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Originally Posted by Shirkon
MBT's 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B were also fuel tanks and at the start of a patrol were full of diesel fuel. As fuel was used from these tanks a valve at the bottom of the tanks could be opened to allow sea water to enter the bottom of the tank. This is safe to do since diesel fuel is lighter than sea water and will float on top where the piping is to draw off fuel as it is needed.
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I've heard of this, though I did not realize they would allow sea water into these tanks while still drawing diesel from them. The light than water coupled with drawing from the top of the tank makes sense, but I wonder if this was risky in rough seas when the water and fuel was more apt to mix. Also, was there any issues with foreign floating bodies (flotsam, etc) getting into the fuel? Just curious