The anti-submarine officer's action station lay in the ASDIC compartment abaft the bridge. A leading hand and three able seamen operated the bearing, range and depth recorders. Dumbarton Castle was among the early ships fitted with the ahead-firing Squid weapon. Her main ASDIC dome could not retract into the hull and had to be raised or lowered using a small derrick on the upper deck. The junior officer recalls taking so long over the first lowering operation that the ship missed the tide on her maiden voyage.
Notable Point · 2:35:27-2:36:02
Operating ASDIC and Squid aboard Dumbarton Castle
Squid and ASDIC depended on a small specialist team, while awkward external sonar-dome handling could delay the ship's departure.