It is impossible to underestimate the utility of awnings in deflecting the sun from ironclads’ decks, and many of Civil War photographs show those awnings.  Every one here has experienced what it’s like to open the door of your car after it has been baking in the summer sun all afternoon.  Those freshly scrubbed teak decks on World War I and World War II era battleships were not designed for aesthetics. They insulated steel decks and made living conditions somewhat bearable in pre-air-conditioning days.  Try to imagine, then, the plight of the typical Civil War ironclad sailor stationed on an inland river of the Deep South or in the vicinity of the besieged Charleston, South Carolina.  Add the oppressive humidity of July or August and now you can begin to understand the life of an ironclad sailor.