Type VII U-boats - reference photos

[steveuk]

I'll be damned, but in

I'll be damned, but in the slotted look decks, I can not see the seams for those small inserts which make up the elongated holes. The entire deck looks all one piece, like the slots were cut out after the fact, but for sure, this was not the case. Maybe the seams have just been filled in over time with debris, weathering, etc. or maybe the craftsmanship was so good that the tolerances between the wood were tight enough to make the seams invisible.

I know what you mean..I have scoured my various u-boat pictures for a sharp image of the deck to try and show this detail This is the best I can come up with. I put arrows on to indicate the spots where they appear most evident. See what you think.

clickon image for full size

[steveuk]

Hi Steve,

I'd be interested in

Hi Steve,

I'd be interested in the references that you may have about boats being built with metal decking. So far I've not been able to find any that state it...?

-tnx,

Jeff

Jeff, I found this reference in "U-Boats in Camera" page 49

click on image for full size

[JWLaRue]

That would be one of

That would be one of the books by Jak Mallman Showell....an author who I have found to be less than accurate in some things, even though his father served on U-boats during the war. (His father was one of the many lost) One of his earliest books was so biased as to be little value to the historian.

So far, I have never seen any photo of a U-boat (Type II, VII, IX, etc.) with a metal deck. I am not including the fact that Type IX's had a combination of metal and wood from the start....though that could be the genesis of the "decks made from metal" comment.

-Jeff

[steveuk]

Yes thats the one.

I

Yes thats the one.

I sometimes think authors get incorrect ideas from other authors.

[mylo]

Steve,

That overhead shot of

Steve,

That overhead shot of the foredeck is probably one of the best I've seen in terms of showing the slotted deck from a high angle. I see your arrows, but I still don't see definitive spacer blocks to make those elongated holes with the exception of the one on the far right that looks to be a lighter shade. I'm starting to think that weathering, wear and tear over time made the seams between the spacer blocks and the long slats invisible, giving the decks that one piece look. It really is quite the mystery to me.

Mylo

[steveuk]

Yes. Imagine if the decks

Yes. Imagine if the decks were made in the same way boat decks are made, planks sandwiched together with caulking in between, then having the surface sanded to a flush finish. It is easy to see how the lines would virtually dissapear.

I have seen a similar thing with Whaleback Air Sea Rescue launches (also used as MTB's) which were all wooden hulls double diagonally planked. Only in a few photo's are the lines between planks visible. But when I saw the tattered remains a real one, on blocks in the back of a boat yard, the weathering over the years had really exposed the individual planks.

[raalst]

I found this link on

I found this link on another forum(www.betasom.net),
to the uboatarchive.net site.
it contains photo's of U570 made after surrender, and the
text is in english. check out the part "Photographs of U-570 taken during
inspection by U.S. Navy Officers" (click on the photo next to the text)
quite a bit of details to be seen there !

Of course, it might be a well known link, but it bears repeating...

http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570.htm

[don prince]

I found an interesting photo

I found an interesting photo of a type VII deck....




Regards,
Don_

[JWLaRue]

Don,

I am pretty sure that

Don,

I am pretty sure that this is a photo of a Type IX deck......notice the features at the extreme upper right corner.

-Jeff

[don prince]

Yep... I believe you are

Yep... I believe you are correct. This one is of a Type VII....




Regards,
Don_

[raalst]

88 gun in Koblenz (germany)

I found a set of nice pictures of the 88mm gun on another forum.
as far as I understand Italian, it stands in some unnamed museum in Koblenz, Germany.

have a look : http://www.betasom.it/forum/index.php?showtopic=22865

[paul von braun]

Man, wish I'd been able

Man, wish I'd been able to see those when I was doing my deck gun...

[raalst]

@paul : glad you like

@paul : glad you like them !

here's a set of a 37mm gun. I think it is the uboat version, but i'm not sure
this one is to be found in the museum Henriquez in Trieste, Italy
Same museum that harbours the other surviving italian CB actually.
Nearly went there myself.

http://www.betasom.it/forum/index.php?showtopic=22918

really a very interesting forum. I even begin to understand a little italian
from reading it. otherwise, babelfish does a reasonable job.

[mylo]

Ronald,

Any chance you have

Ronald,

Any chance you have similar photos for the 20mm Flak ? ....the ones that are twin mounted on the upper wintergarten deck ?

Mylo

[raalst]

not readily, but Ãll keep

not readily, but Ãll keep an eye out.