(Charleston-AP) April 28, 2004 - America now knows the faces as well as the names of the eight sailors who died some 140 years ago on the Confederate submarine HL Hunley . They were laid to rest in Charleston in April.

Recreations of the men's faces and crew member biographies were released before the crew's burial in Charleston's Historic Magnolia Cemetery, where the sailors were buried with full military honors alongside crew members from two previous Hunley missions. .

A forensic expert from the Smithsonian Institution and a forensic genealogist helped estimate the identities based on military records and skeletal remains that narrowed the men's age and region of origin.

J. F. Carlsen was a European by birth. He seems to have been drawn to danger and adventure.  Before he lost his life on the H. L. Hunley at approximately 20-23 years of age, he had crossed the Atlantic, run the blockade surrounding the South, and been part of a crew taken over by a mutiny.

James A. Wicks experienced his share of danger throughout his life, and even survived a famous maritime battle during the Civil War, while serving as a Union sailor.

Frank Collins came from a town that saw one of the fiercest battles of the Civil War: Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Another crewmen is a bit of a mystery. He's a foreign-born Confederate sailor known only by his last name, Miller. A team of scientists has worked for years to recreate the facial features of the eight crew members.

Joseph Ridgaway was second in command. During the excavation of the Hunley, his remains were found with a slouch hat, pencil and wooden pipe.

The man known only as "Lumpkin" was one of the oldest crew members.

Lt. George Dixon was the commander and an athletic man in his mid-20s with blond hair.

Arnold Becker likely was the smallest and youngest crew member of the Confederate submarine.

Christopher Amer is an archaeologist with USC and says it's just one example of the scientific progress generated by the Hunley project, "It brings a whole new level, I think, of humanity to archaeology. Where you can actually look at the human remains, put a face, perhaps a uniform on or clothing, whatever, and see them as a real person."

Scientists have explored the Hunley with computers, lasers and digital X-rays. Amer sees the project in terms of what's been gained, "The Hunley has proved that, given the technology, you don't necessarily have to do all the excavation out on the site. In this case, the excavation was inside the Hunley. They can bring the Hunley up."

The Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink an enemy warship. It sank on February 17th with its eight-man crew off Charleston minutes after sinking the Union blockade ship Housatonic in 1864. The Hunley was raised off Sullivans Island in 2000. It was then carried by barge to the old Charleston Navy Base where it's been since.

A total of 21 servicemen on three crews lost their lives in the Hunley. The Hunley sank three times, once after it was swamped at its mooring, again during a test run and finally after its sinking of the Housatonic.

updated 11:53am by Chris Rees