Bruce
I have put a number of photos of the “open hatch” under Attack Analysis 2 for examination. The question why is it open or what does it indicate?
Bruce
I have put a number of photos of the “open hatch” under Attack Analysis 2 for examination. The question why is it open or what does it indicate?
Great pictures Bruce! Clearly shows what I observed from the earlier pictures. The upper dog is in the closed position, the lower right is in the open position, and the lower left is missing. All consistent with the hatch blowing open, breaking off the lower left dog, breaking the lower right dog to make it appear to be open while the upper dog sprung back to the closed position. The pictures also clearly show the implosion of the after battery compartment which would not have occured if the hatch were open when the sub went through crush depth and the compartment was fully flooded. As the compartment failed along the weak part of the spine along the top centerline the rapid spike in air pressure inside the compartment down and to the sides forced up through the hatch breaking the dogs and forcing it open. If the hatch had been open or the dogsretracted they should all three still be there and in the open position. The remaining ones are still in very good condition so the missing one did not rust away.
I and others have described why we think the railing is in place. They were dumping garbage early AM when the Kano was sighted and submerged rapidly to attack precluding removal of the railing.
These pictures also show the collapsed side of the aft fariwater portion which indicates none of the fairwater was cut down when she was at Pearl prior to the patrol. She sailed with a fairwater configured as built.
Bruce, it does look to my eye that the dogs are sheared off. This seems especially clear in picture “Open Hatch 2″. The very clear dog along the upper edge of the hatch looks to be shorter that it shoud be, and the outboard end appears too flat and squared off. The major surface of the dog is relatively smooth and clean, but the end appears to have an irregular and rough surface. It looks like the dog was constructed of cast bronze when comparing it to the stainless steel pin secruing it. The black line on the end of the dog almost looks like were seeing a ‘cross section’ cut of the dog.
In my opinion, if the dogs are sheared off, the hatch was closed and dogged, but was subsequently ‘blown’ open by internal forces
Correction. The picture I was looking at was “Open Hatch 1″
Notice the square section indent in the hatch mating ring matching the lower right hatch dog.
To Bob. I’d noticed that as well, however when I zoomed in on that spot, it appeared to me to be the stainless steel liner of the trunk, which has come adrift of the trunk wall, curled up and deformed, extending out of the hatch.
David…I think you’re correct.
Looking at the dogs. I don’t think the actual dogs snapped. I think the entire assemble on the upper and lower right dogs are broken off. The lower left assembly is intact.
(with apologies, I don’t know the correct terminology…)
From pictures, there appears to be two types of hatch loking systems used on these boats. One used heavy “L” or “H” shaped bars running from the locking mechanism to the dogs. The other used heavy rods running from the locking mechanism to the dogs. The rod screwed into a yoke (the heavy bronze casting shown in GRUNNION pics). This yoke is what levered the actual dogs into place.
The upper and lower right dogs, the rods separated from the yokes. We’re looking at the yokes attached to the hatch dogs. The dogs (curved metal latches rough 1.25-1.5 inches across, the thickness between the ears of the yokes and the stainless steel pins) have rolled ioutward and are resting against the hatch, and the snapped off ends of the rods are lying against the inner face of the hatch. Upper dog, the yoke has turned outward and you can see the threaded hole. Lower right, the yoke is sticking straight out, and you can see the snapped off end of the rod. (see open hatch 15/16) Lower left is intact, and you can see the actual curved dog in the accretion (open hatch 5) directly below the hatch gasket.
Or so it appears to me…
John,
If the dogs are actually broken then the hatch must have been blown open, but I disagree to it having being caused by the preassure increase within the hull when it imploded. That increase, though brutal, could have never been greater than the external preassure that caused the implosion.
What would have happened if there had been an explosion in the forward torpedo room? Could the preassure wave have traveled aft though open bulkhead hatches and blow open this hatch, already half opened? Would that wave have decreased enough as to allow crew members in the engine rooms to shut their bulkhead hatches (thus keeping them dry and later imploding, as opposed to the forward section)? Was the lower hatch at the conning tower closed as part of battle stations drill (it would account for it staying dry and imploding)?