All Comments on 'Oh, A Submarine!'

The WW2 class of submarines used a Fairbanks Morse Diesel engine. It took 4 of these Diesel engines to run the boat. They were 9 or 10 cylinder straight engine blocks with opposing cylinders. There were no engine heads. Nice story though.

My 60-year-old memory

couldn't come up with any engine details (other than B-I-G), so I had to ask MMCM Google for details, and read that USS Blackfin was powered by:

4 × General Motors Model 16-278A V16 diesel engines driving electrical generators

2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries

4 × high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears

Two propellers

5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced

I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of Chief Google's information, since I was a mere airedale (TD2). Thank you for your kind words. Bravo Zulu for being the first (and thus far, only) commentator.

Fair winds and following seas,

A_Bierce

When my destroyer was conducting ASW exercises. They swapped JOs with us so we destroyer types could appreciate the limitations they had and the advantages. And vice versa. This was the late 60s and there were nukes too and they were a whole different experience, lots nicer that the Forest Sherman class DD I was on at the time.

Update

"Oh a Submarine" is a true story of my 21-year-old self. A few months ago I googled that young lady from Tulsa out of curiosity. Less than five years after the events described in the story, she had been a 2nd LT in the Army and was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, her issue sidearm still in her hand. Even after 60 years, I had a difficult few days.

This one sure got some memories flowing, I was a surface sailor but wished I'd gone bubble-head as I was a true sea-sick sailor (inner-ear imbalance), shift colors is just what I did. But I did ride a sub once from Pt Loma to Pearl - they needed a FTG aboard so I got volunteered, how the hell that ever happen is still a mystery as I was a FTG2-RADAR not Torpedoes, at the time. I was TAD to fill a slot and was exempt from sub-qual and the crappy watch shifts. My CG was going to Pearl for RimPAC so I'd xfer back upon arrival. At least that sub had real Flip cooks who could cook rice soft - I ate good and only rock-n-roll was when we came up to copy radio traffic and shoot the stars - nice.

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Since I was on a CG that used boilers/fuel-oil I can only imagine how bad enclosed pig-oats would stink.

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You totally missed Hotel Street in this yarn....

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5*****, hooyah, Salutes for the memories FTGC(selectee) Nam Vet