How do the shutter doors work on a fleet sub?

[nsomnia]

I've spent the morning trying to model shutter doors on my Balao class (pampanito) submarine for project RedWater so that the shutter doors are operational.

Heres where I got to. Shutter door in red, muzzle door and tube in orange and the old tubes obviously below.



Looking at pics and the manual at maritime.org I know for sure the shutter doors are opened with or without power but have to be opened first, they are also however hinged to the muzzle door I beleive.

Does this mean the shutter doors run on some sort of track so that they can move inwards amidship at the forward end and swing open on the aft end hinged to the muzzle door, as well as having a hinged portion for any "play" in the system?

Or rather were the torpedo tubes angled in such a way that the shutters were simply hinged at both the muzzle door and near the end for the "play from the movement" and thus the fish would not hit the shutter door.


If anyone could draw out or find a video of shutter doors in operation or how they operate I would be very grateful.

For example in this picture of ss-228


It seems that they slide forward at the forward end (hence the cutouts in the hull) and would rotate inwards hinged at the muzzle door and the tube would be pointed maybe 3-5degrees outwards, thus making me think they are on rails for the play when opening the muzzle door.

But im confused since they have to be opened first, does that mea the muzzle door and shutters open at the same time, or am I mis-lead and they are not hinged together at all?



On maritime.org the pampatino manual shows this picture showing the hinge hole is for 'Shutter door arms"