Eli5: How are submarine deck guns able to still be fired after being submerged in salt water?
In: 5399
WWII or earlier subs didn’t have much submerged range, at least not the way we think of modern subs. When submerged they ran on electric batteries, so at best you’re talking hours to a few days. I think the best endurance (submerged) would be a type-21 German U-boat, that was something like 75 hrs at ~5knots, and unlike earlier ones it had a snorkel that actually worked. But, the majority of WWII subs could stay submerged for like 15-20 hrs and would have to surface to recharge using the diesel engines. In any case, my point is that subs typically ran on the surface for most of their cruise and submerged only to fight.
So, being on the surface, the problem devolves into typical naval gun maintenance. Stop or plug the barrel of the gun with a tampion, keep it well painted and lubricated and greased and keep the bits that can open (like the breech) closed (they’re gastight already), then keep the gun wrapped in a tarp to keep the majority of the spray off. But you’re still doing a lot of maintenance when surfaced.
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