SUBMARINE WARFARE INSTRUCTIONS : SUBMARINE SUPPORT OPERATIONS

[Music] a submarine moves out from its base it may be on routine Patrol or on highly specialized Mission a board is a full complement of trained officers and men with all equipment and supplies necessary for the completion of their mission submarine warfare involves worldwide operations these underwater warships go farther and remain longer in enemy Waters than any other Force away from their bases they are more on their own than any other military force but this is Possible only with with adequate support operations behind every submarine is a command and an administrative organization especially adapted to undersea Warfare essential to the support and combat efficiency of the operating submarine it is responsible for training and assignment of personnel planning new installations repairs tests and maintenance for Logistics a complete Supply system designed to meet the specialized and diverse needs of submarines bases are located at New London Key West baloa St Thomas San Diego Pearl Harbor Midway Guam and Subic Bay in addition there are Advanced bases to which goes much of the credit for the submarine's ability to move across vast reaches of ocean to fight here are located the floating dry docks and the submarine tenders an average wartime Patrol lasted about 2 months and covered as much as 16,000 mil on such patrols the submarine crew and Machinery were subjected to the equivalent of one year's routine peace time wear and tear after each Patrol approximately 1 month was required for overhaul this time was used by the crew for rest and recuperation each wartime division of six submarines is assigned a division relief crew which is the equivalent of two and 1/2 boat Crews when the submarine puts into Dry Dock these men repair the underwater gear the rudder the diving planes and torpedo tubes while the operating crew is resting repairs in Dry Dock normally require four or 5 days and then the submarine is mored alongside the tender the relief Crews work around the clock making repairs and loading stores by this method One Division of six submarines can maintain 2/3 of its Force at Sea that is two on patrol station one on the way out and one on the way in while two more are in refit status in peace time the speed of this cycle is slower and the submarine's own operating crew takes over the wartime relief Crews job this is part of the vast undertaking that comprises the support operations that keep the United un States submarine forces in fighting trim but basic to all these operations is the thorough training of personnel from the operating fleets and service schools come The Men Who volunteer for submarine service Medical Specialists learn as much as possible about each man his physical condition basic abilities and also his personality because in a submarine men are confined in a small space for many weeks and they must get along with each other there is no room in a submarine for petty feuds there is also no room for carelessness since one mistake can result in disaster thoroughness is an absolute must submariners must have the ability to cooperate and to be alert both their own Duty and to anything that needs attention to decrease the hazards of Submarine Duty men are trained in Escape techniques as a first step they are trained in an air chamber where underwater pressure conditions are simulated as a Next Step they go to an escape training tank where escapes are made from gradually increasing depths until men are able to come up safely from 100 ft below the surface this is just one of many training installations at the New London submarine base here there is a multiplicity of equipment and mockups used for the demonstration of submarine construction and operation with these it is possible to study every part of the submarine from the keel up they reproduce details of every compartment and every piece of Machinery on the diving trainer it is possible to simulate full scale submerged operations in those phases of operation which make the submarine what it is they are learning to take her down to cruise submerged they learn to transfer ballast to control depth to operate the vents and they learn to bring her to the surface Duties are rotated because every man aboard a submarine must be able to man other stations in addition to his own and here seagoing operating conditions are duplicated exactly of all warships of the naval forces the submarine is most likely to encounter problems of repair at Sea alone and unassisted on missions requiring as long as 60 days it frequently requires major engine repairs at see therefore repair techniques are practiced and learned in the engineering department on a life-size diesel on the surface a submarine is powered by four of these 1500 horsepower engines since the submarine can run on any one or any combination of the four the engine needing repair can be taken off propulsion at any time in a submarine crew approximately one out of every four men is an electrician to train these men and all basic circuits are reproduced in accurate realistic mockups here is the control cubicle there are 347 separate electrical circuits to Main Motors generators and batteries the elaborate and complex system of auxiliary Machinery must be completely powered electrically electricians are key man because a depth charge May compel anyone to man his station in darkness men are trained to perform vital operations blindfolded for the same reason damage control is doubly important on a submarine in fact all submarine duty is highly specialized requiring specialized training yet at the same time it requires extreme versatility on the part of the individual because all the basic functions of a major warship must be performed by a submarine with extremely limited personnel and Equipment each man must know more than one job the ship's cook may have to learn radar operations and the torpedoman may have to learn to operate the sonar the submarine's navigational problems are Complicated by the necessity of operating at depths where current effects are not known and the usual landmarks are not available to teach torpedo approach and attack one of the Navy's most elaborate training devices is used a complete conning Tower with periscopes and all Associated instruments and controls permits each operator to make an approach using all of his knowledge skill and judgment on the attack teacher the approach and torpedo firing can be simulated with a high degree of realism Target ships are moved electrically this area represents 16,000 yard the approximate maximum distance at which ships are likely to be cited through the Periscope while submerged as the attack progresses the situation is shown on a plot not visible to the control party in the conning Tower below through the Periscope the approach officer CES the target gives the bearing angle on the bow range and calls an order conning the submarine to close the target's track the approach officer has taken one Barry and after a few minutes he puts up the scope and takes another he is trying to determine Target course and speed it looks as though the approach is going to be successful successive bearings are enabling him to maneuver onto the target's track ahead of the target itself and he's made it he has solved the target's course in speed his bow tubes are ready the approach officer is having another look he appears somewhat excited the target has changed course he calls for left Rudder in a desperate attempt to close the new track and get into position for bow shots but the target is too fast and the torpedo passes a Stern he should have swung right for stern tube shots the mistake is explained with painful Clarity next time he'll get hits but exhaustive instruction ashore carefully integrated with training underway may still leave the officers and men one step away from war Patrol Duty in Wartime a large percentage of them are first designed to a period of Duty with a relief crew attached to an operating Squadron in addition to its function of maintaining the operating submarines the relief crew forms a Personnel pool from which the Squadron draws officers and ratings as they're needed for Replacements in the operating Crews to translate these resources of material men and Machinery into an effective fighting force requires an operating organization designed to meet the special demands of submarin Warfare units of the submarine forces are designated by CNO to operate with the various major fleets under the direction of a major fleet commander is a submarine Force Commander whose administrative control is exercised through submarine Squadron commanders each Squadron commands two divisions which are under the control of division commanders each division usually consists of six submarines this is the administrative organization however wartime operational control of individual submarines normally stems directly from the submarine Force commanders attached to the various fleets under broad directives from the major Fleet commanders when submarines move in groups of three or more as in Wolfpack operations each group is commanded by the officer in tactical command he is either the senior commanding officer a division Commander Commander or an officer specially designated the control of specific operations may be delegated to a Task Force Commander for the accomplishment of certain special missions but except for General directives the individual submarine Commander is independent and on his own in a patrol area he is solely responsible for his operations he is alone unwatched there is no other form of Warfare more susceptible to failure and none in which quick thinking aggressiveness and an understanding of the job are more essential for the same reasons the submarine Force Commander can act most effectively only under broad directives from the major fleet commander the submarine Force Commander should have unrestricted access to all sources of intelligence available to the fleet commander he should be in direct communication with the fleet commander since operations cover great areas difficulty may be encountered in commun Communications with individual submarine commanders for this reason the submarine Force Commander generally controls all Communications to and from the submarine while it may operate alone on the surface or beneath the Seas the individual submarine's potentiality stem directly from its support and administrative organization which may be located on the other side of the world for