| Torpedo Troubles |
| Torpedo Tubes |
| Sonar |
| Engines |
| Motors |
| Periscope |
| Deck Armament |
| Target Bearing |
| Log Systems |
| Water Distillation |
| Refrigeration |
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USS Bowfin (SS-287)
Keeping it coolr
In order for a submarine to perform
at optimum service, working and living conditions aboard must be the best
possible. Condensation must be prevented from forming on electrical equipment.
Food must be preserved, and the air must be kept at temperature and humidity
levels low enough to maintain the effectiveness of the crew.
On submarines such as Bowfin, there are condensers, compressors, evaporators, and refrigerants for cooling, and blowers for moving the air. The diagram shown here illustrates the principle of refrigeration aboard a submarine.
The primary refrigerant used aboard Naval vessels was dichlorodifluoromethane, the common name for which is Freon 12. Among the many advantages of Freon 12 over other refrigerants of its day were that it was comparatively safe, nonflammable, non-explosive, non-corrosive, and that it would not harm foods and fabrics. There were some disadvantages, not the least of which was that the extreme cold it produces could cause injury, especially to unprotected eyes.
The Freon 12 refrigerant cycle in the air conditioning system is the same as that in the refrigeration system. In general, the mechanical circuit of equipment is also similar; the main difference is that the air is brought by forced ventilation through ducts to the evaporators and returned through ducts to the rooms.
Most information taken from Submarine Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Systems, NAVPERS 16163, December 1945.
The refrigeration unit shown here is installed aboard USS Bowfin in the area below the control room, called the pump room. The photo below is of the port-side air conditioning unit, also located in Bowfin's pump room.
USS Puffer (SS-268) endured one of the worst depth charge attacks of the War, an event which amply demonstrated the importance of the air conditioning system. On 9 October 1943, operating in equatorial waters off Borneo, Puffer initiated a torpedo attack on a Japanese merchant ship. In the ensuing counter-attack, at least two persistent patrol vessels kept her down all of one day and well into the evening of the next. Air conditioning was stopped to conserve power and to prevent noise that may have helped the enemy detect the submarine. In a monograph prepared by COMSUBPAC, Pearl Harbor, entitled Enemy Anti-Submarine Measures, the effects of this decision on her living conditions are clearly shown:
"There is practically universal agreement that it was a mistake to shut down the air conditioning. A submarine crew in a tight situation is very allergic to noise, a squeaky pair of sandals being recalled by one man. Nevertheless they would all take the noise of the operation of the air conditioning machine and ventilation blowers in preference to enduring the heat and humidity. They feel that the additional noise is less dangerous than the slowed down mental reaction of extreme fatigue."
"With the air conditioning shut down the temperature within the ship went to a high figure. A temperature of 125 degrees F. was reported in the maneuvering room. The after torpedo room and the engine room were the coolest parts of the ship. The forward torpedo room was practically unbearable. The humidity must have been very high, but higher in the cooler rooms than in the hot spots like the maneuvering room and the conning tower. The decks and bulkheads became clammy with condensed moisture. Rivulets of sweat would form and follow right behind a towel rubbed over a man's body...."
With the boat out of breathable air and with almost no charge remaining in her batteries, the skipper had no choice but to take her up. After 37 hours and 45 minutes of submergence, Puffer surfaced into the moonlight, avoided her pursuers, and made her escape.
Quoted material from: Duff, Ivan F., Medical Study of the Experiences of Submariners as Recorded in 1,471 Submarine Patrol Reports in World War II, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, Washington, D.C., 1947.
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