SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Interior VII uboat walkthru posted by Neal 19/02/2010

walsh2509 · 02-20-10, 02:22 PM

From my Uboataces Newsletter ...

First Impressions When you climb into a Type VIIC U-boat, the first impression you get is the maze of pipes, handwheels, and dials crammed from the ceiling to your ankles on the ground. There is very little wood, or plastic, everything is mostly steel - and as you’d expect, without any windows. The air is still and humid with very little lighting emitted by a handful of menthol bulbs suspended from the ceiling.
The inside is tight and cramped, with many sections wide enough for only one adult. So if you wanted to walk to the rear, and someone was on the same path coming forward, then you had to stand aside to let the other person pass.
The inside of the Type VIIC is sectionalized into ten compartments. From front to rear :-

Forward Torpedo Room & Crew Quarters
Officer’s Cabin
CO’s Cabin/Radio Room & Sound Room
Control Room
Conning Tower
Aft Living Quarters
Galley
Diesel Engine Room
Electric Motor Room
Aft Torpedo Room

In this chapter, you’ll explore the Control Room and Conning Tower

Inside the Control Room
The Control Room is in the center of the U-boat.

Floor space is barely eight feet wide at its widest point. This room is filled with machineries, valves, gauges and controls encircling the entire room. All controls are within hands reach. So just look up above you, and you'll see iron pipes and hand-wheels just inches above your head. Look down, and there are more pipes and valves on the ground.
In the center of the room, lies the navigation periscope. The navigator’s table on the port side. Just aft of the periscope lies a ladder leading to the Conning Tower. All personnel leaving or entering the boat had to climb through two hatches – the conning tower hatch and the bridge hatch.
The Control Room is the only section of the boat protected by watertight pressure doors. Situated on both ends, this small pressure door was at knee height with a circular opening of about 3 feet in diameter. You climb in with your feet first, and then slide your body through it.
In the event of flooding, these doors could be sealed, providing the last refuge for the crew trapped in a doomed submarine.
Inside the Conning Tower Directly above the Control Room lies the Conning Tower. Even more cramped than the Control Room, access to this tiny room is through a small ladder in the center of the Control Room. Inside, it houses the attack periscope and the torpedo data computer (TDC).
During a submerged attack, the CO peered into the periscope, verbally relaying the target’s speed and bearing to the 1WO who was beside him. The 1WO inputted the coordinates into the TDC on the wall, which transmitted the torpedo targeting information to the torpedo room.
The order to launch was always relayed verbally. "Torpedo ein. Los!" (Tube one, fire!)
In your next chapter – Anatomy of the Inside of a Type VIIC... continued...
Get the full experience. Explore the Type VIIC U-Boat with over 600 photos, videos, schematics, and listen to what a U-boat sounds like...
Click here now for your Definitive Guide of the Type VIIC and walk step-by-step for an eye-opening inspection of this Atlantic predator!

02-20-10, 02:22 PM	#52
walsh2509 XO Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 410 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	From my Uboataces Newsletter ... First Impressions When you climb into a Type VIIC U-boat, the first impression you get is the maze of pipes, handwheels, and dials crammed from the ceiling to your ankles on the ground. There is very little wood, or plastic, everything is mostly steel - and as you’d expect, without any windows. The air is still and humid with very little lighting emitted by a handful of menthol bulbs suspended from the ceiling. The inside is tight and cramped, with many sections wide enough for only one adult. So if you wanted to walk to the rear, and someone was on the same path coming forward, then you had to stand aside to let the other person pass. The inside of the Type VIIC is sectionalized into ten compartments. From front to rear :- Forward Torpedo Room & Crew Quarters Officer’s Cabin CO’s Cabin/Radio Room & Sound Room Control Room Conning Tower Aft Living Quarters Galley Diesel Engine Room Electric Motor Room Aft Torpedo Room In this chapter, you’ll explore the Control Room and Conning Tower Inside the Control Room The Control Room is in the center of the U-boat. Floor space is barely eight feet wide at its widest point. This room is filled with machineries, valves, gauges and controls encircling the entire room. All controls are within hands reach. So just look up above you, and you'll see iron pipes and hand-wheels just inches above your head. Look down, and there are more pipes and valves on the ground. In the center of the room, lies the navigation periscope. The navigator’s table on the port side. Just aft of the periscope lies a ladder leading to the Conning Tower. All personnel leaving or entering the boat had to climb through two hatches – the conning tower hatch and the bridge hatch. The Control Room is the only section of the boat protected by watertight pressure doors. Situated on both ends, this small pressure door was at knee height with a circular opening of about 3 feet in diameter. You climb in with your feet first, and then slide your body through it. In the event of flooding, these doors could be sealed, providing the last refuge for the crew trapped in a doomed submarine. Inside the Conning Tower Directly above the Control Room lies the Conning Tower. Even more cramped than the Control Room, access to this tiny room is through a small ladder in the center of the Control Room. Inside, it houses the attack periscope and the torpedo data computer (TDC). During a submerged attack, the CO peered into the periscope, verbally relaying the target’s speed and bearing to the 1WO who was beside him. The 1WO inputted the coordinates into the TDC on the wall, which transmitted the torpedo targeting information to the torpedo room. The order to launch was always relayed verbally. "Torpedo ein. Los!" (Tube one, fire!) In your next chapter – Anatomy of the Inside of a Type VIIC... continued... Get the full experience. Explore the Type VIIC U-Boat with over 600 photos, videos, schematics, and listen to what a U-boat sounds like... Click here now for your Definitive Guide of the Type VIIC and walk step-by-step for an eye-opening inspection of this Atlantic predator!