Movies and Films
This is the forum for Movie and Film discussions. Again, our topic is naval warfare in WWII for the most part.
Re: The appeal of Das Boot
Posted by:
ROBERT M.
()
Date: September 24, 2002 03:58AM
<HTML>Tubes:
I rode a fleet snorkel smoke-boat for 6 years, and experienced many "hairy" events.
Among them, ruptured Main Motor seawater cooling aeroquip hose at 235', spraying
all over the bus-bars in the cubicle, causing a complete shutdown of DC power
throughout the boat; continuous loss of depth control at snorkel depth around the
Faroe Islands, due to pounding seas, great for the sinuses; converting FBTs to
MBTs in that seastate; loss of fairwater (sail) due to heavy weather; experiencing 10-degrree rolls at 150' depth; rusted-through compensating water piping in #2 sanitary tank.........It goes on and on, but isn't sub/seapay wonderful?
When it came time to do weekly routines on the MK 14 torpedoes (turning over the screws 50 times) with a handcrank forced me to jury-rig my heavy-duty pneumatic drill to perform this totally ridiculous "drill", 'cause we had colloidal graphite added to the the oil tanks and could have used a water/alcohol solution instead of HRT
for lubrication and avoided its tell-tale wake.
I rode a boomer on one patrol before turning in my chief's hat for a shipyard hardhat
after 24 years service, and Nuke boats are a world apart from smoke-boats. There is more young dedicated talent aboard than on smoke-boats. Too many lazy old timers "riding the vents" and worrying about doin' their 20 and hauling ass out of the "canoe club."
The DBF crew's accomplishments are directly attributable to the COB and the XO,
and if a weakness exists at the top, then it's reflected in the crew. Forgive me for
spouting off, but I just had to say something good about our Nuke boat riders.
Regards,
ROBERT M. (TMCS(SS)</HTML>
I rode a fleet snorkel smoke-boat for 6 years, and experienced many "hairy" events.
Among them, ruptured Main Motor seawater cooling aeroquip hose at 235', spraying
all over the bus-bars in the cubicle, causing a complete shutdown of DC power
throughout the boat; continuous loss of depth control at snorkel depth around the
Faroe Islands, due to pounding seas, great for the sinuses; converting FBTs to
MBTs in that seastate; loss of fairwater (sail) due to heavy weather; experiencing 10-degrree rolls at 150' depth; rusted-through compensating water piping in #2 sanitary tank.........It goes on and on, but isn't sub/seapay wonderful?
When it came time to do weekly routines on the MK 14 torpedoes (turning over the screws 50 times) with a handcrank forced me to jury-rig my heavy-duty pneumatic drill to perform this totally ridiculous "drill", 'cause we had colloidal graphite added to the the oil tanks and could have used a water/alcohol solution instead of HRT
for lubrication and avoided its tell-tale wake.
I rode a boomer on one patrol before turning in my chief's hat for a shipyard hardhat
after 24 years service, and Nuke boats are a world apart from smoke-boats. There is more young dedicated talent aboard than on smoke-boats. Too many lazy old timers "riding the vents" and worrying about doin' their 20 and hauling ass out of the "canoe club."
The DBF crew's accomplishments are directly attributable to the COB and the XO,
and if a weakness exists at the top, then it's reflected in the crew. Forgive me for
spouting off, but I just had to say something good about our Nuke boat riders.
Regards,
ROBERT M. (TMCS(SS)</HTML>
