Thanks to JOHN D. ALDEN (3530-1994) we learn the following:

"I can assure you that I personally served on a U.S. sub that had one. Actually, it was more properly described as a deadlight, being a circular port of thick glass set into the plating of the pressure hull of the conning tower.

When I was ordered to submarine school in 1944, I was assigned to the PIKE (SS 173) for several weeks until the next class started. She had made a few war patrols in the Pacific before being retired as a school boat because of various weaknesses such as a riveted hull, underpowered engines, and general old age having been commissioned in 1935. Because she had most of the features of the standard GATO and BALAO type fleet boats, she was far superior to the old O-Boats as a trainer but she also had a number of installations that had long since been eliminated from the design of our submarines. One of these was the viewing port.

As I recall, it was installed in the port side of the conning tower where the helmsman could see it. As part of our regular diving routine, we would call out 'high port under' when it submerged below the surface. Probably its original purpose was to provide positive assurance that the boat was diving and not being hung up on the surface by air in the superstructure. I got a kick out of looking through it while we were submerged, but never saw anything of interest. As far as I can remember, none of the other school boats that I rode or visited had such a port.

It was an obvious point of weakness during war operations and probably was still in place only because the PIKE had been retired early and escaped a complete modernization. However, I suspect it must have been a common feature of earlier subs and quite possibly of the later P-Boats (PERCH and PLUNGER Class). Perhaps some other old-timers can provide additional recollections on this.

We hope that all Members will take the time to drop us a note, a FAX or an e-mail when they see something interesting in their local newspapers, in magazines, on television - anywhere at all. And to you veterans (old-timers as JOHN says), please send us your stories. We need to preserve this history. Thanks in advance.