Narwhal class submarines

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Post subject: Narwhal class submarines

Posted: November 26th, 2017, 4:38 pm

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Joined: July 26th, 2010, 9:38 pm
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Onto something new.

This is NARWHAL (SS-167) in October of 1930, as built. NARWHAL was originally christened V-5 and given the hull number SC-1 (to designate its status as a cruiser submarine). She is shown in the standard pre-war submarine scheme which mirrored that of the surface navy, with #5 Standard Navy Grey above the waterline and Mare Island 143 anti-fouling red paint below.

V-5 was one of the "V-boats", a series of large submarines intended for a future Pacific war with Japan. NARWHAL, like her sister V-6 (NAUTILUS), was designed for great range (but not necessarily high speed), and the boats were primarily meant to fill the role of fleet scouts. Their design was greatly influenced by the German "U-Cruisers" of the Great War. In practice, their performance was found lacking. Their large size made them slow and cumbersome divers which were difficult to control underwater.

NARWHAL was launched with two 6"/53-caliber Mark 18 deck guns in Mark 17 wet mounts. These were the largest caliber guns mounted on any USN submarine in history. Four torpedo tubes forward and two tubes aft (with 24 torpedoes in reserve) supplemented the deck guns. The aerials running fore and aft were radio antennas for long range communication. Small cranes fore and aft assisted with torpedo strikedown both while on patrol and at a tender or forward base.

NARWHAL and NAUTILUS would serve throughout the Pacific, where their large size relegated them normally to special operations missions (such as the raid on Makin) and resupplying guerrillas in the Philippines. Both submarines were retired in 1944 and scrapped in 1945, after long (and successful) careers.

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This is NAUTILUS (SS-168) in March of 1933, painted in the standard pre-war submarine scheme. NAUTILUS was launched as V-6 (SC-2), before being renamed in 1931 to NAUTILUS and receiving the number "N-2". N-2 was not the ship's hull number, but rather its class number, with NARWHAL designated N-1. These designations were dropped by 1941, with both boats using only their names and hull numbers for simplicity's sake.

NAUTILUS was built with propeller guards extending from the struts aft to the rear dive planes, and by 1933 the boat had received a topside WCA sonar dome replacing the old line array dating from the 1920s. NAUTILUS' guns were painted white, likely as a recognition feature (NARWHAL's were black). Otherwise, the two boats are nearly identical.

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This is NAUTILUS (SS-168) in March of 1938 at Pearl Harbor, prior to Fleet Problem XIX. Little changed from her as-built appearance, NAUTILUS has been repainted into the overall #82 Black then finding favor with the Pacific submarine force. She retains the "N-2" designation on the fairwater.

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This is NAUTILUS (SS-168) in August of 1942, at the conclusion of the raid on Makin. The outbreak of the war saw the big V-boats pressed into service first as normal "fleet boats", and then later for special operations support. NAUTILUS is shown in the standard Measure 9 overall black applied to all submarines early in the war.

NAUTILUS was at Mare Island for a refit period in April of 1942. New external torpedo tubes were added fore and aft, with the rear pair located just under the aft gun deck and the forward pair inset into the hull. The periscope shears were extended upward and plated in, a common practice for new-built submarines of the time. The tall antenna mast (previously used to raise long-range receiving antennas) has been rebuilt to house the SD air search radar. A direction finding loop has been sited above the pilot house.

It was in this configuration that NAUTILUS participated first in the Battle of Midway (landing a dud torpedo hit on the aircraft carrier KAGA), and later in the August 1942 "Raid on Makin", where NAUTILUS (in conjunction with ARGONAUT (SS-166)) landed the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion on Makin Island.

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This is NARWHAL (SS-167) in April of 1943, at the conclusion of a refit period at the Mare Island Navy Yard. She is camouflaged in the overall black of Measure 9.

This is the "ultimate" configuration of the NARWHAL class submarines in World War II. NARWHAL has also received a set of external torpedo tubes, with two located forward above the dive planes, and two more right aft on the stern. NARWHAL's external tubes were sited differently than NAUTILUS, with provisions for reload torpedoes located along the aft deck casing. The conning tower fairwater has been cut down aft (an attempt to reduce its silhouette), and four 20mm Oerlikons have been mounted. The periscope shears have been modified, with heavy supports added to the aft antenna mast and second periscope. The SD air search radar has been fitted on the antenna mast, with the SJ surface search antenna on a small pole mast forward. A Target Bearing Transmitter (TBT) sits just aft of the #4 20mm mount, with the forward TBT located behind the venturi (wind deflector) on the open bridge.

NARWHAL would end the war in this configuration, being retired in 1944 and sold for scrap in 1945.

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This is NAUTILUS (SS-168) in August of 1943, at the conclusion of a refit period at Mare Island. This refit relocated the forward external torpedo tubes to the more advantageous position at the bow, as on NARWHAL (SS-167). The aft external tubes remained under the aft gun deck, with provisions for reload torpedoes in canisters just aft of the fairwater. NAUTILUS has received a more conventional periscope shear arrangement, with frame supports on the two scopes. She retains the SD air search and SJ surface search antennas. Radio aerial rigging has been modified, with wire antennas running aft.

This is the final configuration of NAUTILUS, with the boat being retired and scrapped in 1945.

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All NARWHAL class submarine drawings available here: http://shipbucket.com/drawings/search?c ... =&drawing=

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