Lieutenant Kimball's Dilemma: Locked in the Head as Cod Nears Crush Depth! 

I was a HT (Hull Maintenance Technician) in the early 70s at a forward deployed sub base. When we got a work order for repairs or replacement of the galley deck we knew the SSBN had dove deep. The galley deck was made of terrazzo when I first reported but later we started replacing it with ceramic tile. Didn't matter, when they dove deep they came in with busted up galley decks. Shows how much squeeze was put on the boat at deeper depths.

My great uncle served aboard the USS Drum (SS-228), also a Gato class boat, during the war. He told me their conning tower was badly damaged in a depth charge attack but they made it back to port for repairs. It was replaced with one from a newer class (Balao, I think) with a greater test depth. After that, the joke on the boat was "If we turn upside-down we can dive 200 ft. deeper". Also, I grew up near Cleveland and have visited the USS Cod several times. Hoping to get back for a visit next year.

Another great video, thank you for your fine work. Most boaters have a "head story", here's mine. A sailing novice bought an older !970s' Columbia 30 foot sailboat, and asked me to come along for a first sail to teach him some things. We went out of Fairport OH and had a nice breeze, the boat was doing well and was heeling to starboard quite a bit. I went into the cabin for something, and realized there was a foot of water over the deck down there. The head, an old style and "illegal" direct discharging hand pump type, was on the starboard side and taking in water from the heeling through one of its pipes. We quickly came about and went back to dock, without the heel it no longer leaked. I left him with my spare mop and suggested he just rip the old thing out, block all the throuh-hulls, and install a camping john ;)

"Bet you never saw anything like that on one of them big nukes" "nu uh, we had those dryers with the window in the front"

Well, that is a wow, not only the story about the Cod, but also the Barb. 😮

never forget the story about the flooding toilet that sank a submarine in WW2 (or was it WW1)?. it shows how everything on a submarine is serious business.

i remember my dad, John, telling us a funny story about being on the Knox, a troop transport in the pacific. His ship held 1200 marines, 500 crew, and 60 officers. He said, "Dont even ask me what the " bucket brigade" really meant🤣🙂🙃😁😄

I agree, that would be a crappy place to die.

Cool to hear you mention the string across the compartment. I wasn't a submariner, but worked with several who told me about it.

Supposedly there was one German ww2 U-boat Captain that sunk his own brand new ship, by flushing the head incorrectly.

Those submariners are just a different breed. Same sense of humour though.

It's true what they say about truth being stranger than fiction. I do love little stories like this.

Wow! At least he was in the right place when this happened. First, you say it then you do it, lol. Thanks for sharing another fantastic piece of history about life onboard the USS Cod. I am looking forward to many more.

Fascinating, Paul... much thanks! The questions came up in a discussion and i thought I'd shoot them to you for possible resolution: When was the Cod's last dive and how did the Cod, Cobia, Requin, and Silversides get to their final homes? It is understood how Manitowoc boats left during the war (via the Mississippi), but was the process reversed for those four boats?

Great story retired LCDR LDO 4 boats was RO (reactor operator). Miss the boats and being at sea.

Cool story. I went in the Cod as a young kid. It was such a memorable experience.

Built in Connecticut by E Boat the best.

These are the true stories that tell real military life ( not Hollywood cloak& dagger) and remind me, fondly, of goofy things we did as young men in the military! LOL!

Another cool story. Thanks.

This feels like a piece of lore you'd find in Barotrauma.

Merchant ships would remove or block doors open so if hit and the ship twists won’t be locked in

I wonder how much compressive stress that privacy enclosure was absorbing like a spring during that deep dive..I would think it would be a potential noisemaker on the way up or down..

Great story, Thanks!

Think would go to a tank then flush the tank when on the surface

Enjoy the videos. But wish they was a bit longer.

He used to call them "music rolls" in the navy😁😗😅😚

Great video! And I still know how to use a slide rule, not that I've been in a sub since they gave tours of the smoke boats used for training back probably in the 1960's/

Solid, thanks.

At 530 feet be 230 psi per inch

The best story made me laugh after a emotional weekend at the end the battle stations comment

Holy crap!

What a “crappy” story😂 (Yes I had to go there)

Is a higher depth more save when under water bombs? I would expect the stress from high water pressure and the charges add up at the hull.

Watertoght doors havent changed much huh?

Is it possible to be too deep to blow & surface? Blowing HP air into the ballast tanks wouldn't make a big enough bubble to surface the boat? And, was the head's door 'fixed' to not be so prone to jamming?

ridiculous just insane especially the part about Flucky also very good story too

What do you mean by "string across the component' right near the end of the video?

I thought Fleet Boats had sanitary tanks to flush toilets in?