Just ahead of the control room was a small cubby with a maze of electrical devices.
“You might call this the eyes and ears of the sub,” said Pat. “Here are the listening devices by which we can ascertain how far away a ship is, and the radio equipment. This is a special compartment built for just this type of submarine.”
“Don’t the newer ones have it?” asked Tim.
“Yes. Even more elaborate than ours and the equipment in them is located in the main control room.”
Ahead of the radio room was a white-walled compartment which had been stripped of its former equipment.
“This used to be crew’s quarters, but when Ford got an option on the S-18, the bunks and lockers were taken out. Our diving equipment and stores will be kept here.”
They went on, ducking their heads to enter the forward torpedo room. In the bulkhead Tim saw the breeches of four powerful tubes. The cranes which lifted the torpedoes from the racks and into the tubes were folded back against the wall but the front end of the compartment was a maze of gauges and valve wheels.
“I don’t see how you can remember which valve is which and what all of the gauges mean,” said Tim.
“It does take a couple of months to get the hang of all of them,” admitted Pat, “but in a fully manned navy submarine each man is trained for his own task. The successful operation depends upon each one doing his job at just the right time. If someone forgets, then the story makes the front page and the navy goes hunting for another lost submarine.”
Tim felt an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew the S-18 was going to be undermanned, but then the only diving they intended to do would be at the actual scene of the salvage operations.