The Champion Submarine-Killing Submarine of World War Two

 

Virtual Tour

Tour Main

Exterior - Forward

 
 

Exterior Tour (Forward Section)

 
 
 
J.P. Sonar:

The American "JP" submarine hydrophone was a simple, highly effective design. Essentially, a long iron bar with a coil of wire wrapped around it. The back was covered with a sound attenuating material, so that it was relatively insensitive to sounds coming from the back. This was mounted on a shaft, with a hand wheel in the forward torpedo room that the operator used for training the head.  The "JP" head was mounted on the upper deck of American fleet submarines. In this position it could pick up the sounds of surface vessels easily, without interfering sounds from within the submarine's own hull. Anti-submarine vessels, of course, mounted their hydrophones below the waterline. When the submarine was surfaced, the "JP" gear was secured.

 

 
     
 
Anchor:

The anchor weighs approximately 2,200-pounds and has 105 fathoms of 1-inch die-lock steel chain. The anchor is housed in the hawsepipe in the superstructure. The anchor chain is self-stowing in the chain locker.

 

 
     
 
Bow Tubes:

The Batfish was equipped with six forward torpedo tubes.  The outer doors are gone, and the six tubes are easily visible.

 

 
     
 
Bow Dive Planes:

The bow and stern planes control vertical motion through the water. These are horizontal rudders, attached in pairs to either side of the hull, at bow and stern.  Angling these planes up or down causes the boat to rise or sink. The boat itself is normally kept as close as practical to neutral buoyancy, which is the point at which it will neither rise nor sink.  In practice, the stern planes are normally used to control the angle of the boat in the water, while the bow planes are used to make it rise or sink.