It may not have been that they needed to be 5'2" tall to fit into the sub. It might be that they needed to be that size to fit into the crankshaft. Longer legs and torsos might have gotten in the way of the crank. we'll only know when they get the bodies out.

And that is only one reason they need to exhume and examine the bodies. There are a lot of unanswered questions and only a complete examination of all the evidence can start to answer them.

Also, as to why we are disturbing the bodies. Would they have been distrubed if the Confederate Navy had the techniques and equipment to raise the sub in the first place? The first crew was "disturbed" and given full military burial. Men lost in Viet Nam are "disturbed" all the time to be given proper military burial. The passage of time doesn't change the fact that these were brave men who sacrificed their lives for the cause they believed in. They should be honored as such.

Of course, there will be people who will come down on both sides of the line on the use fo the confederate flag and honoring the supporters of slavery etc. We need to tune that out as static and focus on what they did and how they should be treated. We honor German dead from WWII. Should we not honor Southern dead too?