SUBMARINES / OPERATIONAL ASPECT

[Music] Submarines are grouped in squadrons which are either shorebased or like this one based on a depo ship. A submarine squadron is under the administrative command of a captain SM. Operationally, however, the submarine force commander controls all the submarines of whatever nationality in his area. [Applause] The submarine force commander has on his staff an experienced submarine commanding officer whose job it is to visit squadrons and brief the captains of submarines before they go on patrol. The force commander exercises operational control over the submarines in his area through this briefing officer. >> Come in. >> Oh, hello black. Good morning, sir. Come and sit down. Thank you, Gman. >> You have a good journey out. >> Thank you, sir. >> You've come to brief Orox, of course. >> I believe you know Gray, don't you? >> I do indeed, sir. He was my third hand in Tantiv. >> He's not been with us very long, but he's fairly experienced. >> Oh, Brown, tell SOO I want to see Captain of Or. >> Now, what's the news at Maritime HQ? Is the admiral pleased with our efforts? >> Very much so, sir. In fact, he'd like you to intensify. >> Well, you know the difficulties as well as I do. We're 1500 miles from our patrols, sir. That's the trouble. You come have a look at what that means for us. Allowing for weather, we need 10 days on passage each way. Now, there are 10 boats in the squad. With normal turnaround in harbor, leave and exercise periods. We can just about keep four on patrol at any one time. Then there's a little matter of our having no dock. Do you realize that some of my boats underwater fittings haven't been examined for 8 months? There's Artful with a chip screw. You can hear her from here to the Bay of Biscuit. >> Well, sir, I believe the admiral's considering moving your squadron to Gay. There's a floating dock for you there, sir. Yes, it's about 500 miles near the patrol zones, too. >> Yes, I think the move is sound. Certainly help me to step my effort up. What about supplies? Already arranged, sir. Fuel stores and torpedoes. >> Come in. >> Oh, good morning, Gray. >> Good morning, sir. >> Okay. It's a long time since we sailed together. >> Yes, sir. Nearly 5 years, I think. >> What have you got for us? >> I'll just get the order, sir. >> How's everything going? All >> right, sir. Thank you. >> Let's get round the charge, shall we? There you are, old chap. There are just one or two points I'd like to run through with you. The admirals decided to send it to area A covering the northern approach to exha did very well there and intelligence tell us that they'll continue to use this channel. There's little doubt you'll meet opposition both air and surface and important targets will probably be escorted. Now if area A gets too hot for you and you need to withdraw for a time, you can have freedom of movement in area B north. >> That would give me plenty of room anyway. There's deep water except that shadow patch. >> Is this mind of the sher? >> As far as we know, I should give it a wide birth. >> There are signs of radar stations here and here. I don't think they'll pick up your snort, but I should be wary of servicing at night. >> I see the two not tight up there. >> Yes, Artful found it difficult at Springs maintaining a patrol right up there on the doorstep. >> You must always be prepared, of course, to ship patrol. If we hear of an important target using the southern channel, we shall probably move you down to area C west. Alliance is in C east, so you'd be providing an attack in depth. >> Now, for your passage out, I wonder if we could use your wall map for that, sir. >> Yes, do. Now, for your passage out, she'll see we're not rooting you down the submarine safety lane because we've got to keep you well clear of all Alaric on her return passage. Your route lies to the southeast of the safety lane. You'll be escorted to a point about here. After that, you can go on the surface until you're 500 miles from the patrol zone. Then you should go deep by day and snort by night. You know, this policy of going deep by day is all very well, but it means for Orox an average of only about four knots the last 500 miles of her passage. That's say 5 days off the time she can spend in the patrol zone. Do the admiral still consider that a submarine should never snort by day at this stage? >> Well, sir, only if the co considers that the state of the sea is such that he's unlikely to have his snort detected from the air. >> Even so, sir, I wouldn't be very happy. Oro's periscope vibrates so badly when we're snorty, but it's almost impossible to keep an efficient lookout for aircraft. >> Yes, I'm afraid we won't get over that until all submarines are fitted with steel periscopes. >> I quite agree, sir. Now, I get the usual bonding restrictions. So, do I? >> Oh, yes. There'll be the standard moving haven around your estimated position. That is um 15 mi on either side, 50 mi ahead, and 100 miles a stern of your estimated position along your route. right into the patrol zone. Our aircraft are also restricted there, of course, >> and along the submarine safety lane, which is your route for withdrawal. We want you to spend about 30 days on the billet, so you can expect to recall around November the 20th. [Music] [Applause] In wartime, submarines are always escorted whenever they're likely to meet their own surface forces. An escort all safeguards them from attack by friendly aircraft. This is an important precaution. Submarines are very liable to attack by their own side because no recognition system is proof against air crews keyed up for action. [Music] Presently though, the escort must turn back, leaving Orox to steam on alone, she will still remain on the surface. This is a calculated risk justified by the need for speed on passage, but demanding constant alertness. On the bridge, there are four lookouts as well as the officer of the watch. Given vigilance, the lookouts of the low-lying submarine should always pick up the mast of a surface ship coming up on the horizon before she herself becomes visible. This is also true of radar contact. The submarine is ready at all times to dive instantly. All the hatches are shut except the conington hatch. All the air for the engines goes down this bottle. >> Bridge aircraft, sir. They're in 260. Range 25,000. Closing fast near the bridge. Taxon, sir. A submarine can dive out of sight in about 3/4 of a minute. This incident has a moral for air crews. Because they so rarely see submarines or detect them on radar, air crews often think their patrolling has no effect. But a sufficient number of aircraft on anti-ubmarine patrol can deny the surface altogether to submarines on passage, imposing considerable delays and so cutting down the time they can spend in the patrol zone. As soon as the aircraft has passed out of range, Orox will return to the surface. Even in a gale, it is on the surface that a submarine makes her best speed. Because they're so close to the sea, submarines are particularly affected by bad weather. It's the prospect of meeting weather like this that makes it necessary for the moving haven to extend so far a stern of the submarine's position as it is estimated by the command. [Applause] And now the time has come for Orox to die. From here on, she will no longer use the surface for the rest of the patrol, except in an emergency. She dives while she's still far from her patrol area to avoid all possible risk of detection. In this and in every phase of submarine operations, security is doubly important. Not only will bad security endanger the submarine, it will also sacrifice the element of surprise, which is the decisive factor in submarine warfare. At last, Orox has reached her patrol position. She's patrolling at periscope depth at slow speed on main motors. These are the ideal conditions for patrolling by day. The boat is quiet and still. The Azdixs are at their best, and even in confined waters, there's little danger of the submarine being detected if the periscope is carefully used. But after 12 hours, the submarine begins to need air. So when it gets dark, she turns out to sea. And when she's sufficiently offshore, starts to snort to charge her batteries at the maximum rate and to ventilate the boat. This is also the time for the main hot meal of the day >> and a tot and a cigarette. >> While in the darkened control room, watch is kept alternately by periscope and radar. Mass rating. >> Mass raising. This is the pattern of the patrol. Withdrawn and snorting by night and by day at periscope depth close in shore. This is the plan that the captain has decided will give him the best chance of success in this area. 1 2 3 4 5 >> 2 six two three on the hot spot. Come on. >> 2 4 2 three. >> All right. That's right. Actually, two. Doesn't look too good. Back out. Back out. Mix that tip. Not quite. Comes from the officer watch the ship wearing green 7. >> Looks like a destroyed me. >> Yes, I think it probably is. Well, diving stations attack team close up. >> Diving station. Diving stations. >> Attack team closed up. Attack team clear up. About 100 gallons from off. 100 gallons of bart [Applause] green 68 turbine moving left. 230 left. Hey, good >> 39 ft. >> Well, here is a destroyer closing part. >> I think we leave him alone. >> 100 ft. >> 100 ft, sir. >> 15. Half together. >> Silent routine. >> Both telegraphs repeated half together, sir. >> The captain has decided not to attack this difficult and comparatively unimportant target so early in the patrol and risk compromising his position. >> W 5 minutes, sir. Sorry. >> Stevens will have to miss it. I I sir >> at this very moment. Back at Maritime HQ, >> Commander Black is receiving a signal of some importance. Hello, Charles. You've had this enemy report, have you all? >> This carrier? Yes. >> Any submarine well placed? >> I'd rather depends which channel she uses. >> Well, intelligence have an A1 report is joining the southern fleet. Our appreciation is still pass through the south channel. Oh >> well, in that case, we should move Orox down to area C west here to back up Alliance. She should have a good chance of making contact there. >> All right, I'll tell the >> I can just catch the 1800 routine. >> Good. That's fine. Unfortunately, being at 100 ft, Orox is not receiving the signal. >> This is an interesting problem, these boats, isn't it? >> Yes. >> It's easy enough for alliance. She'll put herself about here if she can. Of course, she may be down at the other end of her area, in which case she may not be able to get up here in time, or she may miss a routine or two if she's being kept deep for some reason. Now, Orox, it's a bit more difficult for her because she's got a long way to go and a 30 mile channel to cover. I reckon this would be a good spot for her. The further to the eastward which she gets, the more chance she has of covering the extreme alternatives open to the carrier, either of keeping closenient shore under the radar station or of running right down to the southern. Personally, if I were Orox, I'd go a bit further to the northward cuz my guess is that the carrier will keep under the protection of this radar station. Orox weren't much like going inside the 20 Fathom line, though. >> Can't you get down there in time? It's impossible to tell for certain. Not a hope snorting, of course. If she can surface, she stands a reasonable chance, but she'll have to keep clear of these two radar stations. And she'll have to get the 2200 routine at latest. [Music] Another signal, sir. >> Number one, come around to 270. >> 420 stair 270. 420 stair 270. >> Come and look at this. We're not good. >> They seem pretty certain that this carrier is using the southern channel. >> Can we get down to area Charlie West in time, sir? >> Well, she's reported as doing 18 knots. I'm assuming she's doing 20. That means that we've got till 06 to be here. >> We can't do it. Snorting. >> No, but we can on the surface. Even keeping well clear of these radar stations. >> Bit risky sir. >> Yes it is number one very risky but there's no option is there for me to make it. >> If all spark will service as soon as this docker >> on the surface in enemy waters. Orox is out of her element. She's fully open to detection by all enemy radar. At this moment, perhaps she's being hunted. On the bridge, the lookouts don't have to be told. And in the control room, the watchkeepers stand by to dive the boat on the sound of the clacks. Hello, Jeffrey. >> Well, it looks as if we were right. He's using the South German channel. >> Let's hope Oro's got your signal. >> Let's hope our captain picks the right spot to wait. >> Oh, surely. Assuming he gets down in time, he should make contact. All right. >> You'd be surprised. Now look here. Suppose this is Orox and here's the carrier and say the detection range is 14,000 y. Now if he's lucky and finds the carrier steaming more or less straight for him, all well and good. But suppose the carrier's course puts all rocks only 12,000 y off track. Now the carrier speed, remember, is 20 knots. Whereas Orox, poor fellow can only make good about 6 knots when he's running in deep to close his targets track. So you see, he hasn't hope in hell. Now if you were a converted tea, you could average say 13 knots, it would be quite a different story. Or if he had longrange pattern running torpedoes, he could attack from much further off. Plane H sir bearing green at 20 >> up periscope >> unclassified >> 39 ft sir >> captain of the control >> what is it >> paint HD green tomb arrows yes I think there's something diving stations. Attack team close up. >> Diving stations attack team close up. >> 100 gallons from after for 100 gallons from after forward, sir. [Applause] up. Periscope >> 37 1/2 ft.