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Post by ChefEd on Mar 3, 2024 14:04:20 GMT
MEMO TO SUBRON ORDNANCE DIVISION
DATE: 3 AUG 1942
TO: CDR ROWEN FISCHER, ORDNANCE DIV
FROM: LCDR HERBERT CRABTREE, SS-195, USS SEALION
RE: POSSIBLE TORPEDO DEFICIENCIES
SIR
I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION A POSSIBLE ISSUE WITH THE MARK 14 TORPEDOES.
THERE APPEARS TO BE AN INORDINATE NUMBER OF FAILURES OF THE TORPEDOES.
ON THREE PATROLS THE SEALION HAD FOURTEEN (14) TORPEDOES STRIKE THEIR TARGETS. OF THESE STRIKES, EIGHT (8) TORPEDOES FAILED TO DETONATE. THAT IS A FAILURE RATE OF 57%.
IN CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER SQUADRON SUBMARINE COMMANDERS THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN LIMITED TO THE SEALION.
RESPECTFULLY
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Post by ChefEd on Apr 16, 2024 23:08:32 GMT
MEMO TO SUBRON ORDNANCE DIVISION
DATE: 6 JAN 1943
TO: CDR ROWEN FISCHER, ORDNANCE DIV
FROM: LCDR HERBERT CRABTREE, SS-195, USS SEALION
RE: POSSIBLE TORPEDO DEFICIENCIES: FOLLOW-UP
SIR
THINGS ARE IMPROVING.
OUR OVERALL PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN MEDIOCRE, AT BEST. THE FACT THAT OUR TORPEDOES ARE GROSSLY DEFECTIVE, IS NOT HELPING OUR CAUSE.
OF OUR FOUR SUCCESSFUL PATROLS, WE HAVE FIRED FORTY-NINE TORPEDOES AT THE ENEMY. OF THESE 32 HAVE ACTUALLY STRUCK ENEMY SHIPPING, FOR A LOW SUCCESS RATE OF 65%. HOWEVER, OF THE TORPEDOES THAT HAVE HIT THE ENEMY, ALMOST 47% HAVE FAILED TO DETONATE. AN UNACCEPTABLE RATE OF FAILURE.
ON OUR FIFTH PATROL, FOURTH SUCCESSFUL, WE FIRED ALL 24 TORPEDOES, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF ALL TORPEDOES WE HAVE FIRED SINCE THE WAR STARTED. 75% OF THOSE TORPEDOES FOUND THE ENEMY, WITH AN IMPROVED RATE OF 39% FAILURE TO DETONATE. 40% IS STILL AN UNACCEPTABLE RATE OF FAILURE FOR A WEAPON THAT COSTS $10,000 PER UNIT TO MANUFACTURE.
OF THE PRIOR THREE PATROLS WITH FIVE ENEMY SHIPS SUNK, THREE WERE SUNK BY TORPEDO, WITH 25 FIRED. IT TOOK JUST OVER 8 TORPEDOES PER KILL. WITH FOUR SINKINGS THIS LAST PATROL, WE ACHIEVED AN IMPROVED RATE OF 6 TORPEDOES PER KILL FOR ALL TORPEDOES FIRED.
FOR TORPEDOES THAT ACTUALLY HIT AND DETONATED, IT IS TAKING ABOUT 2.5 TORPEDOES PER KILL. THAT AMOUNTS TO AN OVERALL 4.5 TORPEDOES FAILING TO HIT OR DAMAGE ENEMY SHIPPING.
RESPECTFULLY
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