Description (cont'd)
The sub has two hulls: an outer shell, covered in rubber to foil radar detection, that houses ballast tanks and other waterproof equipment; and an inner, watertight hull for human habitation. The sub's interior is a jumble of color-coded pipes, valves, and instrument panels. Sailors had to be 5'8" or shorter in order to serve on the K-77 because of the short bunks. The exception to this rule was the captain, who had his own wood-paneled quarters. Also relatively ornate is the officers' wardroom, which doubled as an operating table when needed. Most of the controls have a numbered label corresponding to a group trained to operate them. Guided tours move along the length of the sub, through seven narrow portals, and emerge from a hatch in the other end out onto the top of the sub.
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