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Originally Posted by Orion2012
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Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk
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Originally Posted by The Joker
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Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk
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EDIT: One quick question: I was only in about 60-70 feet of water. Is there any way, IRL, that the crew could have escaped alive? I play DiD and I could at least call it as ship sunk with some survivors, if so.
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Yes, some of the harbor raiders went in that shallow. Some went in that shallow along the shoreline. Especially when the Japanese started running the coast so as to stay in shallow waters. |
I kind of worded that wrong. What I meant was, I was stuck on the bottom, too flooded to surface. What I wanted to know was if it would be possible for the crew to open a hatch somewhere and swim to the surface? |
Yes sir. There are escape trunks in the FTR and ATR. The crew of the USS Tang used the trunk after she was hit by her own circle running torpedo. The stern was in the mud and the bow was just breaking the surface. Several got out but were taken as POW for the remainder of the war. What they do is enter the escape trunk and allow water to flow in thus equalizing the water pressure. Once done the outer hatch could be opened. Hatched then closed and filled with air so others may use the hatch. You get about 3-4 guys per loading of the hatch. Read the story on the USS Tang. It will give you the idea behind the escape hatch and what these guys went through. |
Do you know if all fleet boats had the escape trunks, and if so was there a maximum depth they could be used?? |
I believe all the fleets had the escape hatch. S class did not have the escape trunks that I'm aware of. I remember reading about S-5 that went bow down with stern breaking the surface. The had to cut the outer full at the stern to get out. As far as depth, 150 is about the max and if a person could get out at 150 feet, not much chance of survival. Get the bends for a quick accent. Also the Mumson Lung would only work just so far if at all. 150 feet is the depth that professional divers go with rebreathers and even this is risky for them. I would say 100 feet or less for a good chance of making it. There still is the bend issue (air bubbles in your blood stream). Later on bells were created to attach to these hatches as long as the sub was sitting on it's keel. Also, on the outer hull, there was a floatation device that would be released and would carry a cable to the surface. The cable was used to hold onto as you made your way to the surface. The floatation device is bright orange so to see from a distance.
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Last edited by AVGWarhawk; 11-20-08 at 03:21 PM.
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