One of the smaller components of the K Tube hydrophone is worth mentioning. In the Raytheon Archives photo from the Submarine Signal Company portfolio, there's a hand reel device.
You may have guessed its purpose, which is to store the "deck cable," which is the cable that runs from the compensator box to the large reel. As shown in the photo, it's a four-lead cable with a round female connector on one end that connects to the side of the reel and a male connector that plugs into to the compensator.
Overall, when deployed: The K-Tube frame with "rats" (microphones) is in the water suspended by a large float; the main cable with floats runs from the frame to the large reel; and the deck cable runs from the reel to the compensator.
Next month we'll take a closer look at the compensator, the most elaborate component of the K Tube hydrophone.
— Todd Woofenden, editor