Tores mailbox VIIC and VIIC/41 operation and technical details

[VIC20]

Don and others interested.[/size]A few years back Maciek introduced me to an US author Larry Simpson who was looking for a technical consultant on German Uboats like VIICs and IXCs. I volunteered on a non paid basis, but after Maciek passed  away I became the only technical consultant to the writer. Larry Simpson wrote a fiction book of a German WW2 submarine deploying a weather station in Alaska. We decided to choose a IXC /40type and used the U 807, a boat having keel laid down in 1943 but never commissioned. We worked on the book for about two years and in these days it is published on Amazon. The title is Cold Refuge by Larry Simpson. Larry let the Chief engineer explain the technical details related to the uboat and as he was`t fully conversant with the law of Archimedes he, with my consent, introduced me as the chief of the U 807 explaining the details. If you have a Kindle you might get a copy at Amazon for a very reasonable price. I guess the book is interesting as the story of the Uboat weather stations are not widely known.Tore[/color]

I just ordered the book as paperback.
I am old school when it comes to books.

[SG]

I'll try to get a copy asap, thank you for letting us know Tore!

[Don Prince]

Hello All,


I found it again on how to stay logged in on this website...


1. Click on a link you use to get to this website
2. Click on someones name above their avatar
3. Type in your user ID and Password (No Enter)
4. Then you see a 90 minutes, and a forever box
5. Check the forever box and now hit Enter.


Regards,
Don_

[tore]

Katuna.
Posting a cross section drawing of the GW direct reversible diesel engine as executed for the 1942 VIICs. If you want to go into details just mark off which detail interest you like on the images below.
Tore

[tore]

Katuna.
The torsional vibration damper is situated on the front of the crankshaft in the round casing.  The purpose of the damper is, as you have variable masses clutched in and out in the shaft system, like propellers, clutches, generators, and motors you create a complex system with high variable torsional vibrations  building up stresses in the crankshafts which sometimes even can break the shaft, this damper prevent that. 
Tore

[Katuna]

Is this the pump you are referring to? I thought this was original as I thought it was the Auxiliary Oil Pump. It shows up on Plate 9 of the detail drawings.

[tore]

Katuna.
The horizontal pump is far too small for an aux. luboil pump. The aux luboilpump is a very versatile vertical big pump as shown with a red arrow on the image below. The aux. luboilpump is used both as a fueltransferpump and as an aux. luboil pump for both port and stb main engines. Below is an attemp to indicate the various alternatives Further the aux luboil pump is used to created luboilpressure when turning the engine by air or cranking like during maintenance and if the engine is flooded. Feel free to ask questions if any.
Tore

[tore]

Katuna
I almost forgot, if you intend to go into details of the engineroom, try to start with a main engine having the right pipeconnections as quite a part of the pipelinesystems are intergrated with the engine pipings.
Tore

[Raymic1]

Engineering Tools and Spares.


Mr Tore.
From your memory I was wondering what general maintenance tools were carried onboard and where were they stored?
Obviously space was a premium so small hand tools spanners, hammers, hack saws etc in toolboxes? Stored where? Compartments in Engine room?
Was there also any small fold away workbenches with vices etc?
Did you carry any specialist tools for any larger repairs when too far away from port.?
Welding equipment etc?


Also did you carry spares or in peacetime was it easier to return or be towed back to port?


I know U505 carried spare Pistons but that was essential in Wartime. Maybe not required in peacetime?


Appreciate your insights. Thanks

[Katuna]

Raymic - I'm curious about the stowage of tools and spares as well. Depending on which line drawings you look at, it appears there is a "tool room" located just forward of the ammo storage under the officers quarters. I've wondered if this is time period specific as it shows on some Type VII drawings but not all.


I also came across info about shoring timbers. They were stored in the Forward Torpedo room and the Engine Room. Where in the heck would they have room to store timbers
 

[tore]

Yes we carried tools and spares like piston and liner, Pistonrings, HP fuelpumps and nozzles, main bearingshells and crankpin bearingshells. The parts were stored in containers and sometimes strapped wherever we could find place towards the shipside. As our operational area was mostly along the coast we use the coastal shipyards for major works. A common, but pretty cramped storage place was strapping parts between the main engines and shipside. I particulary remember a piston stored in a container filled with oil which I was checking, I was opening the lid and stuck my hand into the container, the oil made my fingers slippery and my marriage ring slipped off and down to the container bottom, we had a hell of a job to recover the ring. Otherwise there was no special cabinet or storage space for tools. The tool room indicated by you was for weapons as far as I remember. Wooden beams etc were scares, we could get same from shore and similar large items were stored in the casing duly secured. Otherwise we used the pressuretight casing deckcontainers, they were excellent for potatoes. Otherwise on mission above the artic circle we were accompanied by a submarine tender have a proper workshop for able to service several submarines.
Tore

[Raymic1]

Fascinating thanks Tore.
I'm sure Mrs Tore wouldn't have been happy with you losing your ring....


Katuna
That Tool area you refer to is accessed through the munitions room side wall (which has its own floor hatch) and/or possibly by its own floor hatch. but it is for the electronics sounding/radio  gear below the sailors operating area.
I've never seen a photo but read about it in one of my many books. Ill see if I can find more when time.

[tore]

Raymic.

I was newly married in those days so it would give me big troubles coming home without a ring. In the wardroom we had several hatches giving access to the munition room, weapons etc. One of the frequent used hatch was the fore battery compartment floor hatch visited by the chief electrician every morning and evening because of monotoring the charging condition of the batteries by checking the acid weights. The figures were noted on a blackboard next to my bunk, updating me and my fellow officers, we always checked the blackboard, the acid weight was just as important as the weather.
Tore     

[Raymic1]

Thanks Tore. I'm an Electrician and now Electrical Engineer so that's very interesting.
Day to day possibly mundane at the time operations of a Uboat are very interesting from a historical perspective.
Please share anything like that.


Here's my model in progress of the Ward room area.
I put 4 hatches in the floor from reference drawings.
The first I've opened up and goes to the armaments. The next goes to the 'Tool' room Katuna mentioned.
The 3rd and 4th would go to the batteries I think.
Cheers




Ps. Any info on what certain cupboards and what's behind hatches and closed doors is always interesting.

[tore]

Katuna.
Your image from das Boot seems to be pretty close to the real thing, except the not painted parts like the push rods are a bit too rusty. The engineroom crew of a submarine does not differ from normal engine room crew, on boring long watches they spend a lot of time shining the engines, using emery paper and polishpaste. Brass and steel were shining and not painted. It is unfortunate that the old U 995 has blue painted pushrods, red painted brass manometers and gauges, even red nuts, handles and pipes. In spite of warnings the model builders, even kitmakers copy this which sometimes make the VIIC models look like they were an item of an amusementpark.  Generally there is a tendency to overdue the weathering, corrosion, the wear and tear of a VIIC model both externally and gloomy internally. The lifetime of a WW2 VIIC was fairly short, don`t make your model like a heap of rust ready for the scrapyard.

Tore