~Now~ I see it...
- being "polluted" by the "modern" way of doing dates in the US here, the date looks like part of the designation of the boat in the caption, not something for the 17th of August, 1944...
I'd sure hate to have to be one of the grunts up top that has to undo that beast... 'course, you would get to be outside that tube and all its associated shtink...