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USS DIABLO SS479 date unknown
The Diablo was a Tench class sub. They were the best US subs built in WW2
What was life like on a
Submarine?
| Visitors to our
sister ship the Torsk SS423 (The museum sub in Baltimore's inner harbor)
often ask the same questions. The most frequently asked questions
are: How many were in the crew? 80 How deep could it go? All the way! 412ft if we wanted to come back up. How long could it stay under? Forever! Or 44- 48 hours if we wanted to come back up. Did it get hot? Yes, sometimes 130 degrees in the engine rooms. Did it get cold? Yes, dam cold. How fast was it? 21 knots on the surface, 9 submerged. How long did the batteries last? Less than one hour at full speed, maybe two days at slow speed. What is the horsepower of the engines? 1600 horsepower each. How many torpedoes did it carry? 28 with the tubes loaded. How could anybody stand living in this thing? It was fun and we were young. Where are the telescopes? This is actually asked more than where are the periscopes? Was there a height limit? No, many of the men were well over six feet tall.Many visitors want to know what the crews themselves were like. Some visitors with psychology backgrounds tell us what we were like. Very interesting! Why we rode the boats is easy; we got an extra $55 per month and admittedly it was exciting. Most of us liked being on a smaller ship and the feeling of being needed and doing an important job. Most of the men did not care for the spit and polish of the larger surface fleet and considered themselves individuals. All the men were highly intelligent, physically fit. creative and brave. They all had the ability to endure hardships and mental stress. The six to eight officers shared one toilet and seventy plus enlisted men shared the other three pots. The men themselves came from varied backgrounds and situations. Some were lifers and some were in because they did not want to be drafted and have to walk. The average age was below thirty and a man near forty was considered old. A psychologist told us submariners were self-contained people who were content to be alone and could find things to do as individuals that would satisfy their needs. A shipmate mentioned we got along with each other by trading insults. Humor helped break the tension. Some men made many friends in the submarine service and others made none. Some were good communicators and teachers others seldom spoke. Most were approachable and outgoing, some were scary. Many liked to gamble and heavy drinking was common. Coffee and cigarettes were the drugs of choice. Alcohol, used to fuel the torpedoes and cleaning electrical parts was commonly consumed. Mixed with grapefruit juice it was quite tasty and intoxicating. Many of the men were often short of funds. The pay was not all that great. It could be a long stretch between bi-monthly pay checks. If the money was gone at least you had a place to lay your head and something to eat. The food was excellent. Submariners meal funding was computed at 150% of a surface sailors. The pantry and reefer were open to us in between meals. If we wanted ice cream or a sandwich it was no problem. Most of the chief petty officers and officers were highly respected and competent professionals. The officers ate the same food all of which was cooked in the enlisted galley. Stewarts fancied it up some and served it on elegant plates but basically it was the same chow. Officers and enlisted personal were separated by a caste system in place in all navies for centuries. Normal conversation between the two groups could be a difficult ordeal. Usually an enlisted man went through his section chief to express his thoughts and seldom interacted with officers. The chief of the boat acted as an intermediary. He also often represented the men in a fashion similar to that of a lawyer or union rep. The men generally thought of the COB and captain with equal esteem. Most of those who stayed in had successful careers and attained promotions in excess of their surface fleet brothers. Those who left after a tour or two generally had above average earnings and did well in civilian life. The submarine service helped us prepare for the future and gave us confidence in our abilities. TJC |
| Page 2 Diablo Specs & Stories | Page 3 Sea Stories and Diablo History |
| Page 4 2003 Reunion pictures | Page 5 Pictures Crew & Ship |
| Page 6 Pictures of Captains & Plank Owners | Page 7 Pictures of Diablo over the Years |
| Page 8 What ever happened to: | Page 9 Pictures most at the Sub Base N L |
| Page 10 Crew Pictures and Ports | Page 11 The Loss of the Diablo/Ghazi |
| Page 12 Past Reunion Stuff & pictures | Page 13 2001 Reunion Pictures |
| Return to home page | Page 15 Roster 1944 to 64 by year served |
| Page 20 2004 Reunion | Links to other pages within the site click once on the page number Pictures may take extra time to load if you are using a regular modem |