Long Flood Hole ??

[dougie995]

Hi Jeff,

I'm virtually certain they

Hi Jeff,

I'm virtually certain they were thicker supports. But as always I wish we had better photos! The two thicker supports were always in the same two positions, and often obscured by shadows cast by the casing above. The below image of U 203 shows the positions -



The image below shows the VIIB U 53. The two thick supports can be seen. The supports look as if they were round in shape, and located on top of a wider round base. The thin supports can also be seen as a comparison.



Talking of this long drainage slot, one quite strange aspect of Type VIICs and VIIC/41s was that the long drainage slot was longer on the port side than the starboard side (it extended farther forward on the port than on the starboard side). Quite strange! Any ideas why?

Cheers,

Dougie

[mylo]

dougie,

Do you have any

dougie,

Do you have any photos showing both port and starboard sides for comparison ? I never noticed the one side being longer.

Mylo

[dougie995]

Hi Mylo,

Sure, I'll try and

Hi Mylo,

Sure, I'll try and explain. The two drawings below were done for a past SCR. These show different slot patterns. If you look at the U 552 patterns you will see that there were a lot more slots on the starboard side. I've called the hole above the rest X, as that is a good reference point. The numbers refer to the holes aft of hole X. The drawings show there were 9 holes aft of X on the port side and 13 on the starboard side.





The image below is of the port side of U 552. Hole X is marked, as are the 9 holes aft of X. The green line shows where the start of the main drainage slot starts (directly behind hole 9). The blue lines show that the bollards were above holes 6 and 7.



The image below is also of U 552. Poor quality, I'm afraid, but it shows that the main drainage slot on the starboard side was directly behind the 13th hole behind hole X.

Since hole X was the same distance from the bow (I've checked) on both sides, the additional slots on the starboard side mean that the main drainage slot started farther back on that side.



Another image of U 552 below. The main drainage slot starts directly behind hole 13. The purple arrow shows the forward bar of the railings enters the deck AHEAD of the start of the main drainage slot. The blue arrow shows the bollards are roughly above hole 6 and 7.



Here are another few images. Below is U 94. The port side had 8 rather than 9 holes aft of hole X. The green line shows that the main drainage slot starts just behind where the 9th hole would be. Note that the front of the drainage slot on the port side (green arrow) is AHEAD of the deck railing (which is marked with the purple arrow).



Below is the starboard side of U 93. The main drainage slot starts way behind the 9th hole back from hole X. Note also that the front of the drainage slot on the starboard side (green arrow) is AFT of the deck railing (which is marked with the purple arrow).



Another image below, this time of U 373. Note how the main drainage slot is so far back, directly behind the 13th hole.



Last photo. Some boats were slightly different. These are VIICs we are talking about so it is hardly surprising! The photo of U 331 shows that the main drainage slot on the starboard side started directly behind hole 13, but was very narrow in height for a distance. Farther back it widens out to be the normal height.



If you do the same comparisons with both sides on many other images, I hope you will see the different lengths. Sorry if I haven't explained this adequately.

Cheers,

Dougie

[crazy ivan]

Guys,

As an unbiased 3rd party

Guys,

As an unbiased 3rd party observer, if I may...... In that wide aspect ratio closeup from Dougie a few posts up, those "thick supports" look to me more like flanged pipe fittings bolted on to the very top of the saddle tanks. Could they be part of the ballast tank venting system, or maybe some plumbing for the fuel tanks? Just a thought.

[mylo]

Crazy,

Good point. I noticed

Crazy,

Good point. I noticed the same thing. Could this heavy "piping" be some sort of vent, or plumbing for the fuel tank as opposed to simply a heavy support, just as you point out ?

Mylo

[dougie995]

Hi guys,

Could well be piping

Hi guys,

Could well be piping of some sort. A good point.

Cheers,

Dougie

[mylo]

None the less, if it's

None the less, if it's piping or a support, it's clearly evident and I'll be making efforts to model it accordingly.

Thanks.

Mylo