how were u boats steered?

01-16-12, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

Thanks Steve, I tried google but a lot of reading and just did not feel like doing , plenty of reading for school to do.Wonder why they chose to use that instead of a wheel?

Wheels were made for emergency control if main control got damaged in action and so.

and in SH3 the crew can be seen sitting only at depth control ruders, the steering ruder control station next to the hatch to sonar/radio room is empty. You can also see that their hands ar on emergency wheel when they should be touching BBC control box instead.

Bubblehead1980 · 01-16-12, 02:29 AM

Perhaps electric steering was more quiet than hydraulic?

CCIP · 01-16-12, 02:45 AM

More than that, I suspect it was lighter, mechanically simpler, easier to maintain and more compact, which is probably the real reason it was adopted. If you look at U-boat designs, space and weight were very much at a premium in them. The German design philosophy was very much performance-first.

Also, I don't think anyone seriously planned for loss of electrical power. A U-boat losing electrical power would have bigger things to worry about than steering, namely the fact that it without electric power it had no propulsion and no pumps. In that scenario it would be dead long before steering became a problem.

In any case, I believe it still had a mechanical backup. Same for the dive planes - their normal controls were electric with a mechanical backup.

Rhodes · 01-16-12, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

In any case, I believe it still had a mechanical backup. Same for the dive planes - their normal controls were electric with a mechanical backup.

The rudder wheel was in the aft torpedo room, stored in the ceiling. It was lower into to position to steer the boat if necessary. Sorry, but the correct terms eludes me.

Image from Anatomy of a ship: the type vii uboat.

Sailor Steve · 01-16-12, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaKilo

You can also see that their hands ar on emergency wheel when they should be touching BBC control box instead.

Of course. They followed that historical document Das Boot.

01-16-12, 02:45 AM	#3
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	More than that, I suspect it was lighter, mechanically simpler, easier to maintain and more compact, which is probably the real reason it was adopted. If you look at U-boat designs, space and weight were very much at a premium in them. The German design philosophy was very much performance-first. Also, I don't think anyone seriously planned for loss of electrical power. A U-boat losing electrical power would have bigger things to worry about than steering, namely the fact that it without electric power it had no propulsion and no pumps. In that scenario it would be dead long before steering became a problem. In any case, I believe it still had a mechanical backup. Same for the dive planes - their normal controls were electric with a mechanical backup. __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

01-16-12, 02:29 AM	#2
Bubblehead1980 Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Florida USA Posts: 7,196 Downloads: 621 Uploads: 44	Perhaps electric steering was more quiet than hydraulic?