> I had a fascinating conversation with an inebriated, disheveled
> gentleman at a diner at 4 AM.  He claimed to be a Vietnam veteran,
> Force Recon operator, and SCUBA qualified swimmer, but something about
> his demeanor and insistence made me wonder if I was just hearing tall
> tales.

> > Wouldn't the process of flooding the tube >with a diver in it be rather,
> ummm, >unpleasant in that confined a space?

> Remember the diameter of tube is only "21
> and the diver could not carry any external
> tanks or bulky equipment.  Also the high
> pressure air used to expel the torpedo
> tends to injure the diver.  I recall a program
> when the early frogmen tried this mode, the diver's mask was knocked off
> blinding him and diver was bleeding from nose and ears from the blast of high
> pressure air - not a good means to start a high risk operation.

> "Bloody Viking" <nos...@ripco.com> wrote in message
> news:9hju8u$4c6$1@gail.ripco.com...

> > Nicholas Smid (smi...@xtra.co.nz) wrote:

> > : I accept that it may have been done but it occeres to my that you'd need
> to
> > : stick to
> > : fairly small men, I might be able to squeze into a 21" hole but I can't
> see
> > : my self being
> > : able to wrigel out the end even without an air tank on me back. These
> days
> > : the old pot would get in the way but even as a youth I'm pretty shoure
> my
> > : shoulders would have trouble fitting in. Shooting a diver out with a
> slug of
> > : air seems a bit rough on the swimmer.

> I have crawled down many a 21 inch tube in my time.  Nothing to it; provided
> the reason is not to figure out why the muzzle door is leaking at depths
> greater than 400 feet and the boat has a down angle on it.  I have made the
> trip with bolt cutters, tool boxes, greenies and bug juice, and even a
> Polaroid camera.  Never had a problem, though I'd kill any jackass that
> thought shutting the breech door would be funny.

> One does not shoot people out of the tube.  Pressure, g-force, and the
> almost guaranteed potential to hang the body up in the muzzle end of the
> system (at least in subs with mid-mount tubes) forces a gentler approach.

> FYI, I am 6' 4" and weigh about 280 lbs.  Typical USN knuckledragger.
> (Here's the bait, Blackbeard)

>Cheers,
>Roger
>(to avoid spam, an obvious part of my email address is reversed)

> Tim McFeely wrote:

> > "Bloody Viking" <nos...@ripco.com> wrote in message
> > news:9hju8u$4c6$1@gail.ripco.com...

> > > Nicholas Smid (smi...@xtra.co.nz) wrote:

> > > : I accept that it may have been done but it occeres to my that you'd
need
> > to
> > > : stick to
> > > : fairly small men, I might be able to squeze into a 21" hole but I
can't
> > see
> > > : my self being
> > > : able to wrigel out the end even without an air tank on me back.
These
> > days
> > > : the old pot would get in the way but even as a youth I'm pretty
shoure
> > my
> > > : shoulders would have trouble fitting in. Shooting a diver out with a
> > slug of
> > > : air seems a bit rough on the swimmer.

> > I have crawled down many a 21 inch tube in my time.  Nothing to it;
provided
> > the reason is not to figure out why the muzzle door is leaking at depths
> > greater than 400 feet and the boat has a down angle on it.  I have made
the
> > trip with bolt cutters, tool boxes, greenies and bug juice, and even a
> > Polaroid camera.  Never had a problem, though I'd kill any jackass that
> > thought shutting the breech door would be funny.

> > One does not shoot people out of the tube.  Pressure, g-force, and the
> > almost guaranteed potential to hang the body up in the muzzle end of the
> > system (at least in subs with mid-mount tubes) forces a gentler
approach.

> > FYI, I am 6' 4" and weigh about 280 lbs.  Typical USN knuckledragger.
> > (Here's the bait, Blackbeard)

> And how many of those 280 pounds are the result of cold brews since
> you last climbed into a torpedo tube??