Type VII with wooden decks...

[Polycell]

Did all Type VII have wooden decks?  Did any have wooden decks??

[Mr. Bill]

I believe that all type VIIC boats had wood (teak?) decks.

[Mr. Bill]

Sorry, I meant to say all type VII boats (A, B, C, .....) had wooden decks.

[Anakin]

And VII D boats too. So i guess also IA had wooden decks? I X and X type boats had steel decks? Anybody who knows?

Anakin

[billp51d]

   Steel decks...I donno..Bad application..Harder to repair and much added weight..More than likely also wood..

[Rokket]

IX had wood, at least U 505.

[Anakin]

There was a lot of different versions of the deck structure. Earlier IXC/40 boats ( U-187) had quite lot of steel parts on decks. The cargo/ammo hathces on both sides looks like steel plates with holes. The ct aa platform and rear deck where the 3.7cm gun is also looks steel. If looking later boats (U-889) with different wintergartens you can see that wood was used a lot more. Later IXC/40 boats deck planking was 80mm x 35mm wood.

U-166 http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2282/u166le105mm30ou31mai194.jpg
U-177 http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9892/u177ensurface.jpg
U-187 http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3183/u187crmoniedentreenserv.jpg
U-193 http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/8453/u193crmoniedentreenserv.jpg
U-869 http://www.richiekohler.com/u869/images/1944/U%20869%20Comm%202.JPG
U-505 http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-505EnclG439.htm


There are good pics in vom original zum modell IXC book. Too bad i only know few words from here and there...

Anakin

[Bad Karma]

Ah this is the right thread,it never happens to me before,grrrrr.
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I am 99% sure that the type`s IX-A,B,C,C/40,D-1,D-2 and the D/42 had wood decks on there boats.
Like Bill said,most unlikely that hole boat has a steel deck,I think it`s way to heavy.But some areas of the boat is possible.

The CT decks is another story,for example,I have some pix of the U-198(IX-D2) the upper and lower decks are steel.
The CT decks of U-889(IX-C/40) had wood decks after her capitulation,for each boat it`s different.I think this
has something to do with.......when and where(place and date) a boat was build in wich yard or the different kinds of shiprepairyards when a boat sufferd some
damage after a patrol,The shiprepairyards were in Germany,Japan,France,Norway etc etc.

The hatches for the external storage containers is also for each boat different, some boats has steel hatches,
some boats has wood hatches and some boats has a combination of both,steel and wood.

I Hope this helps!!!!!!!!!

[SilentVic18]

I anticipate that the CT decks is addition story,for example,I accept some pix of the U-198(IX-D2) the high and lower decks are steel.


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Programmable thermostats

[Pat]

I'd read somewhere that the wood on the decks was not teak but pine due to availability during the war.  Because soft pine is not nearly as resistant to salt water and would quickly rot, the Germans used a solution somewhat like creosote to protect them, and that's why the decks looked black or almost black. 

This solution would of course, wear off in the high traffic areas so the deck at the tops of the ladders and inside the CT would be lighter where they were worn, with varying shades of black and natural (but dark) wood around the FlaK guns and especially where the gangplank rests when at dock.

Where the wood has been exposed for a long time, it turns a driftwood grey.  That's most likely to happen at the tips near the bow and stern where the wear comes mostly from wave action and there's not much attention to touching up the waterproofing. 

To look realistic,care should be taken therefore to weather the decks almost as much as rusting, oil-canning etc. on the casing.

I also read that earlier in the war, the boats were more likely to have steel decking but as time went on, they found that wood was less slippery when wet and easier to repair when damaged.  It would have been especialy important to have wood decks on the murmansk convoy routes where it would be harder for ice to form on wood than on steel.

Even battleships had wood decks over top of their armour.