G'day People,
Well I followed the suggestion of Woodstock74 - sorta - but contacted Clemson University (the Warren Lasch Conservation Center) instead.
Here is the response I received;
Hello,
I think I can answer your questions.
The outside color of the submarine was most likely grey. Test of remaining paint are unclear as pigmentation may have dissolved away over the years. However the presence of Zinc suggests an attempt to control corrosion. This might have given the paint a base grey color. In addition, the only contemporaneous image of Hunley show a grey hull.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... ,_1863.jpg We don’t know for sure because of the possibility of pigment loss, but the remaining traces of paint on the crew bench are white. Either way, it would make sense to paint the interior a lighter color to make the crew feel a bit less confined. We also found some on the bottom ballast blocks and the underside of the bellows, so we can assume the entire interior was painted. This would also be important for the prevention of iron corrosion.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Mike
p.s. the submarine was never commissioned in the confederate navy so should not be called the CSS Hunley. Simply H.L. Hunley is correct.
--------------------------
Michael P. Scafuri
Archaeologist
Warren Lasch Conservation Center
Clemson University
1250 Supply Street
North Charleston, SC 29405-2045
843-730-5087 desk; 843-324-0310 cell[/color]
So it would seem the exterior was actually a
grey colour instead of black and the interior likely white,
cheers,
Pappy