Changing Torpedoes rear tube to front

[Raptor1]

Don't forget that had it been possible (And the Torpedo wouldn't have blown the sub in half because of it), such a thing would make so much noise you might as well have gone flank speed, turned on every radio and phonograph on the boat and stuck up your periscope with a big flag saying "I'M HERE, KILL ME" while screaming at the top of your lungs...

[Nuc]

I have read of at least two wartime accounts where this was done. I will have to look them up, but in both cases it was an all night evolution done in calm seas. The hoisting rigs were set up aft; the torpedoes (at most two) were lifted out and lowered on to the boat's rubber rafts and floated forward. The rigging was broken down and reassembled forward. The torpedoes were lifted and stowed forward.

[M. Sarsfield]

Do you remember why they would have gone through that much trouble? If a tube was damaged and all other ordnance was expended, then I would have just sailed the boat home.

[Nuc]

Originally Posted by M. Sarsfield

Do you remember why they would have gone through that much trouble? If a tube was damaged and all other ordnance was expended, then I would have just sailed the boat home.

So if they encountered a convoy they would have seven tubes (three forward and four aft) loaded rather than only five (one forward and four aft). In fact that was exactly the situation a few days later when Rasher attacked a convoy and fired all seven remaining torpedoes.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Nuc

I have read of at least two wartime accounts where this was done. I will have to look them up, but in both cases it was an all night evolution done in calm seas. The hoisting rigs were set up aft; the torpedoes (at most two) were lifted out and lowered on to the boat's rubber rafts and floated forward. The rigging was broken down and reassembled forward. The torpedoes were lifted and stowed forward.

Can you provide references so we can read about it? Such an amazing and dangerous procedure HAS to have a great story behind it.

I cannot recall at the moment the book I read it in, but I have read of this done, and in one case I recall, and I will try to look up the reference tommorow, in one case caused EXTREME friction between the C.O. who ordered it done in a perilous situation and the subordinate officers who thought it was madness in the state the boat was in at the time...it involved being surfaced in this case and dragging the torps over the deck to a hatch in the front, setting up some kind of frame....the details escape me...I will see if I can locate it.

[Nuc]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Can you provide references so we can read about it? Such an amazing and dangerous procedure HAS to have a great story behind it.

Looked all day Finally found one of the two accounts. Rasher's 4th patrol in May of 44 recounted in

Red Scorpion: The War Patrols of the Uss Rasher by Peter T. Sasgen

In this account it is not clear that they used the rafts. I know I have read specifically about using the rafts. I'll look some more this week.

[Nisgeis]

Originally Posted by Nuc

Looked all day Finally found one of the two accounts. Rasher's 4th patrol in May of 44 recounted in

Red Scorpion: The War Patrols of the Uss Rasher by Peter T. Sasgen

In this account it is not clear that they used the rafts. I know I have read specifically about using the rafts. I'll look some more this week.

Thanks for taking the time to look Nuc. Does it say why they moved the torpedo? Other than to get it to the other end of the boat.

[Nuc]

Click thumbnail for copy of page

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Nuc

Click thumbnail for copy of page

OMG! Would I ever love to read Admiral Lockwood's comments on that one. But it sounds more likely he was one of Admiral Christie's. Either way, that is a career endangering move! I can't imagine the possible advantage of risking the boat like that. How would you have liked to be a torpedoman in the ATR getting that kind of vote of confidence from your captain, "I'd rather be sunk while doing this ill-advised five hour transfer than trust you to shoot straight." Yup, that's leadership.

I propose we trade him and Ensign Lunkhead to the Japanese for a future draft pick.

Originally Posted by Nuc

Looked all day Finally found one of the two accounts. Rasher's 4th patrol in May of 44 recounted in

Red Scorpion: The War Patrols of the Uss Rasher by Peter T. Sasgen

In this account it is not clear that they used the rafts. I know I have read specifically about using the rafts. I'll look some more this week.

Nuc,

Thanks for posting this. I am unable to locate my reference-it may have been a library book-....and I was beginning to think I just imagined it. It was NOT the same incident, but I do recall the method involved rafts of some sort. The men were VERY unhappy at the order because of the surface time involved...possibly because of the aircraft threat. I will keep looking.

Bam

[Munchausen]

Mendenhall describes doing the same thing on page 83 of "Submarine Diary."

[Nuc]

Originally Posted by Munchausen

Mendenhall describes doing the same thing on page 83 of "Submarine Diary."

Yes he does. I just looked at it. This is not the passage I remember so I think there is yet a third account documented somewhere . The interesting thing here is that it predates the Rasher transfer by two years yet Christie said he had never heard of such an action. Also the Sculpin had external torpedo stowage as described on page 59 so the evolution of having people on deck moving torpedoes was, if not a normal operating procedure, at least an anticipated evolution. I am thinking that this was a more common occurance than most of us had thought.