USS Cod Mystery Torpedo Tubes

We all know that Gato, Balao and Tench class fleet subs have ten 21-inch diam. torpedo tubes, but did you know that the after tubes are 3-feet longer than the forward tubes? We recently took on the challenge of finding out why the longer tubes aft.
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[@JoshuaTootell]

Im glad you started doing videos. Ryan on the Jersey is doing a good job of spreading history knowledge, and this is a great start for you too!

[@USSCod]

We appreciate the kind remarks! We’re running a bit behind on uploads, have a lot of events at the Cod lately, but we plan on having some new videos up shortly!

[@jebsails2837]

The "fish" at the beginning of WWII were not only scares but also faulty! I grew up in the shadow of the Newport RI torpedo factory, listening to stories from "WWII submariners" as to the ineffectiveness and poor design due to lack of adequate testing. There is still testing and development here. I joined the Navy (like the rest of my family). I'm proud to say my service was silent. Served as an FTG on Catfish and Diodon. Narragansett Bay

[@thunberbolttwo3953]

Ah yes the infamous mk 14 torpedoes. Drachinifel has a good vide on on them.

[@DavidPirouet]

​@@thunberbolttwo3953 I heard this is well I made a comment further up.

[@allangibson8494]

The Mk14 sank at least two US submarines…

[@daveroberts7295]

@@thunberbolttwo3953 Simply put, no live fire testing was allowed by congress. The first live firing took place against Japanese ships and it performed poorly. Sub commanders reported their suspicions and were given the finger by the ordinance people, it took years to resolve this while subs traversed the Pacific to find targets at some risk only to amuse the Japanese with their non-exploding torpedoes. The money saved in not testing the Mk 14 saved hundreds of Japanese ships early in the war only to have to go out and find them again later and sink them with the fixed Mk 14.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

The infamous Mk 14 torpedoes. Men were killed and surviving captains' careers were ruined when American submarines were unable to sink Jap ships. The Mk 14 would hit and fail to detonate, over and over, and this went on for sixteen months. Navy incompetence and its blind faith in untested ordnance probably prolonged the war.

[@dbfbobt]

I qualified on two Balao class boats (Sea Devil, Pomfret) in early 1960's. I was told the aft tubes were longer to enhance mine laying capabilities.

[@paulfarace9595]

Except that mines were not launched two at a time. Brace yourself... your instructors likely didn't know why the tubes were longer because the decision to make the longer was made before they were in the Navy and simply wasn't ever put to use!

[@mustowat]

It seems that USS Cod fired a torpedo from the aft torpedo tube. I got this from Wikipedia: On 26 April Cod was threatened by a fire in the aft torpedo room, but the ship's crew brought the fire under control and manually launched a torpedo already in its tube before the fire could detonate it. QM2c L.E. Foley and S1c A.G. Johnson were washed overboard while freeing the torpedo room hatch. Foley was recovered the next morning, but Johnson was drowned during the night, the Cod's only fatality during the war.

[@paulfarace9595]

Cod fired many fish from her stern tubes... including the burning mark 18 electric that was involved in the loss of crewman Johnson!

[@MrElis420]

He said a Mk. 11 torpedo, Cod never fired one of them.

[@jmsmaxwell]

As a Air Force veteran I enjoy seeing the history and purpose of various equipment used by the Military services both by American and other services. Visiting military museums like the Battleship Texas in Houston and the Sea Wolf down at Galveston makes others wonder about the equipment and conditions other experienced. I had the pleasure of going in a Sub many years ago and marveled at the compactness of it and it was a 50's design. At our VFW post we have various service members who have served in many places. I often wondered if Submariners were ever acknowledged to have served in the Vietnam theater or other combat zones?

[@TaeruAlethea]

2 ideas for it: 1. The rear taper of the exterior and the internal pressure vessel leads to a slightly longer tube. 2. Space for some sort of decoy.

[@paulfarace9595]

Watch the full video 😢... the taper of the stern has nothing to do with the length of the tubes. However the capability to fire a (longer) surface ship torpedo was the reason.

[@daveroberts7295]

@@paulfarace9595 A longer tube for longer torpedoes. That would seem obvious in the same way that many submarines had spaces designed in for computers that were huge only to find the size of computers during the life of these boats got smaller leaving them with a large room with no purpose. 1970s and 1980s built US nuclear subs..

[@howardreed6985]

Simple hull geometry. The bow has a different shape than the stern . To maintain the tubes on the same axis as the bow tubes (otherwise a different firing solution would be required than the bow tubes). As the last bulkhead of the pressure hull has to be where it is, the tube length would be a different length to clear the outer hull.

[@ianhandforth5672]

spot on,,i build working model subs and iv always thought the same

[@paulfarace9595]

There is no law requiring a length of tube or superstructure! In fact there is a rather nice 6 or 7-foot long slide chute for the aft fish to clear once they leave the after tubes. The aft tubes are Singer because the US NAVY said it wanted to be able to fire the longer surface ship torpedo! It's referenced in Friedman's book!

[@sosayweall1952]

Cool to see another gato class submarine. We have the USS Silversides here. Always wanted to be around when they fire up the engines. yes, you heard me correctly, the silversides still has working engines and they start them every so often to keep them that way.

[@samsharp8539]

I was involved with the CAF for a number of years. During air shows especially, I would meet a new hero on the flight line about every 15 minutes. Every branch of service, every form of weaponry was represented by those who were there. Seeing your video is so important as, the Cod is alive with the spirits of her crews. Static displays are alive when people like you keep them that way. Mighty fine!!

[@normsweet1710]

My Dad (able Seaman 1st class; LST 903, 44 to 46 ) said there are 3 ways to do things; the right way, the wrong way, and The Navy Way ! I like the narrative, good job. I’ve been aboard the Drum, Silversides, but yet to make it to see the Cod. Maybe someday

[@SteamCrane]

You will like it!

[@taofledermaus]

One reason might be the longer tube gave the torpedo a little more velocity to make up for the forward speed of the submarine.

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

12 guage mk13 torpedoes when?

[@rdfox1]

Exactly! Basic ballistics.

[@Buschwick]

I came down to the comments to say the same thing. This is most likely the reason that I determined about 20 seconds into the video and waited for him to bring up.

[@paulfarace9595]

What everyone in this thread fails to recognize is that torpedoes are not bullets. The air blast simply pushes them clear of the tube. From there in the torpedo propulsion system is entirely what moves them through the water! A longer tube would have no tangible effect on the speed of the fish !

[@Fudgieguys1969]

I love your channel. I am a history buff. Love the old technology. Live the engineering behind some of the simplest mechanisms.

[@robertweldon7909]

Being from Cleveland, having served in the Navy (9/23/1965 -9/22/1969) and having been aboard the Cod on a tour in the early 1970,'s, the old girl has a special place in my heart. I remember that the tour guide was surprised when I saluted the flag and asked permission to come aboard. As a slightly funny side note, I was an AO (aviation weapons) and worked on sub hunter aircraft. I'm so glad to see this channel. I have subscribed. By the way, your straight forward approach is OUTSTANDING. ;-)

[@johnriccomi388]

?!?!?! Whhhatt?😲! ...🤔Wait a minute. ...Whoops...my bad.😬 "Aft". You said aft...long aft. Long aft tubes.😇

[@Biker_Gremling]

Not only there wasn't a substantial torpedo manufacturing capacity early in the war, a large stockpile of torpedoes was lost during the invasion of the Fillipines by the Japanese

[@paulfarace9595]

Very good point!😢

[@Cragified]

The aft tubes of the fleet boats where 3 feet longer for two reasons as the room was available for this. First this meant the aft tubes could be loaded with Mark 15s, this had to be done loading the torpedo in from the outside as the Mark 15 couldn't be stowed or loaded internally. This seems to have been done to help lighten the logistical load on the availability of the Mark 14 earlier in the Pacific War. Secondly The Mark 12 naval mine which was submarine launched and was actually quite successful given the 500 or so deployed sinking upwards of 120,000 tons of shipping in Japanese home waters. This mine could be stowed 2 forward in each tube and 3 in each of the aft tubes. They would pull out all but one and deploy them one by one but the extra stowage space is at a premium on submarines. My evidence for this all. This paragraph from "u.s. SUBMARINE MINING SUCCESSESDURING WORLD WAR II"by CDR. John D. Alden, USN (Ret.) pg. 71 According to Rindskopf, who was a junior officer at thetime, two mines were stowed in a tube but had to be fired one at atime. "We carried mines only forward so with four in tubes (two each) that meant 20 in the room, two to a rack. That meant that we carried four torpedoes in tubes and no reloads forward with four and four aft. It is even possible that the torpedoes in the after room were Mk 15 destroyer type which had to be loaded through the tube because of the length. That was due to the shortage of the Mk 14 early in the War. We did not have to back down to launch as the mine was ejected by the same air impulse as torpedoes..." www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMUS_Mine_Success.pdf

[@paulfarace9595]

Thanks for the additional information !

[@paulroggemann1017]

Thanks Paul, I had been told that the extra-length was to accommodate surface fish, but universal sized fish make sense.

[@janjones4536]

guppy , sheephead or dolphin?🤣🙃😊😁

[@georgedistel1203]

Visited your boat back in the early 2000's i believe it was. You had a number of valves removed at the time for maintenance. One of the funniest parts from my visit was my daughter was with me on the tour and they sounded an alarm for another tour when that went off i thought she was going to put a new opening in the hull it scared her so bad. I still chuckle about that one.

[@USSCod]

We’ll be sure to tell her that we are sorry! I’m glad that you’re visit was memorable.

[@timengineman2nd714]

IIRC, during the first part of WW2, subs did go out with a few "destroyer" torpedoes! Basically "muzzle loaded" into the tubes and the outer doors had to be kept open to allow for the longer length since they actually stuck out of the tubes!!! Unfortunately, like the historian in this video, I didn't write down the name of the two sources that I read this in.....

[@sonsofwar9819]

My wallpaper is a picture of pär sundström inside the cod's torpedo tube

[@jaysonlima7196]

I've heard it told it was for mine laying, but that was 20 years ago when I heard it.

[@kellyleach8991]

Hi, All. Great video. Now, you mentioned there was something special about Tube 8. Waiting as patiently as possible for the video on it!

[@ryanjones6303]

I enjoyed this . Thank you for sharing this history with us.

[@USSCod]

Thank you for watching! Stay tuned for future videos.

[@scottfarnham2717]

Great video Paul!! Thank you so much for doing these videos!!

[@MK0272]

I suspect it's for mine laying. A Mark 14 torpedo is 20.5 feet long. Three WW2 era Mark 12 submarine launched mines stacked end to end would be 23.5 feet long. Add an extra three feet to the aft torpedo tubes and now you can carry an extra mine in each, plus each tube can launch three at a time instead of two.

[@paulfarace9595]

Watch the show... it's a universal torpedo feature!

[@nevisstkitts8264]

Ordnance Pamphlet 1085 June 1944 specified that all in service forward tubes were 252 inches [21 feet] exclusive of doors and all aft tubes were 276 inches long [23 feet]. That's two feet longer. If Cod has aft tubes that are three feet longer, that means the tubes are unique. This would need to be identified in the particular ship's construction drawings. OP 1085 covered all submerged tubes, Marks 32 to 39 and modifications. As such, the most likely reason for the length is not associated with any particular torpedo type but because of ship's arrangement.

[@StonyRC]

DISCLAIMER: I know next to nothing about submarine design ... BUT might the additional length have been down to something more fundamental - like the distance from the tube exit to the most convenient / mechanically strong place for a torpedo room bulkhead? I would have thought that the structure of the boat might well determine the tube length ... at least to some degree?

[@jaisheelal4006]

This is all I imagine it to have been. It's alright having "universal tubes" for your "universal torpedoes" but the boats are fuller at the bow, and have more room to accommodate the equipment I expect that they just stuffed the torpedo room as far aft as they could without making it (more-) unreasonably cramped, and the torpedo tubes just had to get from there to outside of the hull (necessitating three more feet)

[@Orxenhorf]

If you want to check something on a Balao class sub, just ask Ryan Szimanski to take a trip across the river and talk to the caretakers of Becuna.

[@paulfarace9595]

Even better I call Richard Pekelney of USS Pampanito...

[@winter4953]

damn the torpedos

[@eaglechawks3933]

I was wondering if it had anything to do with laying the Mk 10 or 12 21-inch mines.

[@paulfarace9595]

Nope... just surface torpedoes

[@Idahoguy10157]

Here’s a possibility . Submarines could do mine laying. Likely using the aft tubes. An extra three feet may have been to accommodate a full load out of mines

[@jonbradrick9744]

Great report on another aspect of COD I wasn’t aware of. Question: are the four torpedo storage racks in the after torpedo room 3 feet longer as well? Could they have accomodated the longer universal torpedo? Thank you.

[@USSCod]

I will get you an answer to that tomorrow! Thanks for all the wonderful work you do Jon!!!

[@paulfarace9595]

No ... the torpedo skids are the same length forward and aft!

[@pauldietrich6790]

Mine laying? stuff a few more mines at different depths? I don't know how that was done in subs but my guess it's easier and safer to launch them aft. I know they did go on mine laying missions...

[@Name-ps9fx]

I'm interested in the story about #8's mysterious...event...it doesn't sound like it was something particularly enjoyable. 😮

[@fredwood1490]

I would have thought it had something to do with the shape of the boat. The aft end is much narrower and longer than the bow, meaning the tube would have to extend further to clear the outer hull. Just a thought.

[@rwnagel]

When a torpedo leaves the front tube it’s speed is the submarines speed plus the ejection speed. This give the torpedo enough speed in the water to maneuver. When a torpedo leaves through the aft tube it’s water speed is it’s ejection speed minus the submarines speed. Perhaps the extra length is to allow for more ejection speed to overcome the submarines speed so that the torpedo doesn’t hit the water at a low ejection speed that causes it to actually go backward until it’s propulsion systems get it going forward. A torpedo going backwards would probably behave very erratically and possibly go so far astray as to make it very difficult to aim.

[@USSCod]

In WWII no sub would be moving faster than say 9 knots submerged and more often about 2 or 3 knots.

[@wilsonle61]

I am guessing they needed it to clear the taper of the stern and allow enough room for torpedo handling in the aft torpedo room. If you shorten the tubes it places the breach closer to the stern bulkhead and starts to cramp the tubes close together making torpedo handling with chain falls a real challenge. Not to mention clearing the props. Just a guess on my part.

[@ZEZERBING]

Im from Cleveland. I toured the cod in the "70s as a kid, then I took my kids in the 2000s.

[@remb9614]

What prevents water from getting into the torpedo tubes now? Are they welded shut like the other through-hull openings?

[@burroaks7]

interesting.. You guys should do a video on the "gun access hatch" and trunk in the sail I've always been curious about that and can't rea;lly find much information

[@paulfarace9595]

Sorry... Cod is s Gato boat. The gun trunk you refer to is a feature of the Balao boats. But we will talk about Cod's answer to getting gunner's mates topside in a hurry.

[@stickinthemud23]

Every time I have a free day to go up to Cleveland, COD is closed. I really gotta take more days off in the summer.

[@USSCod]

We’re open 10-5 everyday until October. We close our gate at 4:30.

[@raylouis]

For every action is a reaction. Maybe since shooting from rear while moving from enemy. The torpedo needed that extra light boost to counteract the speed of the of the ship. there for needing a longer tube

[@jeffsr8300]

As a Retired Navy sailor I can't imagine why you'd have longer torpedo tube's in the stern but on any Navy ship space is premium so yes they had to be for some tactical reason.

[@paulfarace9595]

As stated... the navy was rightly worried that the torpedo supply wouldn't be sufficient for a war. So they designed a universal torpedo that was capable of being launched from surface ships and submarines. The added length in the stern wasn't a big deal.

[@tomtrenter3208]

@@paulfarace9595 The Navy developed 6 torpedoes just before WW2, Mk 13 and Mk 24 for aircraft, Mk 14, 18 and Mk 27 for subs and Mk 15 for surface ships. Each had it's own differences and couldn't be used interchangeably.

[@StippleAlpha]

They're probably longer for minelaying.

[@paulfarace9595]

Nope... the need to fire a universal torpedo that was 33-feet longer was the Navy's priority.

[@TheIcetemp]

Is it possible that the tubes were longer because of the position of the after torpedo room in the boat. Maybe the designers needed to have 3 more feet.

[@daneast]

Where is the extra length? Does it protrude outside the hull more? Or is it towards the interior?

[@KRW628]

Interesting.Did the PT boats and the Avenger planes use the same torpedoes as the subs?

[@paulfarace9595]

No... they used shorter weapons.

[@tomtrenter3208]

Google navweaps and then look for mk 13

[@brucerumrey8894]

It would be nice to see the step it takes to fire a torpedo, what levers do what

[@Daniel-S1]

Thanks from England.

[@janjones4536]

not closed captioned for us hard of hearing😛🤪🤣😂🙃

[@USSCod]

There should be a CC on the top right of the video. Press that for closed captions.

[@janjones4536]

@@USSCod sorry it was just a glitch on the laptop🙃🤪😵‍💫

[@studinthemaking]

Putting mines in them?

[@StippleAlpha]

Yeah, this seems pretty obvious to me. Dunno why nobody else is commenting it.

[@USSCod]

Thank you two for your question and comments! There is no evidence nor any practical reason to launch two mines simultaneously from a torpedo tube. Two Mark 10 mines can fit on a torpedo skid inside the boat to maximize loadout but I'm certain that launching was done singly. Norm Friedman's book "US Submarines to 1945" mentions that the after tubes were lengthened to provide the option of using the Mark 11 universal torpedo. We’re having our curator double check on this as well. We will keep you posted.

[@studinthemaking]

@@USSCod look at photos of ww2 mines. They are huge. But they would fit right in there. Plus you would lay them from the stern not the bow.

[@grathian]

@@studinthemaking Submarines laid Mk12 mines which were about 40% the size of a Mk14 Torpedo. But that was my first thought too, the extra three feet would fit 3 mines in the tube. But how do you get them out one at a time with a set spacing between?

[@studinthemaking]

@@grathian the same way they get it apart when they drop them from airplanes during ww2

[@JoseSantos-t5r]

Would he go to prison for that

[@TEHSTONEDPUMPKIN]

Neat.

[@ArcticBlues1]

Thank You :)

[@alainarchambault2331]

Just throwing this out there, but the Mark 11 was designed earlier and was to be used on ships. So, wouldn't that mean there were more of them in stock? When you start the war with an inadequate supply of mark 14's all of which were defective, thus firing off whole loads, maybe you'd want to design a sub that can fire torpedoes that you have more of.

[@USSCod]

The universal torpedo concept of 1928 was a good idea since the Navy was notoriously underfunded and facing inadequate supplies. But yes, there were only a few hundred Mark 11 and 12 torpedoes built. The fleet sub after tubes could fire anything built for subs, the added capability of a universal torpedo wasn't a hinderance.

[@dasboototto]

probably for laying mines

[@shawnmccarthy8764]

Never knew this. Very awesome information

[@Hal09i]

Question for submariners: the Forward Torpedo Room had six tubes, and there were 16 torpedos stored there. From what I've learned, 6 were stored in the tubes and two under the floor. So that would mean 8 were stored in the skids on either side of the room (4 on each side). Have I got that right? because looking at video footage and images, it only seems there is room for two torps on each side. It just seems hard to believe that there were 4 torpedoes stacked on the port and starboard sides in skids. Can anyone speak to how these torps were stored? I'm obviously missing something.

[@paulfarace9595]

Four on either side! We have the skids to prove it.

[@terrywolfe2056]

Couldn’t you go back in the logs and see what type of torpedoes were loaded on the submarine back in those days.

[@paulfarace9595]

Yes

[@elgoog7830]

Is that a framing nail, going through a skeleton on your sweatshirt? Seems like a good topic to discuss, how the Cod got her insignia.

[@paulfarace9595]

There's a program on it!

[@Dave-jd9qn]

Question: Did the crew have the ability to adjust the torpedo's track after it was loaded into the tube? Did the sub have to be pointed absolutely in the right direction or could the torpedo curve toward the target?

[@paulfarace9595]

An onboard computer calculated the gyro angle that was programmed into the fish in the tube. Once it cleared the tube it would turn to the preset course to intercept the target 😂

[@scharnhorst_42]

I hate the ocean, but id give just about anything to be on a sub under way just once

[@scharnhorst_42]

Or is it weigh, naval terms confuse me.

[@USSCod]

Underway is correct you got it right the first time.

[@scharnhorst_42]

@@USSCod Roger, I got confused with Aweigh, I think. Thank you!

[@stickinthemud23]

@@USSCod For target sailors it is, "Haze grey and underway," but for sub sailors as we all know it is, "Fast, black, and never come back." LOL

[@johno9507]

I found the mechanics of torpedo tubes online: 'Current torpedo tubes are of two lengths, bow tubes being 252 inches, stern tubes 276 inches, over all length, not including doors. The effective length (the greatest length of the torpedoes that can be loaded into the barrel) for a barrel 252 inches over-all would be 250.81 inches; for a barrel 276 inches over-all, the effective length would be 274.81 inches.

[@KennethStone]

One question I have is about the differences between the sub and surface launched torpedoes vs air dropped. I work on the USS Hornet CV-12, and we have tones of mk. 13 torpedoes for our TBM Avenger torpedo bomber planes. How would something like my mk. 13 differ from your mk 11?

[@Realvids2024]

I looked fast and thought it was Rick Flair standing next to a drain pipe.

[@USSCod]

That would be cool if we got him in the boat. Our curator wanted Paul to dress up like Macho Man Randy Savage but he refused to do it.

[@typograf62]

A completely unqualified guess: Perhaps the longer tubes could be used for deploying mines? Longer tubes - at least one more mine in each tube. But I have no idea if this was anything considered in the US Navy.

[@kh40yr]

The US Scuba gear at the time was still big and clunky, lighbulb shaped helmets. Although the British had some rebreather styles and designs. It could allow super stealthy demolition Frogmen underwater access, with room for a bomb and gear, if they scrunched up tight and kept the diet lite. Another thought is the mechanical decoys of that time, or being able to load up trash and crap for a "burp and run" away from a depth charge attack.

[@truthsayers8725]

there might be a LITTLE BIT of truth to the prop wash affect on the torpedos. the tail guns on the B-17, a pair of .50cal BMGs had angled deflectors on the end of the barrels because they found that the muzzle flash from one barrel would indeed, affect the trajectory of the projectile coming out of the adjacent barrel. that said, i LOVE your videos! Cleveland is 400 miles on the nose from my home, and id love to come visit the USS Cod. my wife and i have toured USS Silversides but that was many years ago. maybe another trip is due up!

[@jamesmurphy1040]

Finally, last week, I was able to go to the Cod....great experience!!!

[@DavidPirouet]

What's coming from someone who isn't an engineer, the wash story seems plausible to a degree as well when you launch torpedoes they'll be travelling relatively slowly before they build up a bit of speed and a small wash knock them of course, which they guidance systems might autocorrect the most American torpedoes had a bad reputation for accuracy. It was from a film but I believe it wasn't until the Mark 14 start that they actually started doing anything with any regulatory.

[@alexlongoria3893]

Question to anyone who might know, Could the longer torpedo be loaded into the rear of the Submarine?

[@chuckliebenauer3656]

Great boat. I have seen the boat since I was little boy back in the 60s. I am grateful that you are doing these.

[@davidkimmel4216]

Thank you

[@cypher1o1]

As a cubscout in the 90s i spent the night on the Silversides and been in love with Gato class submarine ever since, glad to see the videos on the Cod

[@ehsnils]

The USS Albacore does not have torpedo tubes as far as I know.

[@stevecallachor]

Hold hard , shipmate…………as I understand things, a torpedo is not “fired” from the vessel like a projectile. The tubes are filled with water the hatch is released……the torpedo motor/engine starts and the sleek object accelerates under its own power into the expansive ocean waters. The vessel bearing the weapon sets it on its course and the weapon motors gracefully at about 35 miles per hour until it hits something or until a delay trigger is activated. Many older torpedoes were driven by rather primitive diesel engines……..no idea how they fare today!!! Stavros

[@USSCod]

You have many things correct, and some near misses. Submariners do "fire" their torpedoes. Only the WWII Mark 18 electric fish was slow (35 mph)... the Mark 14 and 23 steam fish were blown down the tube and rapidly accelerated to 54 mph. No diesels were used inside a torpedo. The steam generator of the Mk. 14 and 23 was complex enough. Today torpedoes travel even faster and include internal combustion engines using a fuel containing its own oxidizer.

[@John-jl9de]

Great report, thanks.

[@psychiatry-is-eugenics]

There is a video of a scuba diver in the Detroit River or the St Claire River , who was on the bottom holding onto a cable while a freighter went by . Prop wash can be SUBstantial

[@USSCod]

a rocketing torpedo leaving a stern tube is not a human body standing still as a giant freighter with an 18-foot propeller churns slowly overhead.

[@500sarfan]

Why were torpedo tube inner doors and workings in these submarines apparently made out of brass? Was it a corrosion issue?

[@ChaseWaggoner-f3z]

I'm not 100% certain, but probably a fire prevention measure. Brass, being a non-ferrous metal, doesn't spark when hit by a solid object like iron or steel can. That's the reason many tools and hose couplings used by firefighters are brass.

[@HMTOlympic5151]

Awesome video ❤❤❤😊

[@USSCod]

Thank you!

[@HMTOlympic5151]

@@USSCod you’re welcome 😇

[@HMTOlympic5151]

@@USSCod keep making awesome videos my friend

[@apburner1]

They're 3 feet longer because they had to reach 3 more feet to get to the exterior of the ship.

[@norwegiangadgetman]

A bit of pedantry, but yes, you CAN have a submarine without torpedo tubes. It all depends on what the submarine was designed for. German Type XIV subs didn't have them, and in fact wasn't even designed to be an offensive submarine. And I belive most of the US Ohio-class subs were built either without torpedo tubes, or later converted and had them removed?

[@Mkelm444]

Correct- the milch cows were only armed with AA guns as their intended role was to refuel, rearm and provide tender services to the rest of the U boat fleet. On the other hand the Ohios have always had the standard four tubes forward- when you’re the last line of nuclear deterrent you’d absolutely need the ability to defend yourself. Later in a few of the boats careers the 20 trident tubes were removed to install 22 tubes of Tomahawk missiles with each tube holding 7 missiles for a total of 154. After all who doesn’t want an arsenal that is able to be undetected until it’s time to level its target. Probably the tubes are loaded with a mix of cluster munition and traditional warheads. It’s also been rumored that the TLAM-N has quietly been returned to service and in 2016 $434M was allocated to manufacture TASM missiles which would allow a single ex-boomer to destroy a fleet from 900 miles away

[@norwegiangadgetman]

@@Mkelm444 The Ohio class doesn't have a use for torpedoes. Their biggest fear is enemy subs, and if one can get close enough that they're in torpedo range, odds are that they're already dead, they just haven't been officially notified by explosives. The Ohio class is too large and massive to do sudden evasive maneuvers, really, so they're sitting ducks if they're spotted. That goes for every Missile sub, really.

[@Mkelm444]

@@norwegiangadgetman tell me you don’t understand submarines without saying you don’t understand submarines. Ohio class submarines are faster than the sturgeon class attack boats that the US used to use and faster than virtually every diesel-electric boat in the world. You don’t dogfight in a submarine the name of the game is stealth and the Ohio class are some of the quietest boats in the world. It’s original sonar gear is the same as late generation Los Angeles class attack subs and have likely been updated to keep it in line with the Virginia class. Torpedomen are highly trained on board. An enemy attack boat that is looking for an Ohio class is going to be heard first and most likely the first indication it has will be the MK-48 coming at it from behind.