Came across a second hand copy of the movie Ice Station Zebra on DVD on the weekend. One of my favourite Cold War movies.
Some submarine questions regarding this movie…
In the movie, the 'nuclear' submarine is the called the SS Tigerfish. Here's how it looked in the movie.
In reality it's the SS Ronquil (SS.396). A Balao class submarine.
When I googled the Ronquil I got this, which looks nothing like the movie character..
I thought that it may have been 'dressed up' for the movie part, however, the powerful internet has informed me that this was the result of the 'GUPPY IIA' conversion programme of 1952-54. This conversion involved cutting the hull in half, and inserting an extra section to give much greater battery capacity for high underwater speed. At the same time the conning tower with its AA platforms was replaced by a streamlined slender 'sail' or fin.
An old book I have states that…
"Only the welded-hull Balao and Tench Classes were chosen for the conversion."
If not welded, how else would you put a submarine together?
In the movie, Tigerfish breaks the Polar ice cap (a tense moment in the movie).
Were all post-war American submarines capable of this? Did the US Navy ever lose a submarine attempting this?
Like a lot of other submarine movies, the Tigerfish sinks below the maximum safe depth (as a result of Russian sabotage-another tense moment) but survives!
Same book…
"On February 11, 1969, Chopper, accidentally dived to 1000ft in the Caribbean (her safe diving depth was 412ft). She recovered from her dive but on her return to Key West she was decommissioned."
Are all submarines, that at any point in their life exceed their maximum safe depth immediately decommissioned?
I should Google, but what does the SS stand for?
