Submarines (1/2)

USS Blenny reef
World War II - USS Blenny SS-324 - 312 ft, 1,810 tons, 8 knots submerged

Everyone knows what a submarine is - a ship that can go underwater. Hardly needs any explanation. Unless you're in the US Navy. By the Navy definition, only their modern, nuclear-powered boats ( all submarines are called "boats" ) are true submarines, designed to operate beneath the surface almost indefinitely. Anything else is merely a "submersible", tied to the surface by the need for fuel and air. Whatever.

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U-151

The U-151 was the first German U-boat to operate in U.S. territory in World War I. The U-151 is not actually sunk in these waters ( it was sunk deep off Virginia after the war, ) but it did "contribute" the following six shipwrecks, all on the same day, Sunday, June 2, 1918:


Type IX U-boat
Type:
shipwreck, Type IXc/40 U-boat, Kriegsmarine, Germany
Built:
1942, Germany
Specs:
( 252 x 22 ft ) 1051 displacement tons, 48-56 crew
Sunk:
Saturday April 16, 1944
by depth charges and gunfire from destroyer escorts USS Gandy, USS Joyce and USS Peterson after torpedoing tanker Pan Pennsylvania - 44 casualties.
Depth:
300 ft

Shipwreck U-853
Type:
shipwreck, Type IXc/40 U-boat, Kriegsmarine, Germany
Built:
1943, Germany
Specs:
( 252 x 22 ft ) 1051 displacement tons, 48-56 crew
Sunk:
Saturday May 6, 1945
sunk by destroyer escort USS Atherton - no survivors
Depth:
110-130 ft

Shipwreck U-869
Type:
shipwreck, Type IXc/40 U-boat, Kriegsmarine, Germany
Specs:
( 252 x 22 ft ) 1051 displacement tons, 48-56 crew
Built:
1944, Germany
Sunk:
February 11, 1945
sunk by destroyer escort USS Howard D. Crow - no survivors
Depth:
240 ft

Shipwreck USS Bass
This photo is signed by Admiral Chester W Nimitz.
Type:
shipwreck, submarine, U.S. Navy
Built:
1924, Portsmouth Navy Yard, NH USA
Specs:
( 341 x 28 ft ) 2000 displacement tons, no crew
Sunk:
Monday March 12, 1945
deliberate - weapons test
Depth:
155 ft - sand ; 140 ft - deck ; 120 ft - conning tower

Shipwreck USS Blenny
The Blenny as she appeared during World War II.
Type:
shipwreck, Balao ( modified Gato ) class submarine, U.S. Navy
Built:
1944, Groton, CT USA
Specs:
( 312 x 27 ft ) 1810 tons, no crew
Sunk:
Wednesday June 7, 1989
artificial reef
Depth:
70 ft

Shipwreck USS L-8
Type:
shipwreck, submarine, U.S. Navy
Built:
1911, Newport News, VA USA
Specs:
( 161 x 13 ft ) 400 tons, no crew
Sunk:
Tuesday June 21, 1921
deliberate - weapons test

Shipwreck USS G-2
Type:
shipwreck, submarine, U.S. Navy
Built:
1912, Bridgeport, CT USA
Specs:
( 161 x 13 ft ) 400 tons, no crew
Sunk:
Wednesday July 30, 1919
foundered after weapons tests - 3 casualties (inspection crew)
Depth:
81 ft

Shipwreck USS L-8
Type:
shipwreck, submarine, U.S. Navy
Built:
1917, Portsmouth Navy Yard, NH USA
Specs:
( 167 x 15 ft ) no crew
Sunk:
Wednesday May 26, 1926
deliberate - torpedo test
Depth:
110 ft

Shipwreck USS S-5
Type:
shipwreck, submarine, U.S. Navy
Built:
1920, Portsmouth Navy Yard, NH USA
Specs:
( 231 x 21 ft ) 876 displacement tons, 37 crew
Sunk:
Wednesday September 1, 1920
flooded during test dive - no casualties
Depth:
165 ft

Submarines

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fish anatomy

Fins come in a bewildering assortment of designs. Options include long, short, vented, solid, soft, hard, open-heel, full-foot, and a wide range of specious do-dads, most of which solve problems that I cannot confirm even exist. One manufacturer has even come out with fins that are left and right, something that I think must be truly bothersome while gearing up.

The fact is, most fin designs simply miss the mark for New Jersey divers. What is needed here is a solid, tough fin with a generous foot pocket that will hold not just your foot, but also whatever bulky thing your foot is in. This will be at least a 6mm booty, if not a drysuit boot with perhaps several pairs of socks underneath. Simple solid buckles with quick releases are essential. You will be amazed at how strongly your fins may stick onto your feet at the end of a dive. Small vents in the toe of the foot pocket help here, to break the vacuum.

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