Real Submarine Technology & History Q&A

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by DaveyJ576

Most of the early fleet boats (probably up to the Tambor/Gar and maybe even some of the early Gatos) had two glass eyeports that penetrated the pressure hull of the conning tower, one port side and one starboard, separate from the circular windows in the covered navigation bridge that you see in many of the pre-war photos. The intention was to let a little natural sunlight into the conning tower while the boat was surfaced. Of dubious value even in peacetime, incredibly no one thought about the liability these eyeports represented during a depth charge attack!

Very interesting...I had never heard about this feature before. I guess the only thing more useless than a screen door on a submarine is a skylight.