[DiogenesLamp]

There is a Freeper that actually worked on this. He provided pictures a year or so ago that shows the torpedo was actually solid mounted onto an iron spar, and was a contact detonation device. As soon as it blew up, the shock wave traveling down the spar killed everyone inside.

I forgot the Freeper's name, but perhaps he will identify himself in this thread.

[75thOVI]

It wasn’t me, but I do know something on the subject. The torpedo had a barbed spike on the forward end. This lodged in the Housatonic’s hull and the Hunley went full astern. The charge pulled loose from the spar, and a line ran from the charge to a spool on the upper side, starboard I believe, just forward of the hatch. When the line pulled tight, the charge was detonated. This would give a slight stand-off when the charge went off. However, in an uncompressible environment, it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

[Redleg Duke]

My knowledge is from non-politically correct history books, but I believe the attack profile was to ram the keg into the target ship, causing a point on the keg to impale the ship. Then the Hunley wss to back away from the target ship to a distance of some 100-yards, the length of the tigger lanyard, where upon, the warhead (keg) would detonate.

Apparently, the lanyard was tangled and detonated the warhead while the Hunley had just started to back away.

“No plan survives contact with the enemy!” Von Moltke the Elder.