You tend to be alert as you approach max operating depth anytime. There is a high pucker factor at work.
done it many times...hearing the boat creak...squeeze.."Diving officer passing XXX feet"...I hated riding the old 594 Class after the came out of overhaul....and then at test depth we'd open the outer doors of the torpedo tubes to test the resilience of the inner doors.....that was pucker time
Max depth during trials is always, ummmmm interesting.
There are a lot of alert people as you approach that mark
Yes sir. At test depth the boat creaks and is actually shrinking due to the pressure. I used to like to rattle the new kids on the block by tying a string on the engines sea water overboard valve when on the surface. Make it tight and then when you go to TD the string gets a nice bow to it. The boat bends. I Qualified on the USS Perch APSS-313 in Subic Bay, Phillippines, 1961. Served 20 years in Submarine service (including shore duty).