sailing submarine

[newtothis]

Randomly came across this and thought it might amuse @capnsensible and any other submariners here... seems the crossover between subsea and sailing has some history.
USS R-14 - Wikipedia

 

[capnsensible]

It says the skipper was commended.

As he ran out of fuel, I wonder what went on behind the scenes.....

 

[jamie N]

This minor incident of running the boat out of fuel ("could've happened to anyone chief"), doesn't seem to have unduly damaged the skipper's career: Lieutenant Alexander Dean Douglas lived a long and fruitful life.

 

[38mess]

How could they charge batteries under sail? I presume the spinning props were used to spin the electric motors acting as dynamos

 

[mjcoon]

How could they charge batteries under sail? I presume the spinning props were used to spin the electric motors acting as dynamos

Which cannot be part of the design, so how come it works at all, let alone with any efficiency at the speed they could attain...

 

[mjcoon]

It says the skipper was commended.

As he ran out of fuel, I wonder what went on behind the scenes.....

Why didn't he get called a dip-stick?

 

[38mess]

Which cannot be part of the design, so how come it works at all, let alone with any efficiency at the speed they could attain...

Exactly... there is more to this story.

 

[newtothis]

How could they charge batteries under sail? I presume the spinning props were used to spin the electric motors acting as dynamos

I don't think there was a question of recharging the batteries. One of the linked reports says they sailed to Hilo, where they were then towed to a refuelling base. The sails were just used to get the boat from A to B.

 

[mjcoon]

I don't think there was a question of recharging the batteries. One of the linked reports says they sailed to Hilo, where they were then towed to a refuelling base. The sails were just used to get the boat from A to B.

The topic arises from this quote from Wikipedia:
"Around 12:30 on 12 May 1921, Gallemore was able to begin charging the submarine's batteries."

 

[newtothis]

The topic arises from this quote from Wikipedia:
"Around 12:30 on 12 May 1921, Gallemore was able to begin charging the submarine's batteries."

Gotcha.. missed that.
The navy history site says:
"His acting XO, Lt. Roy Trent Gallemore, came up with the idea to make sails for the submarine and navigate her to Hilo, Hawaii."
And
"After making port at Hilo and receiving fuel from the USS R-12 the R-14 returned safely to Pearl Harbor."
Can't imagine it doing much recharging at 1-2 knots, but as the other site also says: "Details remain sketchy".

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Of course, one of the very first submarines was designed to sail on the surface:See Nautilus (1800 submarine) - Wikipedia

 

[Kelpie]

The topic arises from this quote from Wikipedia:
"Around 12:30 on 12 May 1921, Gallemore was able to begin charging the submarine's batteries."

So they had regen a hundred years before Oceanvolt!

 

[capnsensible]

Since Admiral Rickover gave us magic moonbeams for the fuel tank, this is a not anymore problem.

 

[mjcoon]

So they had regen a hundred years before Oceanvolt!

Or maybe they had enough cooking oil to feed the diesels? No knowing...