Tores mailbox VIIC and VIIC/41 operation and technical details

[tore]

Hi Tore, Simon

Tore, here could be a good test for you memory. Below are pictures of the bulkhead between the CR & mass. On the right of the picture, we can see a pipe with a colour code (purple with red band). One of my document I have say it’s a Fuel oil transfer lines. Do you know if this is correct?

I think, you both are partially right. I think, that this is sounding/test/vent line for the inboard fuel oil tank 1.
Here is the control room side of the above bulkhead:

On this diagram I have marked corrensponding parts of installation:

(http://uboatarchive.net/U-570Plate8A.htm)
Compare the hull valve handle with the one on this diagram (treibol bordv):

(http://uboatarchive.net/U-570Plate1.htm)
Using this panorama you can see the drain line and the "bucket" for the fuel oil.
http://www.kubische-panoramen.de/index.php?id_id=5378


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Regards
Maciek

Hi Maciek
I think you are absolutely rigth. The high quality photo from the CR bulkhead and the diagram and valvediagram is quite clear.
Tore

[tore]

Tore, can you remember if the high pressure Oxygen bottle behind the rear engine housing and clutch were painted or unpainted? And if painted that colour they were?
 
Were some suggestion that the German’s painted the top of them dark blue 
 
Thanks, Simon.

Simon
Coming back to your above question. If you are making a drawing of this area, I would like to mention an important detail. Between the engines and the pressurehull quite a bit of spareparts were fixed to the bulkhead. In this particular area I believe a spare piston was mounted in a round gray container of app. 450-500 mm diameter and 6-700 mm deep. The container was filled with conservation oil and was quite domenating.
Tore

[SnakeDoc]

Hi


Coming back to the Schnorchel - Tore, do you remember, if following wheel in the forward control room
is the drive for the Schnorchel locking shaft?
Simon, have you done any research related to this part?




http://www.deutschland-panorama.de/museen/laboe_technisches_museum/ps/10_1051_04.php
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Thanks, regards
Maciek

[SnakeDoc]

 Tore


One more question - for a long time I'm wondering what this thing is:





It is located in the stb, forward part of the bow torpedo room. It is connected with two pipes with two valves above the torpedo tubes:




The similar arrangement is in the diesel engines room (near the bulkhead between diesel engines and electric motor rooms):




My best guess: it is some kind of hand pump for pumping the lubricating oil to the grease lines of mechanical gears outside pressure hull, but I cannot confirm it in any way.


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Thanks, regards
Maciek

[tore]

Hi


Coming back to the Schnorchel - Tore, do you remember, if following wheel in the forward control room
is the drive for the Schnorchel locking shaft?
Simon, have you done any research related to this part?




http://www.deutschland-panorama.de/museen/laboe_technisches_museum/ps/10_1051_04.php
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Thanks, regards
Maciek

Maciek!
Yes I think it is.However your picture of the lockingpin external on what I presume is the Laboe U 995 is not the way it was. The rod for the wheel was fitted in an external tube outside the conningtower as I hope you can see on my bad quality picture below. This is the way it was fitted on the U 995. I have seen 3 executions of the transmissionrods to the wheel, external all the way to the deck and then into the conningtower, the way shown on your picture and the original way on KNM Kaura  (U 995).
Tore

[tore]

Maciek
You are rigth, these devices were for greasepumping to the mechanical links partly outside (in the casing) the pressurehull. As far as I remember a few pipes led  from the pump via shut off valves in the pressurehull to distribution boxes for greasepoints outside . May be something for Christophers forward greaselines project?
We had a special man ,a "greaser", who was responsible for these points.
Tore

[tore]

Maciek.
Having had another look at your Laboe U 995 picture I see they have removed the snortlockingrod completely so it doesn`t show an alternative. Why did they do that?
tore

[SnakeDoc]

Hi Tore

Yes I think it is.However your picture of the lockingpin external on what I presume is the Laboe U 995 is not the way it was. The rod for the wheel was fitted in an external tube outside the conningtower as I hope you can see on my bad quality picture below. This is the way it was fitted on the U 995. I have seen 3 executions of the transmissionrods to the wheel, external all the way to the deck and then into the conningtower, the way shown on your picture and the original way on KNM Kaura  (U 995).

Yes, I also have seen the implementation of this rod similar to this one:

(U-1009 in Lisahally)

Having had another look at your Laboe U 995 picture I see they have removed the snortlockingrod completely so it doesn`t show an alternative. Why did they do that?

Well, that's a good question. I have another - on U-995 in Laboe is not visible the exhaust pipe branching forward the exhaust gas blowing valve box (connning tower stb) and going forward, over the deck, to the schnorchel mast.




(U-249 in Eriboll)


Was it like this before?

You are rigth, these devices were for greasepumping to the mechanical links partly outside (in the casing) the pressurehull. As far as I remember a few pipes led  from the pump via shut off valves in the pressurehull to distribution boxes for greasepoints outside . May be something for Christophers forward greaselines project?
We had a special man ,a "greaser", who was responsible for these points.

Great! Thank you for confirmation.


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Thanks, regards

Maciek

[tore]

On the Laboe U 995 they have changed several things in this area. As you have noticed exhaustbend on deck stb fwd conningtower is removed,(see picture of the original below) snortmast lockingpin rod removed, original compasshousing changed with a newer version ( see original version below) and the snortmast topheadvalve exchanged with a hingefloat. E.g old constructions exchanged to new contructions,and some new constructions changed back to old. I don`t get it.
Tore

[tore]

Maciek
U 249 locking pin snort. Yes this how the original U 995 looked like.
Tore

[NZSnowman]

Schnorchel

Yes, that right the 'black' painted handle is to control the control arm for locking/unlocking the pin within Schnorchel restraining bracket. There are two known styles for the control arm:

STYLE 1
The control arm runs through the spray deflector then along the outside of the conning tower unshielded to the deck.

STYLE 2
The control arm runs through the spray deflector then is shielded by a larger half round diameter pipe to the deck.

The

[tore]

Yes Simon, you are rigth.I just had a flash look at the Laboe U 995 and got the impression the germans had displayed a 3. alt. by taking the lockingpin rod into the conningtower just above the spraydeflector.At a second look I realised they just simply have removed the whole thing and just let the connectingend of the pin hanging free in the air, unbelievable.
Tore

[TopherVIIC]

You are rigth, these devices were for greasepumping to the mechanical links partly outside (in the casing) the pressurehull. As far as I remember a few pipes led  from the pump via shut off valves in the pressurehull to distribution boxes for greasepoints outside . May be something for Christophers forward greaselines project?
We had a special man ,a "greaser", who was responsible for these points.

:-) Interesting! I always thought that was the coffee-maker for The Lords!! ;-) Now I have to dig up some info on these distribution boxes.

[tore]

You are rigth, these devices were for greasepumping to the mechanical links partly outside (in the casing) the pressurehull. As far as I remember a few pipes led  from the pump via shut off valves in the pressurehull to distribution boxes for greasepoints outside . May be something for Christophers forward greaselines project?
We had a special man ,a "greaser", who was responsible for these points.

:-) Interesting! I always thought that was the coffee-maker for The Lords!! ;-) Now I have to dig up some info on these distribution boxes.

Christopher. Coffee-maker! You should know better, the coffee was made almost in the crews lavatory and the coffeetaste would match any fancy taste made today!
Tore

[SnakeDoc]

Hi Tore

original compasshousing changed with a newer version

That's interesting - I have always thought that U-995 (and KNM Kaura later) was equiped with this newer version compass housing (specific for the late versions of the type VIIC/41):



 (U-1023)

(U-1305)


It is significantly smaller than housing in the earlier versions of the type VIIC. I guess, it is because in the late VIIC/41 some parts of the salvage/emergency blowing installations which were also in this housing were removed.


I have been also wondering, how the magnetic compass (and the light transmission system to the control room) looked like.


Tore, one more question - I know, that apart from the depth gauges in the control room, there were two gauges in the forward and aft torpedo room each. On U-995 in Laboe I have never seen these. Do you remember, where they were located?


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Thanks, regards
Maciek