Lessons learned (Weapons loading) USS Torsk SS 423

[Darrin]

Ok folks it looks like there is an interest in loading weapons onboard a few different museum submarines, while Torsk no longer has her actual weapons shipping hatches due to having the tourist ladders installed (which is the way that most of our museums are, sorry COD) this may or may not actually be easier to load weapons due to us not having all of our shipping equipment being able to be used. So with that being said, here is what happened when we loaded a Mk 14 and a Mk 37 a few years later, I have to give credit to those whom were there to load the weapons because I was not apart of the crew at that time.. TM1(SS) Frank Morgan (USS Grampus) was and still is our leading TM and he directed the loadouts which happened without incident.

Here are the links to the loadouts, it is easier for me to just give you the links then to try to describe and post the pictures (why re-invent the wheel right?)

http://www.usstorsk.org/volunteers/mk14load/torpload01.htm

http://www.usstorsk.org/volunteers/mk37load/mk3701.htm

I will set down and go through the TM manuals and see if I can find the actual loading process for the folks on COD and the other boats that are unmolested like the RAZORBACK.

[Darrin]

Here are some pic's of Torsk loading weapons underway. Granted these weapons were practice weapons but these pics show the loading gear requried for this to happen.

[Darrin]

Now for weapons being loaded at the pier

[Paul Farace]

Pictures of torpedo loading above deck are not an issue... it's pretty straightforward... put the fish on the tray.  The bitch of the matter is handing them below decks. And we don't know of any USN instruction manual to do so (gotta think it existed, but where?)... it may have been organic knowledge! 


http://www.usscod.org/torpload.html


The link above takes you to USS COD's page from 1998's loading of two Mk. 14s and moving our Cutie.

Hope this helps.

[Darrin]

It wasn't in the TM3&2 nor was it in the TM1&C like I thought that it would be, but there was a lot of COOL stuff about the weapons and how to maintain them. Didn't realize how much times had changed until I looked at those yesterday because I don't remember the TM3&2 that I studied in the early '90s having all of the maintenance and theory behind the weapons, ooops that's because the book I was reading yesterday was confidental dated 1964 and the ones that I used to study ya had to sign out of the safe because of they was TS..

[Darrin]

From Frank on loading the Mk 14 on Torsk a few years ago,

"The 27 should be no problem, it is easy to disassemble into three sections with a ratchet wrench and disconnect a few cables.  Might help to remove the battery's.  The 14 is another question, we used one of the room skids as a loading skid topside with a crane to hold in the load position. Then we used a block and tackle to lower the torpedo onto the skid in the forward room.  In the torpedo room we raised the skid to the load position using chain falls as normally would be done.  Once the fish is in the room we strapped the torpedo to the skid, then lowered it to the deck and moved it into a storage position. This required a number of chain falls, come alongs and a number of people.  We had four crewmen in the room and about a dozen topside most of them were on the bock and tackle. One person in charge in the room and one topside.  I hope this helps you"

[JTheotonio]

I posted a single picture in one of these threads of a German U-boat topside shot lading a torpedo.  But this seems to be a full sequence with some description of what they are doing.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.uboat.net/men/crew/images/torpedo_4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.uboat.net/forums/read.php%3F3,78865,78887&usg=__AoyeCk_SWQPGbr586q5BIqRn77U=&h=305&w=450&sz=20&hl=en&start=19&sig2=i6W2vZBxCoCizF9DLvN2SQ&um=1&tbnid=DZyr-25vwnoLcM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=127&ei=WbVOSZ_lDd64twfT9sinDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtorpedo%2Bloading%2Bequipment%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

[JTheotonio]

Here are a few more interesting pictures - notice the deck gear used.

[Darrin]

Thanks John for the pic's, it looks like the Cavalla had a 593 Class TM load the weapons out due to the extreme angle on the weapon instead of a nice quite level angle that has been used by almost every other class. The scariest thing that I saw loading weapons was a 593 loading weapons and those went VERTICAL straight down into the boat, when I asked one of their TM's about what would happen IF, he laughed and said that he would be asking for a job on the 718 as soon as HIS boat settled on the bottom