Specifications
The following technical specifications of the USS Springer are directly related to her configuration during WWII.
CLASS.............................BALAO
LENGTH............................311'8"
BEAM..............................27'3"
DISPLACEMENT SURFACED.............1,526 TONS
DISPLACEMENT SUBMERGED............2,424 TONS
DRAFT.............................15'3"
PRESSURE HULL..7/8" HIGH TENSILE STEEL (Known as a thick skinned boat)
COMPLEMENT........................10 OFFICERS, 70 ENLISTED MEN
TORPEDO TUBES..................10 - 6 FORWARD and 4 AFT
TORPEDO LOAD....................24 - 16 FORWARD and 8 AFT
TORPEDO TYPES CARRIED, MARK 14, MARK 18, MARK 23
MARK 27 - "CUTIE" A newer smaller, "ACOUSTIC HOMING
TORPEDO" used against "ASW" surface targets.
DECK GUNS
One 5" 25 CALIBER WEB MOUNT..DECK GUNS, RANGE = 14,000 YARDS
ONE 40mm ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN
ONE 20mm ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN
TWO 50 cal. MACHINE GUNS
TWO 30 cal. MACHINE GUNS
POWER PLANT
FOUR FAIRBANKS MORSE 10 CYLINDER OPPOSED PISTON ENGINES
ONE FAIRBANKS MORSE OPPOSED PISTON ENGINE (AUX. ENGINE)
TOTAL HORSEPOWER..5,400
FOUR ELLIOT MAIN ELECTRIC MOTORS
TOTAL HORSEPOWER..2740
TWO MASSIVE 126 CELL BATTERIES CABABLE OF DELIVERING 5,320 AMP/HRS EACH
MAXIMUM SPEED, 23 KNOTS SURFACED, 11 KNOTS SUBMERGED
SURFACE RANGE, 11,000 MILES AT 10 KNOTS
SUBMERGED RANGE, 95 MILES AT 5 KNOTS
ENDURANCE..75 DAYS
OPERATING DEPT......400 feet. According to reports she was supposed to have been depth tested at 400 feet. MMOM 2nd Class Andrew Stalma remembers depth testing the Springer at 500 feet on her maiden voyage. There was a 100% tolerance in the design of a "BALAO CLASS SUB" This would give a "BALAO CLASS SUB" a maximum emergency depth around 700 feet. The designers put her crush depth at around 900 feet. In any case, the original suggested depth of 400 feet came about because of the limited capacity of the trim pumps. In 1944, a new style trim pump was adopted into submarine design, which could pump 35 gal/min at 600 feet. This enabled the "BALAO" class submarines to dive deeper than the earlier designs. The SPRINGER was known to dive down to 665 feet on one of her war patrols. However, in that instance, Springer's trim pumps were intentionally turned off. The captain let her sink to that depth before bringing her to "Final trim." MOMM 2nd Class Andrew Stalma remembers it well, because during battle stations, while submerged, it was his job to man the trim pumps.
The USS Springer, was made up of an inner hull, outer hull, and superstructure. Springer had a cylindrical all-welded pressure hull made of thirty-five pound (approx. 7/8") high-tensile steel (HTS), from this came the name "Thick Skinned Boat".
Springer's main weapons were torpedoes, two 5"/25 main deck guns, one 20mm and one 40mm anti-aircraft gun, 30&50cal. machine guns, and small arms. Springer carried Mark 14 and Mark 23 steam powered torpedoes, and Mark 18 electric torpedoes. In addition to the Mark 14, 18, and 23 torpedoes, she carried a few "Top Secret" Mark 27's. Nick named "Cutie" for their small size, they were essentially a Mark 24 mine (Fido) modified for submarine launching as an anti-escort ship weapon.
MARK 14 torpedo
DIAMETER.......21 INCHES
LENGTH...........20.5 FEET
POWER............STEAM
SPEED..............46 KNOTS........31.5 KNOTS
RANGE............4,500 YARDS....9,000 YARDS
EXPLOSIVE.....660 POUNDS OF TORPEX
MARK 18 torpedo
DIAMETER.......21 INCHES
LENGTH...........20.41 FEET
POWER.............BATTERY/ELECTRIC
SPEED..............22 KNOTS
RANGE............4,000 YARDS
EXPLOSIVE.....575 POUNDS OF TORPEX
MARK 23 torpedo
ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THE MARK 14, BUT WITH ONLY ONE SPEED,46 KNOTS.
MARK 27
DIAMETER.......19 INCHES WITH 21 INCH GUIDE RAILS
LENGTH.......... 7.5 FEET
POWER.............BATTERY/ELECTRIC
SPEED..............12 KNOTS
RANGE............5000 YARDS
EXPLOSIVE.....95 POUNDS OF HBX-1
HOMING..........PASSIVE ACOUSTIC