Technology and Operations
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
Re: Torpedo and torpedo tube dimensions
Posted by:
ROBERT M.
()
Date: November 15, 2003 04:12AM
Dan:
I had my own copy of OP 1085 when I left the "smoke boats" in 1964.
Somehow it got lost in the shuffle of moving from USS GUAVINA
(SS-362) in Baltimore to a new USS VON STEUBEN (SSBN-632) at
Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. I couldn't use it on her, 'cause
she had slide-valve seawater ejection-pump system.
Strange as it may seem, MK 15-3 surface-craft torpedoes were loaded
into the stern room of some boats while I was stationed at the torpedo
shop at San Juan, PR during the "grand conflict." This was due to the
critical shortage of torpedoes during this time of WWII.
We had to remove the "T"- shaped guide stud and replace it with a
MK 14-3A type, add side gears for gyro setting. A few other modifications were accomplished also, such as a different warhead,(the Mk 17 was used for the MK 15-3), the depth index was limited to 25 ft. depth setting versus 50 feet, only a high speed setting was available.
The MK 15-3 was 24 feet long (288") and the stern tubes on some boats could accomodate it and some were tube-loaded through the muzzle doors.
If you look at the photos on page 19, chapter 2, you'll see the two
torpedo stop housings (Q) fig.17 and fig. 18, for the positions of the guide studs on other than MK 14-3A torpedoes.
On page 18, Chapter 2, "Current torpedo tubes are of two lengths, bow
tubes being 252 inches, stern tubes 276 inches, overall length, not including the doors. The "effective length" (the greatest length of the
torpedo tubes that can be loaded into the barrel) for a barrel 252 inches overall would be 250.81 inches; for a barrel 276 inches overall, the effective length would be 274.81 inches."
So, how does one load a 288-inch long MK 15-3 torpedo into a 276-inch
long torpedo tube? What function/s does the guide stud perform? What is the purpose of a torpedo tube bore guage?
Later,
ROBERT M.
I had my own copy of OP 1085 when I left the "smoke boats" in 1964.
Somehow it got lost in the shuffle of moving from USS GUAVINA
(SS-362) in Baltimore to a new USS VON STEUBEN (SSBN-632) at
Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. I couldn't use it on her, 'cause
she had slide-valve seawater ejection-pump system.
Strange as it may seem, MK 15-3 surface-craft torpedoes were loaded
into the stern room of some boats while I was stationed at the torpedo
shop at San Juan, PR during the "grand conflict." This was due to the
critical shortage of torpedoes during this time of WWII.
We had to remove the "T"- shaped guide stud and replace it with a
MK 14-3A type, add side gears for gyro setting. A few other modifications were accomplished also, such as a different warhead,(the Mk 17 was used for the MK 15-3), the depth index was limited to 25 ft. depth setting versus 50 feet, only a high speed setting was available.
The MK 15-3 was 24 feet long (288") and the stern tubes on some boats could accomodate it and some were tube-loaded through the muzzle doors.
If you look at the photos on page 19, chapter 2, you'll see the two
torpedo stop housings (Q) fig.17 and fig. 18, for the positions of the guide studs on other than MK 14-3A torpedoes.
On page 18, Chapter 2, "Current torpedo tubes are of two lengths, bow
tubes being 252 inches, stern tubes 276 inches, overall length, not including the doors. The "effective length" (the greatest length of the
torpedo tubes that can be loaded into the barrel) for a barrel 252 inches overall would be 250.81 inches; for a barrel 276 inches overall, the effective length would be 274.81 inches."
So, how does one load a 288-inch long MK 15-3 torpedo into a 276-inch
long torpedo tube? What function/s does the guide stud perform? What is the purpose of a torpedo tube bore guage?
Later,
ROBERT M.
