Well, I'm not sure the Tang's story is a great representation of poor electronics... After all, she had just been sunk by her own torpedo so a few other problems were to be expected
.
That said--The reason Germans didn't smoke when submerged was mainly due to concerns with chlorine gas, a problem for all diesel/electrics. One reason the U-boats may have had less problems in the control room is they usually kept the hatch shut in heavy seas whereas US crews would slam the hatch if they saw a wave coming.
Not saying you're wrong. Just that I've been reading sub history since I was 8 (which about 110 years ago) and I've never seen a reference to this subject regarding what nationality had more electical issues.
Good Subject.
:hmm: