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Originally Posted by VonHelsching
I've read somewhere that the crush depth is affected by the strain the boat has taken over it's life, resulting a cumulative "damage" or hull weakening. Meaning that the fist time it might dive up to 280 meters, but the next time a little less and so on. Also several dives in 200 m should also have the same result.
Finding out the crush depth should not be an exact science, because although the manufacturing processes were the same (in the same factory), individual lots of steel for the hull might not be up to standard specs; this also applies for other materials and the welder's experience and techniques.
Also, depth charges indeed posed a threat to the hull integrity and gradually as the uboats aged their crush depth should deteriorate too.
I wouldn't be suprised to learn that some brand new uboats collapsed at 200 meters or managed to stay intact at 300 m.
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This is the most likely explanation. The uboat i linked to in the orginal post, it was a brand new boat on its first patrol.
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Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat
I posted this in another thread. In 1969, the USS Chopper accidently dived to 1,000 feet (about 300 meters).
http://www.geocities.com/jaob/deepdive.htm
It was a WW2 Balao class submarine with a test depth of 400 feet (about 123 meters). WW2 german subs were supposed to be able to dive deeper than US subs, so a VII or IX should be able to go as deep.
It does not say in the link, but the Chopper's pressure hull was so badly damaged from this extreme depth that the sub had to be taken out of service. |
That was a good read. I'd have hated to have been onboard that boat at the time.