Got a debate going as to who is right. I say I am right! They say I am wrong.

Suppose a Submarine is in a Hurricane and a huge wave comes up broadside against it. The force of the wave rolls the Submarine 180 Degrees. The top of the Submarine is now under water.

1. Can the Submarine turn itself right side up ?

2. Or, would it head straight to the bottom..

I think because of the Ballast, it can't right itself if it is turned upside down.


Who is right ???

I am sure Navy spent billions of dollars on a study, the Marines said just go under the water. No problemo.

The top of a sub is under water a lot....

The only times I saw a sub it was tied to pier or to the tender, hence above water.
But gravity would force the heaviest part to the down side, pretty sure they build them so the bottom is the heavy part.
As an example of how that can work a surface ship I served on was designed to right itself from 110* roll, the keel was weighted and some superstructure was engineered to fall off at 90+*

This too.

Hmmm.........the imagination takes people a lot of different places.

First, subs don't ride the surface in rough weather, especially during a hurricane or typhoon. Why would they ?

But.....

Second, they aren't "top heavy" as so many surface ships are. In other words, many surface ships have a "balance point" that IF they would list past said point, the ship will continue on over and capsize.

Not you.

They're designed to right themselves.

And like was said above if they get into rough weather they go under to avoid it.

It's a boat, not a turtle.......

The destroyer in our group should of gotten sub duty in the north Atlantic above the artic circle in 1988. They were under the water more than on top. I was on the Forestall and we were bobbing around pretty good.
Justin

Coast Guard has several surf boats that will right themselves.The men at my unit in NC completely rolled a 44ft MlB during a heavy weather exercise. Tore the antena and other electronics off the boat. Had to go to the yard in Portsmouth Va for about six months. Year was about 1984 I think.

With a name like Canvasback I would think you would know the answer to your question. When you turned your rubber ducky over in the tub as a kid, did it sink to the bottom or right itself?

We will ride the surface in bad weather if we are trying to reach water safe enough to dive. Plowing through rough seas in a submarine on the surface is not fun...they are not made to ride the surface.

Submarines will also come to periscope depth (just below the surface of the waterline with masts and scopes above the water) often in rough seas to copy radio broadcasts, etc. It isn't real pleasant when things get rough.

You know the seas are rough when you are running 160 feet below the surface and you can feel some turbulence to the water.

Hadn't considered when a sub is still on/over the continental shelf...having to stay on the surface until you reach deep water. I never observed any subs running on the surface in rough water.

Wow, 160' deep and you feel turbulence. I would not have wanted to be on a destroyer in that.

Most of the heavy crap on a sub is built into the bottom half. The sail is pretty buoyant on most as there aint a lot but air and some tubes in it. The hull is pretty round. So, yes they do right themselves. But being topside in bad weather is downright uncomfortable.

All I need are amphibious delivery ships. Lol.

I asked my son if that was posiable and he said You would never go more than 65 degree list before it would right itsself . He said in rough waters you would let more water in the ballist to sink below the surface and pump water out to come to the top . He was on the USS Pittsburg out of Groton Ct. He went From the nort atlantic to the south pacfic in his 4 years .

Like lady state the ballist system is what what make the sub for what it can do and it is water and air that dose it.My first ship that was the gator navy and one of my jobs was to work on the ballist system of the ship.Sub works the same way.Pump water in the tanks to go down and pump air in to go up.Also use to balance the ship and also the subs. I been above the artic cicle by the North Atlantic to below the equator all in one year .I seen the subs and other ships in seas that are calm and in calm seas see some para scopes of our and USSR subs.I rough seas only the surface ships.