Decks awash: A scam?

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

waking up this old thread since I still don't have a clear answer on what is "Decks Awash".

It is hard to pin down, isn't it.



I have always been skeptical that "Decks Awash" could be taken literally. I can believe that a sub with 8 ft. of freeboard might be flooded down to 4 ft. or even 2 ft., but it seems to me there would be problems with trying to cut it close.

Even setting aside questions of stability and the danger of capsizing, what is the main advantage of making a surface approach?

1. speed (clearly the biggest advantage)
2. better sighting?

"Decks Awash" can only reduce speed, and will not improve the sighting. It is thought that the submarine is much less visible, but it is not clear to me that this is so. Even if one is actually moving with the waterline at your deck, your tower is as visible as before, and you would have waves continually breaking over your deck so that it would be somewhat visible, to say nothing of your wake. I suppose you could sit still bobbing in the water, but without the ability to move, this is a very poor trade off.