EMERGENCY IRON WEIGHTS

Large iron weights were bolted directly to the external hull of Hunley and were intended to be jettisoned in the event of an emergency that required the submarine to surface rapidly. To remove the weights, the crewmen were to unscrew the bolt heads from inside Hunley; however, the procedure was inherently risky given the probable dearth of light – perhaps from only a burning candle – and the necessity of rapid execution.