My father served in submarines in WWII. One of the things he told me was that they had a modified Trapdoor Springfield in 45-70 aboard. The 45-70’s were blanks. It was used for throwing a line to a nearby ship.
I found a WWII era “Bluejacket’s Manual” as a teen in a thrift store. I seem to remember that from reading it. Gave the book to a neighbor who had actually been in the Navy in WWII.
All true. They were replaced in the late 1970s by M14 rifles, using a dummy rifle grenade filled with orange 75-pound test *messenger line,*, used to haul back 550-pound test line, used to pass back a 2000-pound test line, at which point fueling lines and communications and other electrical cables could be transferred. It was a point of pride with some of the M14 shooters to be able to place their rubber grenade through an open hatchway or hit a fiberglass panel that would shatter on impact. Sorry, Chief, the wind caught it....