unlike the nuclear powered subs of today, this primitive submarine was propelled by seven of the crew turning a crank. There was nothing fancy about this piece of machinery, other than the fact that it was fifty years ahead of its time.
While this striking new technological advancement would change warfare permanently for wars to come, it had a limited impact in the Civil War. In the three years it was commissioned, the Huntley sank 3 times, killing dozens of men including its inventor. Despite its less than stellar safety record, the Huntley did become the first submarine to destroy an enemy ship in wartime. As seen in the first World War and onwards, submarines completely change the nature of naval warfare.
Sources
Gast, Phil. "The Hunley: Zeroing in on what caused Civil War submarine's sinking." CNNtravel.com. CNN, 15 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Geographic, National, prod. Civil War Submarine. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
http://www.ineffableisland.com/2011/06/worlds-first-combat-sub-csa-hunley.html