Next time your hovering above crush depth

[Ducimus]

Next time your hovering above crush depth, think about this.
http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/phorum...&t=20#reply_20

[commandosolo2009]

great info, will keep it in mind, Skip..

[Admiral8Q]

In older boats, where the pressure hull might fail at a much shallower depth, you could get large breaches that would allow water to pour in and drown everyone, but not fast enough to implode the hull. Going by the results of tests, most American submarine losses during Japanese depth charge attacks probably resulted from the failure of hull fittings that allowed the sea to get in, rather than from the hull being crushed in. Hull fittings, in this case, might include things like torpedo tubes.

There were reports of underwater explosions of German U-boats during the war. At the time it was presumed that ordnance was somehow going off, but in retrospect it appears likely these boats, which were strong enough to hold together as deep as 900 feet (and survive), were probably imploding at extreme depth.

From reading this, it would seem to have been much much worse in an American sub to die at crush depth, than in a U-boat.

[Nisgeis]

Originally Posted by Admiral8Q

From reading this, it would seem to have been much much worse in an American sub to die at crush depth, than in a U-boat.

Those posts are quite old and are before there were wrecks found. The first US WWII sub wreck to be found was in May 2005, since then quite a few have been found (due in part to side scan sonar). The wreck of the USS Gudgeon which sank deep (one mile down) shows clear signs of the hull crushing, rather than flooding. If you start sinking in deep water, the hull will probably crush, unless the sub floods and equalises sea pressure before you reach the point at which the hull will fail, which would take some fast flooding.

[Admiral8Q]

Originally Posted by Nisgeis

Those posts are quite old and are before there were wrecks found. The first US WWII sub wreck to be found was in May 2005, since then quite a few have been found (due in part to side scan sonar). The wreck of the USS Gudgeon which sank deep (one mile down) shows clear signs of the hull crushing, rather than flooding. If you start sinking in deep water, the hull will probably crush, unless the sub floods and equalises sea pressure before you reach the point at which the hull will fail, which would take some fast flooding.

That would be a more humane way to go, rather than suffocation or drowning. 1 mile down is 5280 feet! I wonder what depth she "crushed" at?

Perhaps a pressure hull damaged sub would breach and drown more often than one who's pressure hull is still intact.

[WarlordATF]

As bad as that is, i think i would prefer it to what may have happened to the 1st Sub we lost in WWII...

"Post-war, Japanese records showed numerous attacks on unidentified submarines in Shark's area at plausible times. At 01:37 on 11 February, for example, the Japanese destroyer Yamakazi opened fire with her 5 in (130 mm) guns and sank a surfaced submarine. Voices were heard in the water, but no attempt was made to rescue possible survivors."

Shells bouncing around inside the boat and then left for the Sharks. Ironic fate for the crew of the USS Shark. I'd rather it be fast and over quickly by deep water crushing, one way or another it won't take long.

The Silent Service was filled with gruesome ways to die, but still many volunteered, It says alot about the people of the time.

[Sailor Steve]

Especially since crush depth is the depth at which the hull crushes (of course) and, given that every construction is a one-off operation, it can only ever be calculated. You know you've reached crush depth when the hull crushes.

That's why I like the 'Randomized Crush Depth" mods. They're usually accurate to within a couple of hundred feet.

[Platapus]

eww.

Very glad that, for me, it is only a game.