Details, details, details

[msxyz]

Originally Posted by alexradu89

Did they now ? So what's missing from the real u-boat ? or better yet can you share the schematics with us ? (if it's a virtual document) I can't find any VII A blueprints...nvm found them around here somewhere

Judging from the books and photografic material I have seen over the years, I also think they did a quite accurate reproduction of a type VIIC interior. Early types VIIA/B were somehow different in terms of machinery used although the general layout remains the same.

Too bad only one type VII still remains in existence today, and it's a late war type VIIc/41. Some years ago, there were some talks to rise all the boats scuttled at the end of the war in operation Deadlight. There's a certain hunger of steel and lead which is not "poisoned" by the radiation released from nuclear experiments from 1945 onwards. Metals fused before that day and preserved underwater are free of these nuclear pollutants and hence have a very high value for building scientific equipment to the point it would cover the expense of raising a wreck from the bottom of the sea.

Although it's scary to think all those boats being cut into pieces, at least it would be a good occasion for a documented study on several other germans submarines of the era of whom only a few blueprints survive.

Anyone notice the spare torps under the decking in the forward torpedo room?

[pythos]

Yep, I saw those my first time walking through after getting my comp up to where I could walk through. I saw those and was like "oh wow that is cool"

[dberladyn]

Originally Posted by msxyz

Judging from the books and photografic material I have seen over the years, I also think they did a quite accurate reproduction of a type VIIC interior. Early types VIIA/B were somehow different in terms of machinery used although the general layout remains the same.

Too bad only one type VII still remains in existence today, and it's a late war type VIIc/41. Some years ago, there were some talks to rise all the boats scuttled at the end of the war in operation Deadlight. There's a certain hunger of steel and lead which is not "poisoned" by the radiation released from nuclear experiments from 1945 onwards. Metals fused before that day and preserved underwater are free of these nuclear pollutants and hence have a very high value for building scientific equipment to the point it would cover the expense of raising a wreck from the bottom of the sea.

Although it's scary to think all those boats being cut into pieces, at least it would be a good occasion for a documented study on several other germans submarines of the era of whom only a few blueprints survive.

You're kidding about that right? Steel and Lead being poisoned? Iron Ore is still mined around the globe, it's very abundant. Mining it from underground would be no different than steel sitting underwater... at least in my opinion.... but I don't really believe what you said to be true anyways. No offense.

I think if I was super rich I'd raise me one of those scuttled subs... it would make a nice yacht don't you think?

[msxyz]

Originally Posted by dberladyn

You're kidding about that right? Steel and Lead being poisoned? Iron Ore is still mined around the globe, it's very abundant.

It gets poisoned the moment it's melted. Also, the more it stays in the open air, the more it gets bombarded by everyday natural radiation. Not to mention that ores straight from deposits have slightly higher content of natural isotopes. That's why metals which rested underwater for long periods of time are attractive to scientists.

Since the detonation of the first atomic bomb in 1945, radioactive fallout from such explosions has resulted in contamination of the atmosphere by traces of radioactive elements previously not found there. The process of melting iron to make steel consumes vast quantities of air, leading to the concentration of such trace elements in the final product. Modern, high-sensitivity instrumentation, such as that used for nuclear radiation monitoring, is susceptible to the signal produced even by these trace elements, and requires material free from such contamination for its manufacture.

Lead ingots (used as ballast) from ancient wrecks are used for shielding very sensible cosmic radiation sensors.

Here's an article (albeit in italian, sorry, I'll try to dig up other info)
http://www.infn.it/notiziario/not5/nuclei.html