[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Zero Niner

I'm curious, how much food would a boat typically carry on a war patrol? Two months?

not sure exactly but probably 60-65 days max, although i have no hard facts, i suspect that very few patrols were over 60 days.
the food issue centered on space. there is a VERY limited amount of space on a submarine.
food was stored in many small places, nooks, crannies, etc.
Gato's and Balao's had refrigeration which is a distinct advantage over earlier boats and the Uboats.

there were two food prep areas, referred to as galleys.
each is the size of a very small closet, in civilian terms. possibly 4x6 feet. i have some photos from the Silversides and Cobia somewhere here.

i am sure that there are boats that stayed out on 60-day patrols. using my father's experience as an example, he sailed on six war patrols in the Kingfish, which is a Gato class boat.
the durations were, in days, 41, 50, 50, 46, 41, 51.
as you can see there is a clear trend.

there were many factors considered by a CO in determining the length of a patrol. provisions were one.
here are some others:

• fuel status
• battery status (WWII batteries were notoriously fickle, requiring a lot of care)
• weapon status, meaning torpedoes. although some boats were assigned other duties if they expended all of their torpedoes.
• boat condition, especially if the boat had incurred damage.
• and last but not least, crew health. as intrepid as submariners are, there are limits to human endurance.

i hope that helps. probably more than you cared to know.