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**greenman407** · 06-30-2011, 12:04 PM

Notice the surface of the hull on these Virginia class boats . This first one has a very prononced surface texture of seams and dodads sticking out all along the hull. Now compare that to the next two pictures of almost completely smooth hulls. Perhaps the first one is before the final coatings were installed.

**greenman407** · 07-07-2011, 12:10 PM

Inspecting the inside of a torpedo tube

The man at the wheel of SSBN 730. Hope hes not watching TV.

**Outrider** · 07-07-2011, 03:07 PM

Note that the USS Narwal (SS-167), which was originally the much less poetic V-5, is packing some real heat topside. The guns are 6 inch, 53 calibre, not the more common five inch, 25 calibre seen on the later WWII Fleet Boats.

Not sure that these bigger guns were worth the trouble, though. They seem to have required powder stored in silk sacks, vice the semi-fixed charge used in the smaller guns. Pretty hard to keep silk dry on a sub's deck, and using wet powder seems like a pretty bad idea.

Range difference was 24,000 yards versus 12,500 yards, but it would be pretty hard to get good targeting at either distance. The horizon is fixed by the observer's height above the waterline, which on a Fleet Boat isn't that high. At 10 m (32 ft) above the waterline, the horizon is about 14,000 yards, but real world height is lower, and the horizon is closer in. (Look here for a table that gives horizon data based on the observer's height: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/ba...s-the-horizon/ ) Sea spray and ship's motion are just going to make accurate targeting even harder.

Even though subs are pretty small gunnery targets, I'd be sticking to torpedoes against anything that I thought could shoot back!

**greenman407** · 07-07-2011, 04:39 PM

I agree. This picture is quite large for such an old picture. Its 2200x 1700.

**greenman407** · 07-19-2011, 02:25 PM

Feast your eyes on these puppys!

**greenman407** · 07-20-2011, 09:50 AM

In 1982, armed with my trusty 110 camera I ventured forth to the USS Requin, a museum ship anchored or tied up I should say in downtown Tampa Florida. At the time it was nothing more than a curiosity as my interest in submarines was quite small. If I had known of my future interest in submarines I would have taken along a better camera and would have taken many more detailed shots. As it is , it is what it is. Sorry about the grainy and dark fuzzy shots.

**greenman407** · 07-20-2011, 09:51 AM

The Fairbanks Morse engine. It looks like its upsidedown. Thats how opposed piston engines look, with the crankshafts top and bottom. I was somewhat disappointed as most of the submarine was closed off to the general public. I wonder if they would have treated **** Okane or Mush Morton that way. Anyway, going up into the sail was cool. It was so cramped. To look thru the periscope you had to stand up and straddle the open hatch that leads down into the control room, very awkward. Right in front of the periscope was the wheel or one of them. About four feet in dia. If it was manned and you had to look thru the scope looking over the stern you would definitely have to say excuse me to the helmsman as your butts were going to be occupying the same space.