Is the Gato accedintally called the Gar?

[RedMenace]

in SH4?

If not, how's the Gar and Tambor measure up... I thought the Gar was just a single sub of the Tambor class?:o

[LukeFF]

?

No, there's the Gato and there's the Gar and Tambor, though, like you say, the Gar isn't really a separate class at all.

[DaveyJ576]

Some authors will split the Tambors and Gars into two separate classes as the two groups of six boats each were ordered in two different fiscal years (1939 and 1940). This is technically incorrect as the two groups were built to the same design, with only minor cosmetic differences coming from the different building yards. Most authors refer to these boats as the Tambor/Gar class to avoid confusion.

The next class started with the USS Gato (SS-212) built by the Electric Boat Co. and commissioned on 31 December 1941. Strangely, the first boats of this class to actually be commissioned were the Drum (SS-228) commissioned 01 Nov 41, Flying Fish (SS-229) commissioned 10 Dec 41 (both built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard), and Silversides (SS-236) commissioned 15 Dec 41 (built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard). The class is called the Gato class as that boat is the first one in the numerical sequence.

The Gatos were very similar to the Tambor/Gars. The only major difference is that the large engine room that contained all four diesel engines was divided in half for the Gatos and a watertight bulkhead was inserted between the two rooms. This necessitated the lengthening of the Gatos by five feet to accomodate the new bulkhead. The added length also slightly changed the tank arrangement in the aft part of the boat. It was felt that the one large engine room of the Tambor/Gars was a survival liability if it flooded. Dividing the room for the Gatos proved to be a good call.

Oops...almost forgot. With the stroke of a pen, the designers expanded the safe operating envelope of the Gatos to a test depth of 300 feet from the earlier 250 feet of the Tambor/Gars. The designers had become confident that there was enough safety margin built into their calculations to justify this. No physical change had been made in the boat's construction. Curiously, the Tambor/Gars were never re-rated to the deeper depth.