RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Penetrators

["John R. Farrington" <jrf@austin.ibm.com>]

Yes, the battery pods cannot be seperated from the hull.  That is just
the way they're designed in the K-350's.  So, we figured as long as the
pods are attached, we might as well put a thru-hull in between the two,
and save us from having cables out in the water.

In answer to another question, one end of the thru-hull is inside the
battery pod and the other end is inside the hull of the submarine.
There is no seawater at either end.  Because the pods will be welded
to the sub, 3 inches away, it seemed practical enough to put a short
piece of pipe between the two, build it like a real thru-hull, and
do away with the exterior cables.

A downside is that we've got battery cables coming into the sub
midway down the length of the sub, rather than in the rear endcap.

We can deal with that though.

-John