Vent slats on type IX

[Capt Kremin]

Hi All,
 
Attached is a picture of the U 505 with an arrow pointing to a square vent below the tower.
Questions: Is this still a vent or has it been covered up?
If it is still a vent, does anyone have a photo of it?, port or starboard will do.
If not, does anyone have a picture of any type IX that the number of slats can be counted?
 
Many thanks
Jon

[SG]

Jon,
check the excellent photographic thread by Greif down below (in the type IX section, i sense you've already done it  ): in the picture you posted the grate's frame matches with the one of the vent below. So it should be a vent and would probably look like this:

Anyway, in the shot below (also posted by Greif), aft of the vent you pointed out there's also something looking like a squared patch that you dont want to miss (lower edge of the picture, on the same axis of the two paired holes, not very easy to spot)

So we have the vent and the (?)squared patch. We should ask Ernest (Greif) if the close-up showing the grate was taken in that particular section of the boat to have confirmation that the vent is really there. I checked a few b/w pictures of dry-docked type IXs (U123, U128, U129, U65 and U67) but they don't show this part of the boat clearly. Slats: 2 per flooding hole.
cheers
SG
 
 
 
 
 

[Capt Kremin]

Hi SG
 
Thanks for that, I knew I'd seen a pic somewhere, doh!
 
I suspect that this is not original but it could be a copy of an original, see attached port and starbord vents from U 534, albeit small and poor quality pics.
 
I count 12 slats, 14 including the outer edge on the starboard and an undefined number on the port, possibly as few as 7. The port vent is not currently visible and the starboard vent no longer exists now there is just a hole in the hull. The starboard vent appears to be retained by 10 countersunk screws, which seems now likely than the 4 bolts on the U 505s vent. The port vent however was in pooor condition when the photo was taken, at the time she was being moved to Birkenhead. which would imply that it was original. The starboard one seems a little too good to be the original, I do know she spent 3 years being "inspected" at Hirtshals dry dock and a lot of panels were cut out and refitted/replaced (looking for the alleged gold?), or it could have survived in good condition in silt.
 
I would love to know where Revel get 7 and Eduard get 8 slats.
 
If only there was a dry dock picture like you where looking for, it would help resolve the mystery.
 
Regards
Jon