Hello Mr. Tore,
Very interesting... So you served on U-995 VIIC/41 and U-926 VIIC; I believe U-926 was scrapped in 1962. Did you serve an any of the later subs like the Ula Class jointly developed by Norway and Germany (U-Boot Klasse 210 - Diesel-electric)? Others?
PS: Yes I can see where the blisters align with the flood gates. If the U-Boat is submerged, then the entire bow free flood area would be flooded. The blisters would allow a small amount of water to flow through the bow free flood area, but that wouldn't affect the drive performance. Would it?
When running on the surface, water from the flood gate will flow up over the rounded bow pressure hull approaching the level of the lower set of limber holes in the U-Boat outer side casing. I thought the function of the blisters was to evacuate the water. If water was allowed to pool in this area, then it would result in a slight increase in bow weight. At that distance from the center of gravity it only takes a little weight to lower the bow, and with a lower bow the U-Boat will require more power to maintain a set speed.
Of Course, I could be off on a tangent again... Please advise!
Note* The photo you posted of U-995 demonstrating the alignment of the flood gate and the blisters, the U-Boat looks to be running very high in the water. The flood gate and the upper torpedo tubes look to be out of the water (the waterline is way above the surface). Is this an unusual running condition?Regards,
Don_