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Old 03-29-08, 04:11 PM   #1
Platapus
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Default Put a bubble in Safety

In watching my beloved WWII sub movies, this term comes up.

The command is “Put a bubble in Safety”

Does this have to do with the Safety Ballast Tank or is it in reference to something else?

If it does deal with the Safety Ballast Tank, I am still confused as to what this command really means and why you would do it.

The Safety Ballast Tank is a small pressure resistant ballast tank located amidships between the Fuel Ballast Tanks and the Auxiliary Ballast Tanks.

The technical book “The Fleet Type Submarine” states:

“The primary function of the safety tank is to provide a means for quickly regaining positive buoyancy by blowing the tank when submerged. It follows, then, that the safety tank must be fully flooded when submerged, otherwise it can not fulfill its primary purpose”

I can understand that in order to surface very rapidly, the Safety Ballast Tank can be blown. Or if the conning tower or main induction is flooded, the Safety Ballast Tank can be used to compensate for the extra water weight.

What does “Put a bubble in Safety” mean?

Does it mean that a small quantity of air is blown into the Safety Ballast Tank? If so why?

Is the command not to be taken so literally and “put a bubble in Safety” means something else to do with the Safety Ballast Tank? If so what?

Is this not even a real command but some hollywood BS?

Landlubber minds want to know
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Old 03-29-08, 04:27 PM   #2
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In War in the Boats: My WWII Submarine Battles By William J. Ruhe, he uses that command. It's clearly something to do with pre-charging the safety tank, or purging it gently and quietly.
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Old 03-30-08, 04:19 PM   #3
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Considering the role of the saftey tank, putting a "bubble in safety" would probably be used to compensate for flooding inside the pressure hull.

Respectfully Submitted;
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Old 03-31-08, 12:44 AM   #4
edjcox
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Put a bubble in safety... We might need to purge completely if the flooding continues. Blow her gently so as not to allow the enemy sonar operators the oppertunity to hear the roar of a balleast tank purge.

The safety enabled a small differential in bouyancy that floated the sub positive yet allowed planes and velocity to keep the vessel submerged at commanded depth without having to blow the main tanks. In combination with the comand flood negative or blow negative, the boyancy of a boat is more readily maintained and controllable. Often the boats bouyancy balance was crucial in an attack approach and setup against a listening adversary. With out these crucial settings the blowing of tanks is a noisy affair and can often warn an enemy surface combatant not only as to where you are but what you are doing. Ideal neutral bouyancy was a constant balancing act with temeprature, salinity, and operating depth all factors.
A limited compressed air supply could be extended if a boat was primarily running slight positive bouyancy and using planes and velocity for depth maintenance. Only in emergencies and crash dives would one open all the bllast tanks and take on the tons of water to claw down to the deep and silent world of submerged safety. The captain and crew that did this imprudently or did so with holed or leaking tanks are mostly still out here on permanent patrol.

So "put a bubble in safety" means to get the boat to positive or near postive bouyancy so that the planes, forward velocity, an a slight purge of the main tanks would send her back up to the surface realm. Once at the surface low preassure turbo blowers would charge the main tanks and float the sub above the water...

An intial surface condition often had little freeboard unless the captain and crew were sure they could recharge their air they used to blow....

Laters

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Old 03-31-08, 09:15 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by edjcox


Put a bubble in safety...
All I can say is 'Wow'.

Now I want all of this modeled in game.

"MODDERS!!!"
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Old 03-31-08, 04:20 PM   #6
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Much thanks Ed
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