German circular pressure-door openings are compared with the Royal Navy's more oblong arrangement. The comparison raises the question of whether advanced components work well together in an actual submarine. Steve recalls his father, an engineer aboard HMS Thrasher, explaining that a hatch design changed after a flooding disaster because too many handles had delayed closure. His father's account also describes a retaining clip intended to prevent a torpedo door opening uncontrollably when exposed to outside water pressure.
Notable Point · 6:58:02-6:59:47
Submarine pressure doors and lessons from flooding
Door shape, closing effort, and a torpedo-door retaining clip connect submarine design with practical experience of flooding.