[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Dallsim

In the beginning of the film, before boarding the submarine at La Rochelle, they mention something about bolts or screws that had to be changed. Was this because they were noisy, which would give away their position when turned, or was it because they were worn and would not survive too high a water pressure?

"Screw" is the American naval term for "propeller". They had to change one of them because it was noisy. Oddly, in underwater scenes later in the movie you can hear one of them squeaking. Was it the shaft that should have been replaced? Did they replace the wrong one. Am I just hearing things?

When they shoot the "tanker" (German) and realise that the crew still remained on the ship, they are forced to leave them behind to die. Is this because of lack of supplies and space in the submarine, or would they be worried that, if they were to attack the enemy, the prisoners would scream or make noise alerting the Destroyers? Why weren't the onboard passengers rescued in the first place? Was it deliberately done so as not to spoil the fact that Enigma was cracked?

You must have seen a shorter version of the film. In the five-hour 'Original, Uncut' version they actually have a discussion about that. When the reporter, Lt Werner, asks the Old Man why, he replies "We barely have room on this boat for the fifty men assigned to her. How many would you have rescued? One? Ten? A Hundred?"

In order to rescue survivors in a convoy the rescuing ship would have to come to a complete stop for several minutes. This is practically begging for the attacking u-boat to sink the rescuing ship. That is exactly what happened in the First World War when Otto Weddigen in U-9 attacked the British armoured cruisers Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue. Weddigen torpedoed one of them and, thinking it had hit a mine, moved in to rescue survivors from the water. While the second ship was thus stopped, Weddigen torpedoed it, and then the same for the third. In World War 2 they considered it suicide to go back and pick people up. Later in the war they would have a ship assigned to the rear of the convoy for just that reason. Sometimes a U-boat captain would even allow one merchant to pick up survivors from the others he had sunk.

The Navigator who got shot by the fighter plane luckily survived but what happens to crew members who die? How do you dispose of the body/bodies? Would they be flushed out or kept in a special room?

Generally the body is wrapped in cloth with a lead or steel weight attached. Then the body is allowed to slide over the side into the water. This is called "Burial At Sea", and is one of the highest honors a sailor can be accorded.

When they got stuck under water, they used oxygen masks while sleeping. How long would suck an oxygen last for then compared to nowadays?

The kind they used? Maybe twenty minutes. Their main function was for working in a compartment - such as the batteries - that had been flooded with toxic gasses. Also possibly for escaping the sub if it is sunk in very shallow water.

One of the most remarkable things about the film were how they managed

to repair the submarine. I cannot even imagine the engineering skill that is needed to be on a submarine! I mean, you would have to have MULTIPLE people who could fix or repair damage, especially since there is a chance of injury and death during the voyage. What type of training does the lowest level of naval marine go through before being eligable on a submarine?

In the US Navy pretty much everyone cross-trains in different skills. In the German Navy at that time, I'm not sure, but I think they were pretty big on keeping different jobs isolated. That said, in the military everyone is trained to follow orders. It only takes one man in any section to know how to fix things in his own compartment. All the rest have to do is what they're told. I was a radioman on a destroyer, but I also worked as a mess-cook (not actually cooking, but cleaning up), a "runner" (carrying messages to the bridge), and a lookout.

Seriously, this film was absolutely brilliant. We both loved it and was surprised how quickly 3 1/2 hours went by! I know there is a TV series out that goes by the same name. Is it worth a watch or should I see the other submarine related films first, like Red October, Crimson Tides etc?

Okay, you saw the 'Director's Cut'. The miniseries runs at just under 5 hours, and explains a lot of things the shorter versions don't. It's available under the title 'The Original Uncut Version', and is edited to be one continuous movie. While the Director's Cut is technically superior, with remastered video and sound, the latter version adds so much to the story that I won't even watch the shorter versions anymore.