An overview of the Gato-class:
Gatos are American diesel electric fleet submarines, which also ended up performing really well in wolfpacks rather than the support role they were intended for. Numerous Gatos were converted to hunter killer submarines as well, with streamlined conning towers and quieter motors. A total of 77 Gatos were produced.
Compared to most other submarines of the time, they were much bigger and more comfortable for their crews. Due to the large size however, their turn rate was not the greatest, and improvements were limited by the hydraulic system that powered the the rudders. After the war, some Gatos had another rudder installed on top to improve underwater steering.
The test depth of all ships in the class is 300 feet, but according to crews and written accounts they were more than capable of diving much deeper than that. Their maximum underwater speed is 9 knots, and surfaced it is 21 knots. However, there is an account of a vessel overdriving her engines and achieving a much higher surfaced speed.
Gatos were armed with a 40mm Bofors, 20mm Oerlikon, and either one or two 3 inch, 4 inch, or 5 inch guns, and ten 21 inch torpedo tubes: Six forwards, and four aft. They could store 24 torpedoes total. One submarine in particular, USS Barb, was equipped with 5 inch rocket launchers at the request of her Captain before the Barb’s 12th war patrol.
I absolutely love this class of submarine, and I would honestly be pretty bummed out if they don’t make it into the game.
Cutaway visuals of a Gato class submarine.
Don’t worry, these documents are not classified and are publicly available.
