A range of possibilities
The possibility that the broken pipe might not have been the primary cause of the Hunley’s sinking is a subject of ongoing investigation. Over the course of 136 years on the ocean floor, natural processes could have caused the pipe to drift away from the submarine wall.
Clemson University expressed the need for further study to ascertain whether the pipe’s detachment was a result of natural decay or if it was sheared off by an impact or the backlash from the torpedo explosion against the Housatonic. This line of inquiry is vital to understanding the sequence of events that led to the submarine’s demise.