Hi everyone,

I own a Junghans mechanical stopwatch that I purchased at an auction around 15 years ago. It was sold as a WWII German U-boat torpedo stopwatch.

While watching Das Boot (1981), I noticed a very similar stopwatch being used inside a square wooden casing, as shown in the attached screenshot.

I'm curious whether this type of wooden housing was actually used aboard German U-boats during WWII or if it was something created specifically for the movie.

Has anyone come across an original example, historical photographs, or technical drawings of such a casing?

Any information or references would be greatly appreciated!

Photo by Russian MoD.

My dad was an FTG3 on USS Jouett (DLG-29), moored at Subic. His logbook entry for April 12, 1968 says only: "In Port Subic Bay. Duty. Went Aboard USS Swordfish (SSN-)." He left the hull number blank.

Swordfish had come into Yokosuka on March 17, 1968 with a damaged periscope, and the Soviets later claimed she collided with K-129. Does anyone know what she was doing in Subic that April?

Here's his handwritten logbook page and the second Swordfish shot.

My boy and I were in sister divisions in boot camp

And then went to submarine school, went through all 4 phases of training together, ended up the same rate

And when we shipped out to the fleet, we ended up same boat, same division

We weren't really friends (or even on good terms for whatever childish reason), but that changed on the boat

What's funniest is the transition over the years

He's a tall good looking guy

I'm a short stocky decent looking guy

When we arrived to the boat, we were very different people

He was honestly pretty whiny, but super insubordinate, struggled to adapt to actual military life, probably one and done

I was bright eyed and motivated, possibly lifer, but a bit rowdy in my youth

Years later, I'm on my way out the Navy with purpose

He's for sure a fuckin lifer

He ended up junior sailor of the year I'm pretty sure, or came close at least. Work center sup, working on chief of the watch. Admin master, could've been the LPO easily at that point. Super good at coordinating maintenance.

I ended up the salty gremlin wire biter. Keeper of the old ways. Master of unauthorized maintenance. Scrapper. Borderline insubordinate. Unmatched at my technician work. Getting the fuck out. Hair outta regs. Uniform torn up. Mild NUB basher.

I was a groomsman at his wedding.

For context, we were NavETs.

Just something funny I reflected on.

The B-59 ‘deciding vote’ story doesn’t appear in the only eyewitness account. I made a 16-minute documentary from the Navy deck logs and Soviet records.

The Soviets began closing the acoustic gap with the Victor III, which, according to Norman Polmar and other authorities, was just as quiet, if not quieter than the Sturgeons of the USN. But the Soviets had secretly benefitted from a American spy ring and illicit acquisition of milling technology from Japan and Norway.

Without either, how would this have affected Soviet submarine construction? Does Russia continue to place an emphasis on speedier designs like the Alfa? Do the Victor III, Sierra, and Akula ever make it to the shipyards?

very enjoyable

Save the Ships! Overnight Wargaming and Board Gaming aboard the USS Edson | Bay City, MI | Nov. 7-8

Ahoy, wargamers, LARPers, boardgamers, and adventure seekers!

We’re hosting an overnight event called Save the Ships! Bay City 2026, and we’re looking for shipmates to join us. Bring your wargames, board games, and cards for a night of gaming aboard the USS Edson at the Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum. The main event is an immersive undersea warfare simulator staged in the ship’s command spaces, where you’ll man a battle station and fight a submarine vs. destroyer battle. Then stay the night and explore a decommissioned warship after hours!

This is a small-scale event, and tickets are limited due to space aboard the ship. Evening passes are available but if you want a berth, don’t wait.

EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday, November 7 to Sunday, November 8, 2026 (Saturday night to Sunday morning)
Location: USS Edson, Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, Martin Street, Bay City, MI
Check-in: Saturday, 5:00 PM, outside the museum

IMMERSIVE UNDERSEA WARFARE SIMULATOR
At the event, participants can take part in a simulated naval battle from inside a real warship. Our immersive undersea warfare simulator takes over the command spaces of the USS Edson, complete with sound effects and battle lighting. Players man their battle stations and use real-world tactics to hunt and sink each other, submarine against destroyer. Whether you’re a wargamer, a naval history buff, or someone who just wants to see what it feels like to command a ship in battle, this can be a very fun experience.

BRING YOUR GAMES
This is a BYO games event, and the games are what make the night. Wargamers, we especially want you aboard. Bring your miniatures, your campaigns, and your favorite wargames, and set up on a real warship. Board gamers, tabletop players, and card game fans are just as welcome. Bring something to share, and plenty of people will be ready to play.

WHY YOU’LL WANT TO BE ABOARD

• An immersive submarine vs. destroyer warfare simulator in the ship’s command spaces, with sound and battle lighting
• An overnight stay on a historic warship, with the museum open to explore after hours
• Open gaming all evening: wargames, board games, tabletop games, and card games
• A small crowd, so it’s easy to find a table and a game
• Light dinner (pizza from Domino’s, plus drinks and water) and a light breakfast included!
• Adults, families, clubs, work groups, hobbyists, and naval enthusiasts are all welcome

THE SCHEDULE
Saturday

• 5:00 PM: Check-in begins
• 6:00 PM: Museum introduction, light dinner, and refreshments
• 6:15 PM: Open gaming begins and the museum opens for exploring
• 6:30 PM: Immersive undersea warfare simulator begins. Man your battle stations!
• 10:00 PM: Quiet hours begin in the berthing area, while late-night gaming continues in areas away from it

Sunday

• 8:00 AM: Wake-up call and light breakfast
• 9:00 AM: All guests and gear disembarked. Bon voyage!

WHAT TO BRING

• Your games (BYO!): wargames, board games, tabletop games, and card games
• Extra snacks and drinks
• A warm sleeping bag, or pillows and blankets. The vessel has limited climate control, so plan for a chilly night
• Closed-toe shoes (required for exploring the ship)
• Clothing appropriate for the weather
• Earplugs, if you’re a light sleeper. The berthing area is a semi-public space

GOOD TO KNOW

Whether you’re bringing your gaming club, your family, your work crew, or just yourself, there’s a spot for you on deck, but spots are limited. Grab your crew and sign up now at savetheships.org!

Questions? Drop them in the comments or reach out through the Ticketbud contact form and we’ll get back to you.

See you aboard!

Save the Ships! Bay City
Presented by Mudcrab Milsim

I think this is the current rev. I just happened upon it in my on-line ramblings and thought some of you might find it interesting.

NAVSEA TECHNICAL PUBLICATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR FABRICATION, WELDING, AND INSPECTION OF SUBMARINE STRUCTURE

13 JULY 2012

Ghost Shark the ELUUV design by Anduril for Australia has had some more info released on payloads, including mines, sensors and drones: https://www.twz.com/sea/ghost-shark-extra-large-uncrewed-underwater-vehicles-payload-bay-seen-for-first-time

Footage of drone launch here: https://x.com/anduriltech/status/2112759836891042078

Interestingly it appears that a starlink dish and an antenna for the drone need to raise for the launch presumably this needs to stay up to guide the drone to the target. I imagine this raises a risk of counter battery fire.

I've looked all over the internet for months finding small pictures and theories on what the Trident II looks like on the inside, especially the MIRV and ES. I did all this research to create a 3d printed model of the D5 to the best of my ability (which isn't the best). However just this morning I stumbled upon a video that had a short section of what appeared to be people preforming maintenance on a Trident II! It shows you inside most of MIRV and other parts of the Trident that I couldn't even find descriptions of. I'm not sure if I just did a poor job in my research of the Trident beforehand or if the government just allowed some major unredaction (if that's a word) of the internals of the Trident II. There is some attempts of blacking out areas of the MIRV in the video but it is very translucent. Also it appears to only have 6 spots for RVs which is contradictory to the 8 spots for W88s that has been originally assumed. Potentially this is a glimpse into the Trident II LE program and the MIRV is being fitted to bus the W93s?? What do you guys think? Here is the link to the video.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6aQIH2Ro_g&t=13s

COB is a rate now, the fact that they are a rate per NAVADMIN 247, or 24/7, is a serendipitous number.

Every other crewed sub rated for that depth was built to a classification society's rules or a navy standard. ABS does not allow carbon fiber in a hull that holds people, and OceanGate dropped classification in 2018 as "too expensive" and "not doable", per a witness. The Coast Guard board found no evidence of non-destructive testing for hidden flaws, only visual checks. I made a documentary from the three investigations: https://youtu.be/DHUt0oHNOa4

For people who have worked on crewed subs: is there any realistic path today for a composite pressure hull to be classed?

It’s paywalled, but even the free part is pretty interesting.

From the free portion: representatives of a French defense manufacturer reportedly met with officials from the PM’s Office, MoD and LDP in July. According to an anonymous political source, they were sounding out how far Japan plans to raise defense spending in the upcoming revision of its security documents, and seemed interested in whether Japan might pursue nuclear-powered submarines. Nothing concrete beyond that.