Tores mailbox VIIC and VIIC/41 operation and technical details

[tore]

Thank, Tore! Both pictures were very useful. I also look at other pictures of the Type VIIC's late-war deck style. And I found something common with then...they are all different 
 

• The widths of the wooden boards are many.
• The spacing between the wooden boards is much the same.
• The workmanship with the decking also was very variable, some were very nice and very good, while others looked like it was build in a rush.

Below this the colour I have gone for. It’s a little lighter now, but it will darken after I get it printed.
 

Simon
I think you should  skip the yellowish tint. It was very dark almost black gray (like cinders if you know that kind of coke) and you didn`t see the woodgrainpattern.
The the wooden deck of U 995 at Laboe  has a terrible quality, warped and uneven it was definitely not like that, however the colour is not far from what it used to be.
Tore
tore
 Tore, can you remember how the wooden deck was fix? Could you see the metal bolts or were there small wooden plugs reset within the bolt holes? 

Simon I believe they were galvanized

[tore]

Simon
Fixing of wooden deckboards . I believe they were bolted with galvanized bolts having filisterheadsupwards approximately same colours as the deck. I cannot remember any wooden pegs.
Tore

[tore]

Simon.
I see you have left the conningtower hatch without any details,sure it will come. Don`t forget the catch keeping the hatch open.
The conningtowerhatch was very important as it was vital that the CO got on the top as quick as possible. The problem was that after having been submerged over a long periode the could be a substantial overpressure in the sub due to smaller leakages and fi using the airdriven exhaustvalvegrinder. Equalizing the pressuredifferance could take time and was often skipped as a routine we had always a man with a firm grip around the CO`s legs when he opened the hatch which flung open. I never saw it but was told that CO `s have been jettisoned out of the hatch. I noticed howewer that the air inside turned into fog by the sudden pressuredrop.
Tore

[NZSnowman]

Simon.
I see you have left the conningtower hatch without any details,sure it will come. Don`t forget the catch keeping the hatch open.
The conningtowerhatch was very important as it was vital that the CO got on the top as quick as possible. The problem was that after having been submerged over a long periode the could be a substantial overpressure in the sub due to smaller leakages and fi using the airdriven exhaustvalvegrinder. Equalizing the pressuredifferance could take time and was often skipped as a routine we had always a man with a firm grip around the CO`s legs when he opened the hatch which flung open. I never saw it but was told that CO `s have been jettisoned out of the hatch. I noticed howewer that the air inside turned into fog by the sudden pressuredrop.
Tore

Very interesting, about the pressure different! I did note the hatch fastening. I decided to leave the hatch out at this stay as I was not happy with my original drawing. I want to redraw it.

Simon
Fixing of wooden deckboards . I believe they were bolted with galvanized bolts having filisterheadsupwards approximately same colours as the deck. I cannot remember any wooden pegs.
Tore

Thanks for the information 

Simon
The only photo I have would be the below. The references could be the forward pressurecontainer which is placed at the same frame as the original or may be the original hatch in the foreground.
Tore

Thanks for the pictures 

[tore]

Maciek
As a remark to my statement a few days ago concerning comparison of habitability standard between british and german submarines, I shall elaborate that a little more. You have of course rigth that the litterature is full of statement that the allied subs were better. VIICs were comparatively smaller than the US and british subs .I dont`know the US types so well but I sailed the british A,T and S class they were fairly comfortable, the A had even a "captains quarter" in a separate pressurehull adjacent to the conningtower. We had only U class of british make subs and if you compare the accommodation of those to a VIIC the latter was a winner. Both classes had about the same crewmembers but the U class was smaller inside and hence the accomodation was more cramped. The main reason for that is  it didn`t have saddletanks. The VIICs saddletanks made it also more comfortable in heavy sea (less rolling).  We had late nigths discussions about  of the design of the two types and I`m not sure if we had a clear winner, but apart from the accommodation question I think amongst the engineers the german diesels were the winners.
Tore

[tore]

Simon
Further to my post on the colour of the deck I found an interresting instruction from the German navy high command. You probably know the Submariners handbook no 1643 revised version of 1943, today published on the net by HNSA Historic Naval Ships Associaton. Section I

[TopherVIIC]

Tore,
On page 104 and 105 of the Manual at http://uboatarchive.net/Manual.htm it is stated that:
"... To support bulkheads and seal leakages, the following materials are provided on the boat: Leak shoring material. 4 Leak shoring timbers each 200 x 10 x 10 cm and 4 boards @ 75 x 30 x 4 cm are carried in the forward torpedo room"
Did the Norwegian Navy use the same equipment for leak sealing, or did they have different, post-war improvements?
Do you know where these were stored - Did they form the "walking deck" over the torpedos or were they extra gear carried in excess of the normal false flooring?
There is mention of other boards and planks for leak sealing in the diesel engine rooms and aft torpedo rooms. Do you know where these were stored as well?


Thanks for all of your input! 
Christopher

[tore]

Tore,
On page 104 and 105 of the Manual at http://uboatarchive.net/Manual.htm it is stated that:
"... To support bulkheads and seal leakages, the following materials are provided on the boat: Leak shoring material. 4 Leak shoring timbers each 200 x 10 x 10 cm and 4 boards @ 75 x 30 x 4 cm are carried in the forward torpedo room"
Did the Norwegian Navy use the same equipment for leak sealing, or did they have different, post-war improvements?
Do you know where these were stored - Did they form the "walking deck" over the torpedos or were they extra gear carried in excess of the normal false flooring?
There is mention of other boards and planks for leak sealing in the diesel engine rooms and aft torpedo rooms. Do you know where these were stored as well?


Thanks for all of your input! 
Christopher

Christopher
I cannot remember we carried any timber whatsoever. Occasionally we used some as help during maintenance work. But the  timber was left ashore. I doubt if the timber would be of any help for possible dammage while submerged. The pressure would too high in most cases. We had no other devices for major structure damagecontrol. I don`t know where the germans would possibly store the timber, sorry.
Tore

[TopherVIIC]

...I don`t know where the germans would possibly store the timber, sorry....

Good to know! I will see if I can figure out where such timber was kept if it was actually carried at all, but will not worry too much over it. After all, the drawings show that type VII's had small boats stored under the top deck but it is known that they did not all carry them as planned.
Thanks again!

[SnakeDoc]

Tore
I have got a question - do you remember what this box is?

It is located in the aft, port corner of the forward torpedo room, and is labeled "AGOS".
I have no idea, what is this for, I suspect, it is not german, but introduced later, by Norwegians.


--
Thanks, regards
Maciek

[tore]

Maciek
I cannot remember ever to have seen this box, so I presume it has been installed after my time onboard. It looks like an US made box to me and that migth give a clue. AGOS  was (is?) a name for US Ocean Surveillance Ships gathering acoustic datas in support of the Navys antisubmarine warfare branch. My guess is the box has something to do with equipment linked up to that.
Tore

[TopherVIIC]

... I cannot remember ever to have seen this box, so I presume it has been installed after my time onboard.

It will be challenging to try to figure out what subtle changes were made from when the Germans had the boat in the first place, to when you were there and the Norwegians added and modified it, and the years after.
I am glad we have a primary source such as your self! Thanks!
Christopher

[tore]

Christopher
I guess you endeavour to make your model as close as possible to the original of the VIIC at a specific time. Changes seems to have been a continious process on the type. When we took over the U 995, she was still at the yard in Norway for retrofit and the Germans never sailed her as she was after that. All our 3 VIIC were different and you noticed it at once coming onboard. After KNM Kaura (U 995) had her retrofit at the yard she was a "frontline" sub. in our navy and in the last years a training sub til 1962. I have the impression she was used for different experiments in the last years and that`s probably when she got changes like the balkongerat and other stuff. When the Germans got her back, they made considerable changes again and used sometimes easy and even uncorrect changes (repairs).It is not easy to figure out what is original or phantasy on the Laboe  U995. In addition it seems they have given everybody a paintbrush so the could paint to they hearts desire camouflaging the details thoroughly in vivid colours. You have indeed a challenging task ahead of you in making you details and I wish you every success in your task. Allthough modest, I`m happy to be able to give a little help.
Tore

[NZSnowman]

Maciek
I cannot remember ever to have seen this box, so I presume it has been installed after my time onboard. It looks like an US made box to me and that migth give a clue. AGOS  was (is?) a name for US Ocean Surveillance Ships gathering acoustic datas in support of the Navys antisubmarine warfare branch. My guess is the box has something to do with equipment linked up to that.
Tore

I have a feeling that the balkongeratand and this box were install at the same time 

[tore]

Simon
I believe you have a point and as an extra info even one of our VIICs, KNM Kya ( U 926) was converted with a sail conningtower after my time.
Tore