[fred8615]

Originally Posted by aanker

Quote:
So, from what I've read and heard NARWHAL couldn't have fired Mark 14 torpedoes. Furthermore the load out was a little different and it most probably changed in 1943 when the power-plant was overhauled and two engines were added.

Did some searching on my own, and came across the Wikipedia article for the Narwhal's sister, Nautilus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nautilus_%28SS-168%29

Specifically, this paragraph:

By 09:55 echo ranging ceased and Nautilus raised her periscope. The carrier, her escorts, and the attacking destroyer had disappeared. (Unknown to her skipper at the time, the counterattacking destroyer Arashi, in his rush to rejoin, was tracked by Enterprise's VB-6, led by Wade McClusky, back to the Japanese task force.) At 12:53, a damaged aircraft carrier with two escorts was sighted. The carrier was identified as Sōryū, but later research suggests it was probably Kaga. An hour later, Nautilus had moved into attack position. Between 13:59 and 14:05, after the battle was largely over, Nautilus launched four torpedoes at the carrier from less than 3,000 yards (2,700 m). One failed to run, two ran erratically, and the fourth was a dud (a familiar problem for the Mark XIV), impacting amidships and breaking in half.[15] Nautilus reported flames appeared along the length of the ship as the first hit, and the skeleton crew which had been aboard (survivors of which reported no torpedo hit) began going over the side, with the air bottle of the dud torpedo acting as a life preserver for Japanese sailors.

Since the Mark 10 was much more reliable, I tend to believe this article is accurate.

And there's this (http://www.combinedfleet.com/nagara_t.htm) dated June 4th, 1942:

LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) William H. Brockman's USS NAUTILUS (SS-168) fires a Mark-14 steam torpedo at KIRISHIMA from 4,500 yards but misses. He attempts to fire another torpedo but it malfunctions and never leaves the tube. KIRISHIMA opens fire with her starboard batteries unsuccessfully at the submarine's periscope. NAGARA counter-attacks NAUTILUS unsuccessfully with depth charges. KIRISHIMA departs the area.

And there's this (http://www.combinedfleet.com/Keiyo_t.htm) dated June 25th, 1942:

Authors' Note:
[1] The attacker most probably was LtCdr (later Rear Admiral, Ret) William H. Brockman, Jr's big USS NAUTILUS (SS-168). The damage may have been caused by dud or premature explosions of Mark 14 torpedoes and must have been slight based on KEIYO MARU's subsequent activities.

And there's this (http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/ss-166.html):

Argonaut was assigned to Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack, but was at sea near Midway on 7 December 1941. In company with U.S.S. Trout, Argonaut approached a suspected enemy force. Mindful of his boat's unsuitability as an attack submarine, Argonaut's captain, Lieutenant Commander Stephen Barchet, prudently elected to make a submerged sonar approach.
The "invasion force," which proved to be a pair of Japanese destroyers sent off on a hit and run mission to shell Midway, did not detect Argonaut—though it appeared at the time that they had—nor was the submarine able to set up an attack. While this was looked on as a missed opportunity, it was conceded that, in view of Argonaut's size, slow speed, lack of maneuverability, and relatively shallow test depth, Barchet acted correctly. (This was, of course, before anyone had become aware of the flaws in the Mark 14 torpedo, which at that time would have been far more likely to simply inform the enemy of Argonaut's presence, probably resulting in her loss, than do any damage to the enemy.

Since apparently the Nautilus could fire Mk. 14s in mid 1942, and the Argonaut even earlier, the Narwhal should be able to too.