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**danny** · 03-06-12, 13:38

First of all as you can guess I am not a submariner so im going use my own skimmer terms for parts of your boats that probably arnt the correct terms.
Why are the fin things (might be correctly termed planes) located on the hull of British boats but on the tower of Yank and Ozzie ones?

**SONAR-BENDER** · 03-06-12, 14:12

**SONAR-BENDER** · 03-06-12, 14:13

Because our design teams are much better than theirs!

**danny** · 03-06-12, 16:16

Dread to think how long it takes them to get a first in class in to service then.

**SONAR-BENDER** · 03-06-12, 17:10

Collins? Nearly ready.

I thank you.

**danny** · 03-06-12, 18:29

I was more thinking about the Yanks the Ozzies are still on their first attempt. I went to the launch of Astute it was nearly 5 years ago and from what I have been told its nowhere near ready. Is there not more of a reason thats already in the public domain than simply we're better? Im pretty sure my grandad told me the reason when I was little (he worked in vickers his entire career) but its to late to ask him again now.

**fishhead** · 03-06-12, 18:53

On a purely practical basis the "foreplanes"(proper name in the RN) are much more useful when they are either under the water or near the surface when they are needed for diving and surfacing added to which there is plenty of other equipment such as masts in the fin(sometimes called the conning tower) and having the hydrailics for the planes in there too must be a nightmare for the Yanks.They must see a benefit but I can't think what it might be.I have noticed they have their fin fairly for'd on the hull so maybe it is something to do with that.

**notafourknotfudgepacker** · 03-06-12, 20:50

The later Yank boats don't have them on the fin either! Latter half of the LA Class, Seawolf and Virginia Class all have below water foreplanes.

**pg55555** · 04-06-12, 10:30

.

From OPEN sources (so may be complete rubbish).

The USN preferred the fin (to them sail) position to allow a "larger force arm" by off-setting the axis of the fore- and aft-planes - this helped low speed manouvering.

The RN preferred hull mounted fore-planes for high speeds and under-ice operations.

The USN said they changed to the hull position for under-ice ops.

.

**janner** · 04-06-12, 10:59

I assume that foreplanes as they were on the diesel boats aren't so essential now that coming off the surface in a hurry must almost be a thing of the past in nucs.

Memories of A and O boats trimmed down on the surface completely under water in something like 45 seconds, if nothing else it kept you fit, either getting below or shutting down the diesels depending on your branch.