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From: bobmcc@tcs.com (Bob McCormick)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: WWII Submarine Tactics......A Good Book
Message-ID: <1990Oct24.151528.16305@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 24 Oct 90 15:15:28 GMT
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From: bobmcc@tcs.com (Bob McCormick)


Earlier this month someone asked about navigation and
attack terms for WWII subs.  I just finished reading
an excellent book, which has a pretty good description
of this (although it is not a tutorial on the technical
issues).

	Wahoo - The Patrols of America's Most Famous WWII Submarine
	by Richard O'Kane (Rear Admiral, Retired)
	ISBN: 0-89141-301-4
	Published by Presidio.

Includes battle charts, photos, glossary, index,
and a diagram of a submarine approach, explaining 
angle-on-the bow.

Another interesting item is how the author trained to accurately
call angles-on-the-bow.  He had a ship model mounted on a 
lazy susan over a large dial with bearing marks (like a compass
dial).  An assistant would move the ship around, and the officer
would look at the model through a reversed pair of binoculars.
This would make the model appear farther away, for realism.
After his eyes bugged out, they would switch places.

By the way, O'Kane was the highest scoring (I assume in number
of ships sunk, or maybe tons) WWII sub commander, I believe.  
Cmdr Morton, who is largely the focus of the book, was second.

	----------------------

Separate issue.......

The unreliability of the Mk18 electric torpedo is described at
the end of the book.  Did these torpedos ever get fixed before
the end of the war?  Was it a minor fix or a major redesign?
One hopes it was fixed quickly, after the problems with the
exploders on the Mk14 steam torpedos.

Bob McCormick
bobmcc@tcs.com