Why were the S boats called Sugar Boats?

[LukeFF]

Subject heading says it all. What's the history behind this nickname?

[JimRat]

LukeFF,

It is because of the Phonetic Alphabet in use by the USN at the time. The Phonetic word for the letter S was Sugar, therefore Sugar boats. Sorry there is not a more romantic story about it, but most military nicknames are based in the mundane.

In case anyone is interested the old Phonetic Alphabet went like this:

A = Able B = Baker C = Charlie D = Dog E = Easy F = Fox G = George H = How I = Item
J = Jig K = King L = Love M = Mike N = Nancy O = Oboe P = Peter Q = Queen R = Roger
S = Sugar T = Tare U = Uniform V = Victor W = William X = X=ray Y = Yoke Z = Zebra

As opposed to the one currently in use today;

A = Alfa B = Bravo C = Charlie D = Delta E = Echo F = Foxtrot G = Golf H = Hotel I = India
J = Juliett K = Kilo L = Lima M = Mike N = November O = Oscar P = Papa Q = Quebec R= Romeo
S = Sierra T = Tango U = Uniform V = Victor W = Whiskey X = X-ray Y = Yankee Z = Zulu

[switch.dota]

So the only common ones are M (Mike), U (Uniform), V (Victor) and X (X-ray).

[Mickle]

+charlie

[Iron Budokan]

Why did they change the phonetic alphabet?

[donut]

United Nations Axis

[the_belgian]

Why did they change the phonetic alphabet?

When a message recieved by radio was disterbed by interfierence in case of the first a whole word was un-understandable in opposite to the current one that also is usable when words are only partly recieved.

[Sailor Steve]

By the same token, Patrol Torpedo boats were commonly called Peter Tares.

[the_belgian]

By the same token, Patrol Torpedo boats were commonly called Peter Tares.
I thought Peetee(or shorter;Pete)or from the French petite(small):p

[Sailor Steve]

Nope, no Pete, and no French. Pee Tee is from the initials themselves: PT boats.

[WernerSobe]

ive been reading that S-type boats were actualy called pig-boats

[AVGWarhawk]

ive been reading that S-type boats were actualy called pig-boats

Yes, pig boats for two reasons. Built with pig iron and of course...how the men/boat smelled after a patrol.

[WernerSobe]

whats pig iron :-). The book i have it from sayis its because the boats were designed very uncompfortable and the men who worked on them were often dirty, looking and smelling like pigs :-)

[AVGWarhawk]

whats pig iron :-). The book i have it from sayis its because the boats were designed very uncompfortable and the men who worked on them were often dirty, looking and smelling like pigs :-)


The capacity of the Fresh Water Tank was not sufficient for a twelve to sixteen week patrol. Fresh water replacement was a daily duty for each watch (on 4 hrs - off 8). We had capability to make fresh water from seawater but it was more expedient from accumulated condensation gathered inside the boat. Submarines, sometimes called "pig boats" because being made of pig iron, were subject to considerable condensation due to temperature variation inside and out the ship. This was readily available for making fresh drinking water. After each war patrol, there would be a film of incrustation about a quarter of an inch thick all over the inside of the fresh water tank.



I believe pig iron is a mixture of metals that is not quite as strong as steel. It is also a certain percentage of each metal that makes up pig iron.

[SteamWake]

whats pig iron :-). The book i have it from sayis its because the boats were designed very uncompfortable and the men who worked on them were often dirty, looking and smelling like pigs :-)


The capacity of the Fresh Water Tank was not sufficient for a twelve to sixteen week patrol. Fresh water replacement was a daily duty for each watch (on 4 hrs - off 8). We had capability to make fresh water from seawater but it was more expedient from accumulated condensation gathered inside the boat. Submarines, sometimes called "pig boats" because being made of pig iron, were subject to considerable condensation due to temperature variation inside and out the ship. This was readily available for making fresh drinking water. After each war patrol, there would be a film of incrustation about a quarter of an inch thick all over the inside of the fresh water tank.



I believe pig iron is a mixture of metals that is not quite as strong as steel. It is also a certain percentage of each metal that makes up pig iron.


Has something to do with the carbon content of the iron. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_iron

No about the collection of condensation for drinking water... well thats just gross !

[Takeda Shingen]

I believe pig iron is a mixture of metals that is not quite as strong as steel. It is also a certain percentage of each metal that makes up pig iron.


Actually, pig iron is raw iron, which is what you get immediately after smelting. You have to remelt the pig iron in order to get rid of various unwanted elements and to reduce the carbon content.

On a slightly related note, this is where Allentown's new AAA baseball club, the Iron Pigs, (formerly the Ottowa Lynx) derive their name. I don't particularly like baseball, but I will probably root for the team just because of the fact that it is a very cool name.

[FAdmiral]

Nope, no Pete, and no French. Pee Tee is from the initials themselves: PT boats.

P=Patrol T=Torpedo


JIM

[Sailor Steve]

By the same token, Patrol Torpedo boats were commonly called Peter Tares.

Nope, no Pete, and no French. Pee Tee is from the initials themselves: PT boats.

P=Patrol T=Torpedo


JIM
I didn't know that.:rotfl:

[alunatic]

whats pig iron :-). The book i have it from sayis its because the boats were designed very uncompfortable and the men who worked on them were often dirty, looking and smelling like pigs :-)


The capacity of the Fresh Water Tank was not sufficient for a twelve to sixteen week patrol. Fresh water replacement was a daily duty for each watch (on 4 hrs - off 8). We had capability to make fresh water from seawater but it was more expedient from accumulated condensation gathered inside the boat. Submarines, sometimes called "pig boats" because being made of pig iron, were subject to considerable condensation due to temperature variation inside and out the ship. This was readily available for making fresh drinking water. After each war patrol, there would be a film of incrustation about a quarter of an inch thick all over the inside of the fresh water tank.



I believe pig iron is a mixture of metals that is not quite as strong as steel. It is also a certain percentage of each metal that makes up pig iron.


Bet those guys couldnt wait to have a shower after a patrol....

[the_belgian]

Nope, no Pete, and no French. Pee Tee is from the initials themselves: PT boats.

:huh: <Noooo!?!I didn't know that.:rotfl:

[LukeFF]

Thanks all for the explanation.

Now, on to the next S Boat-related question: what type of listening equipment did these boats have? I swore I've read somewhere they were not fitted with sonar, but the boats we have show them having the same equipment as the fleet boats. Can anyone shed some light on this?

[Argus00]

@LukeFF

"The S-class boats were used as the test platforms for a range of sonar designs tested in the 1920s and 1930s. Higher frequencies and small, trainable transducers allowed for narrow beam width and exclusion of natural sea noises and other interference. "

source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ss-105.htm