Changing Torpedoes rear tube to front - Page 3

Nuc · 04-07-08, 05:49 PM

Quote:

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.

Nuc · 04-07-08, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clayton

"Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em"

USS Gudgeon

Pg 243 - 244

Yes

that is the one I was trying to find. So at least three documented accounts.

Rockin Robbins · 04-07-08, 06:46 PM

Who'da thunk it possible? And now three instances. Wonder if they were all under Christie. He had some weirdness about him, that's for sure! Captains loved him or hated him. There wasn't a lot of in between.

CaptainHaplo · 04-07-08, 08:23 PM

Thats both unreal and amazing! I am astounded - I would have thought that a CO pulling that would be stripped of command as soon as he got to port - if not keelhauled! But then again - call it sad - but bold success is rewarded - in the military its only stupid if it doesnt work.

Captain Vlad · 04-07-08, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

Thats both unreal and amazing! I am astounded - I would have thought that a CO pulling that would be stripped of command as soon as he got to port - if not keelhauled! But then again - call it sad - but bold success is rewarded - in the military its only stupid if it doesnt work.

Peacetime logic: "If something is dangerous, even if it helps you, don't do it!"

Wartime logic: "If it makes it easier to kill the enemy, and you think you can pull it off, go for it. Just don't screw up."

It's like being in a race versus driving your car normally. In one situation you'll take mad risks to get to where you want to go .5 seconds faster than anyone else. In the other, you get a ticket if you do the exact same thing.

Thunder · 04-08-08, 12:05 AM

In the book "u boat war patrol" aptain "Teddy" Suhren managed it(in the Atlantic gap). The operation was not in any kriegsmarine manual. He rendevoued with a u-boat and her captin who was on his way home with a "belly" ache.:rotfl:Suhen wanted his torps.They attached (jury rigged) the hoist(used for removing the external torps) and lowered the torp into a life rart(or two).Even then i t was extremely heavy and had to be supported by life jackets.

No, getting it off the boat was no big deal, but bringing it on board a bit more difficult until Suhren hit upon the idea of using the boat itself, basically lowering the boat to decks "awash, bringing the torp over and the raising the boat again, voila, one torp on deck. if memory serves they did this with three torps, but the fourth wasn't attached to the life raft/jackets securly enough and it went to davy jones.

I really reccomment u boat war patrol, one of the best i have yet read, as the pictures were"liberated" from a base in france and have only recently seen the light of day, basicaly depicting life on board a u-boat during a cruise.

basilio · 04-08-08, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powerthighs

Anyone know the specifics of how did the Germans remove the torps from their external storage tubes? Just curious.

Just a little bit late.
Follow the link
http://www.u-boote-online.de/waffen/...ocation=uboote
and click on the green arrow.

Torpex752 · 04-08-08, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

Thats both unreal and amazing! I am astounded - I would have thought that a CO pulling that would be stripped of command as soon as he got to port - if not keelhauled! But then again - call it sad - but bold success is rewarded - in the military its only stupid if it doesnt work.

True, but then that was over 50 years ago..different times..diffrent circumstances.

seafarer · 04-08-08, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuc

Quote:

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.

I thought that pre-war, all the Sargo class boats had four external storage torpedoes. And that these were removed once war patrols started as they were deemed needlessly risky having the crews moving the fish at sea. I can't find a good picture of the pre-war stowage though, or what kind of rig they had available to move those torpedoes inboard (I assume since they were designed and built with the stowage on deck, they had something better available then jury-rigged tackle and life rafts :p ).

I know the one Salmon class boat, Stingray had two external forward tubes, but those were actually forward firing tubes (and only reloadable in port).

Nuc · 08-20-10, 06:33 AM

I resurrected this antique thread because I just came across a fourth account of a US Fleet Boat torpedo transfer at sea. It was the USS Puffer in August of 1944. This is described in The USS Puffer in World War II by Craig R. McDonald. It is interesting that in all the interviews conducted for the book no one remembered exactly how the transfer was done. The author suggest that they might "float the torpedoes across the deck with the submarine deck awash". Maybe using the inflatable rafts as described in one of the accounts above? The transfer was documented in personel records but the award citation for the 1st class Gunners Mate who was in charge reads " for important deck repairs at night". In any case that makes it a perfect 4 - 0 for successful transfers. ummm... May there are some unreported failures and "lost" torpedoes out there. I know some have looked into modding this capability into the game. What was the outcome? Can it be done?

08-20-10, 12:32 PM

I missed this thread first time around. I served on the USS Carp (SS 338) in the 60s and we fired dummy torpedos(no explosives) all the time. My job was to go into the water with a line and attach it to the torpedo, it would be floated over the boat while the boat was partially submerged. Basically, I would pull it over the deck with the deck 2-3 ft under water. After surfacing the torpedo loading hatch would be opened, the rigging set up and the torpedo would be lowered just as it was done in port. They would then set up the torp and fire it again.

Urge

Platapus · 08-20-10, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuc

I resurrected this antique thread because I just came across a fourth account of a US Fleet Boat torpedo transfer at sea.

Good on you for doing the research in this thread. I did not think it was done, but evidently you was right.

Always good when I can gets some learnin from this site.

flatsixes · 08-20-10, 04:24 PM

Urge:

I'm laughing because I served on the "torpedo recovery team" aboard my DE/FF back in the 70's. It ususally wasn't that big a deal, unless you had some junior officer of the deck unfamiliar with the term "leeward."

But explaining it to my kids a thousand years later was a real hoot. "You mean you got off of the ship in the middle of the ocean to swim after a torpedo? What were you, nuts?"

And I'm thinking: "Holy sh*t, I used to jump off of ship in the middle of the ocean to swim after a torpedo? What was I, nuts?"

But what I'd say was: " Sure! We'd do it just for fun! But not before we ate a special meal of beans and bacon. Why? Because it gave us plenty of gas to ward off sharks. Sharks hate farts. You can look it up."

08-20-10, 09:29 PM

Well, I stood on deck while the sub submerged under me. OK, so it was only a few feet but still I always wondered what if...

Urge

I am so happy that I'm not a medic anymore.

Stealhead · 08-21-10, 12:05 AM

Flatsix reminds me:

My great uncle served on the USS Minneapolis during WWII. He told me this story it might have been scuttlebutt who knows about a sailor getting washed over broad in rough seas of course back then in enemy territory if this happened you died because they could not risk picking you up but this guy by some very good luck got washed back onto the ships deck by a wave a minutes of two after he fell off.If that was a true story that was one lucky man.

If you ever sit down to eat with my great uncle he will say "Remember if it moves its not a raisin!" He and his ship mates used to say this at chow whenever they say a weevil on their plate.

Surface ships did not have as good of chow as subs did on a sub weevil infested flour would have been tossed over board not so on a surface ship sometimes

04-07-08, 06:46 PM	#33
Rockin Robbins Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 8,900 Downloads: 135 Uploads: 52	Wow! Who'da thunk it possible? And now three instances. Wonder if they were all under Christie. He had some weirdness about him, that's for sure! Captains loved him or hated him. There wasn't a lot of in between. __________________ Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks, Slightly Subnuclear Mk 14 & Cutie, Slightly Subnuclear Deck Gun, EZPlot 2.0, TMOPlot, TMOKeys, SH4CMS

04-07-08, 08:23 PM	#34
CaptainHaplo Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4,405 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	Thats both unreal and amazing! I am astounded - I would have thought that a CO pulling that would be stripped of command as soon as he got to port - if not keelhauled! But then again - call it sad - but bold success is rewarded - in the military its only stupid if it doesnt work. __________________ Good Hunting! Captain Haplo

08-20-10, 06:33 AM	#40
Nuc Planesman Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 180 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	I resurrected this antique thread because I just came across a fourth account of a US Fleet Boat torpedo transfer at sea. It was the USS Puffer in August of 1944. This is described in *The USS Puffer* in World War II** by Craig R. McDonald. It is interesting that in all the interviews conducted for the book no one remembered exactly how the transfer was done. The author suggest that they might "float the torpedoes across the deck with the submarine deck awash". Maybe using the inflatable rafts as described in one of the accounts above? The transfer was documented in personel records but the award citation for the 1st class Gunners Mate who was in charge reads " for important deck repairs at night". In any case that makes it a perfect 4 - 0 for successful transfers. ummm... May there are some unreported failures and "lost" torpedoes out there. I know some have looked into modding this capability into the game. What was the outcome? Can it be done? __________________ Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience. Admiral Hyman Rickover (1900 - 1986)

04-08-08, 12:05 AM	#36
Thunder Soundman Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: cape Town Posts: 142 Downloads: 182 Uploads: 0	In the book "u boat war patrol" aptain "Teddy" Suhren managed it(in the Atlantic gap). The operation was not in any kriegsmarine manual. He rendevoued with a u-boat and her captin who was on his way home with a "belly" ache.:rotfl:Suhen wanted his torps.They attached (jury rigged) the hoist(used for removing the external torps) and lowered the torp into a life rart(or two).Even then i t was extremely heavy and had to be supported by life jackets. No, getting it off the boat was no big deal, but bringing it on board a bit more difficult until Suhren hit upon the idea of using the boat itself, basically lowering the boat to decks "awash, bringing the torp over and the raising the boat again, voila, one torp on deck. if memory serves they did this with three torps, but the fourth wasn't attached to the life raft/jackets securly enough and it went to davy jones. I really reccomment u boat war patrol, one of the best i have yet read, as the pictures were"liberated" from a base in france and have only recently seen the light of day, basicaly depicting life on board a u-boat during a cruise.

08-20-10, 12:32 PM	#41
Urge Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	I missed this thread first time around. I served on the USS Carp (SS 338) in the 60s and we fired dummy torpedos(no explosives) all the time. My job was to go into the water with a line and attach it to the torpedo, it would be floated over the boat while the boat was partially submerged. Basically, I would pull it over the deck with the deck 2-3 ft under water. After surfacing the torpedo loading hatch would be opened, the rigging set up and the torpedo would be lowered just as it was done in port. They would then set up the torp and fire it again. Urge

08-20-10, 04:24 PM	#43
flatsixes Weps Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 362 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Urge: I'm laughing because I served on the "torpedo recovery team" aboard my DE/FF back in the 70's. It ususally wasn't that big a deal, unless you had some junior officer of the deck unfamiliar with the term "leeward." But explaining it to my kids a thousand years later was a real hoot. "You mean you got off of the ship in the middle of the ocean to swim after a torpedo? What were you, nuts?" And I'm thinking: "Holy sh*t, I used to jump off of ship in the middle of the ocean to swim after a torpedo? What was I, nuts?" But what I'd say was: " Sure! We'd do it just for fun! But not before we ate a special meal of beans and bacon. Why? Because it gave us plenty of gas to ward off sharks. Sharks hate farts. You can look it up."

08-20-10, 09:29 PM	#44
Urge Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Well, I stood on deck while the sub submerged under me. OK, so it was only a few feet but still I always wondered what if... Urge I am so happy that I'm not a medic anymore.

08-21-10, 12:05 AM	#45
Stealhead Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,421 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Flatsix reminds me: My great uncle served on the USS Minneapolis during WWII. He told me this story it might have been scuttlebutt who knows about a sailor getting washed over broad in rough seas of course back then in enemy territory if this happened you died because they could not risk picking you up but this guy by some very good luck got washed back onto the ships deck by a wave a minutes of two after he fell off.If that was a true story that was one lucky man. If you ever sit down to eat with my great uncle he will say "Remember if it moves its not a raisin!" He and his ship mates used to say this at chow whenever they say a weevil on their plate. Surface ships did not have as good of chow as subs did on a sub weevil infested flour would have been tossed over board not so on a surface ship sometimes