[i_b_spectre]

The photo showing torpedo handling with decks awash raises questions. Is it likely that it was taken from the donor sub? Did the torpedoladeluke worked similarly to a firing tube wherein a hatch on the lower end was closed until any water accompanying the torpedo being loaded could be pumped out after the deck hatch was closed? Otherwise, the prospect of flooding the torpedo room seems enormous. As I understand it, torpedoes not loaded into the tubes were stored under crew bunks and possibly under floor panels, making a large open conduit for sea water intrusion a scarey thing if decks were awash.