🚨 Did You Know? Shreveport May Still Be Hiding Four Civil War Submarines! 🚨

One of the most fascinating—and least-known—stories in Shreveport's history is the claim that five Confederate submarines were built at the Shreveport Naval Yard during the Civil War.

Historian Dr. Gary D. Joiner, PhD will explore this remarkable story, along with other Civil War naval history, during his presentation "Ironclads, Tinclads, Gunboats and Submarines" at Mansfield State Historic Site on August 22!

Dr. Joiner has shared his thoughts on the mystery, saying:

"If the subs are still around, they'll be closer to J.S. Clark (School) or they're under Margaritaville, take your pick, and they would be in perfect condition if they have not been interfered with."

The late historians Eric Brock and Katherine Brash Jeter spent years researching the Shreveport Naval Yard and its mysterious submarines. Their work uncovered documentation showing that several machinists and engineers who had worked on the famous Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, as well as other Southern submarine projects, were in Shreveport during the final year of the Civil War.

Eric Brock wrote:

"To prevent them from falling into Union hands, the builders of the four submarines sank them in the muddy waters where Cross Bayou and the Red River meet. There they remain, buried in the river's mud and silt, to this very day."

Historian John Andrew Prime also pointed to evidence supporting the submarines' existence:

"Reports of Union spies in Shreveport, as well as Confederate reports, detail the appearance and dimensions of the submarines as well as operations to put mines in the Red River for a Union invasion that never came. Five submarines were built, with one sent to the Houston/Galveston area in Texas and lost in transit."

So, could four Confederate submarines still be hidden beneath the mud of the Red River more than 160 years later?

If the historical accounts are correct, one of Louisiana's greatest Civil War mysteries may still be waiting to be solved.

⚓ Join us on August 22 at Mansfield State Historic Site as Dr. Gary Joiner examines the evidence, separates fact from legend, and discusses one of the most intriguing mysteries in Louisiana history.

What do you think? Are Shreveport's lost submarines still waiting to be discovered beneath the Red River?
DeSoto Parish Tourism Commission
Northwest Louisiana Archives at LSUS
LSUS Foundation
LSUS History and Social Sciences Department
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What an adventure! 😅

Today, after a long day out of town, we stopped at Academy and when we came out, we realized that Mark’s van had a flat tire. As if that wasn't enough, we discovered the spare donut tire was mounted underneath the car (what genius thought that was a good idea),so Mark had to jack it up in the rain just to get the spare out. Then, after all that, we put the donut on... and it was flat too. 🤦‍♂️

In our infinite wisdom, we spotted an Academy shopping cart, loaded the donut tire into it, and Mark pushed it over to the Circle K around the corner to air it up. (When he got there, it only had 3 pounds of pressure in the spare)! Luckily, the air pump actually worked, and he was able to air it up before bringing it back. Problem solved!

Before, during and after we several kind people stopped to ask if we needed help. Thank you to everyone who offered—we really appreciated it!

Poor Mark was absolutely soaked from changing the tire on the wet ground. So if anyone happened to see a drenched guy pushing a shopping cart with a tire down the road today... yes, that was Mark! 😂 He looked absolutely pitiful! I really wish I'd gotten a picture! ... See MoreSee Less