High pressure
Experts analyzed the submarine’s design and found that the broken pipe was part of a system intended to transport water into the ballast tank located at the vessel’s front. The pipe’s design required it to pass through the submarine’s curved hull, a feature that might have compromised the hull’s integrity from the beginning.
Michael Scafuri, an archaeologist from Clemson University, described the mechanism to The Post and Courier, noting the potential vulnerabilities in this design. This insight shed light on the Hunley’s construction and the challenges its creators faced in engineering a functional and safe submarine.