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Oesten · 01-01-07, 01:53 AM

For me, I wouldn't call '2.5 times rated operational depth' a safety factor! Rather an 'unsafe' factor.....

I wouldn't want to go deeper than 180 meters (600 ft) in a Type VIIB unless in a dire emergency. That's twice the rated depth of 90 metres. Going deeper than that, and you're risking your lives on whether your particular boat is as well constructed as you hope it is! A Type VIIC I'd take to 200 meters, but no lower unless I had no choice.

For US subs, I wouldn't want to go deeper than 1.5 times the rated depth if I could help it. That's:

Barracuda Class : ~300 feet = 91 meters
P-Class, Salmon, Sargo, Tambor, Gar Classes: ~375 feet = 114 meters
Gato Class: ~450 feet = 136 meters
Argonaut, Narwhal Classes: ~465 feet = 151 meters
Balao, Tench Classes: ~600 feet = 182 meters

The old S-class I wouldn't dare take lower than 200 feet even under the heaviest depth charging, because they are so old I wouldn't trust them any lower! The older a sub is, the less likely it is to withstand pressures significantly greater than test depth.

The S-37's captain must have been truly desperate to take her to 267 feet!

01-01-07, 01:53 AM	#29
Oesten A-ganger Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 79 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	For me, I wouldn't call '2.5 times rated operational depth' a safety factor! Rather an 'unsafe' factor..... I wouldn't want to go deeper than 180 meters (600 ft) in a Type VIIB unless in a dire emergency. That's twice the rated depth of 90 metres. Going deeper than that, and you're risking your lives on whether your particular boat is as well constructed as you hope it is! A Type VIIC I'd take to 200 meters, but no lower unless I had no choice. For US subs, I wouldn't want to go deeper than 1.5 times the rated depth if I could help it. That's: Barracuda Class : ~300 feet = 91 meters P-Class, Salmon, Sargo, Tambor, Gar Classes: ~375 feet = 114 meters Gato Class: ~450 feet = 136 meters Argonaut, Narwhal Classes: ~465 feet = 151 meters Balao, Tench Classes: ~600 feet = 182 meters The old S-class I wouldn't dare take lower than 200 feet even under the heaviest depth charging, because they are so old I wouldn't trust them any lower! The older a sub is, the less likely it is to withstand pressures significantly greater than test depth. The S-37's captain must have been truly desperate to take her to 267 feet!