OT: The purpose of U-boat aerial rigging?

[mookiemookie]

Does anyone know what it's purpose was? It's not radio equipment as far as I know...I believe the radio antenna was on the conning tower. What purpose did the rigging serve?

Paging Sailor Steve... :rotfl:

[AVGWarhawk]

Hold the conning tower steady perhaps? These are darn thick cables and probably provide stablity to the design...similiar to bridges with cable support?

[melnibonian]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Hold the conning tower steady perhaps? These are darn thick cables and probably provide stablity to the design...similiar to bridges with cable support?

I think that must be the reason. I am not too sure about it but it makes sence

[IceGrog]

Originally Posted by melnibonian

I think that must be the reason. I am not too sure about it but it makes sence

Didn’t someone here in the forums show a little animated thing of these being used to load the torpedoes?

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by IceGrog

Didn’t someone here in the forums show a little animated thing of these being used to load the torpedoes?

True Ice, could have been used to load the torpedos that were stored outside.:hmm:

[melnibonian]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

True Ice, could have been used to load the torpedos that were stored outside.:hmm:

They could have been used as raillings for the torpedoes but I think they were using man-power to load them into the boat.

[IceGrog]

let's see if this works

Originally Posted by Taurondin

Haven`t been here at Subsim for a while, but I remember this little animation from last time I saw this topic discussed

Originally Posted by Taurondin

http://www.u-boote-online.de/waffen/...ocation=uboote

[melnibonian]

Originally Posted by IceGrog

let's see if this works

Case closed then

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by melnibonian

Case closed then

Maybe not. You can clearly see the pulley and winch system they used, but it doesn't look like the rigging is a part of it:

[danurve]

The look on that crewmans face say's it all..

"This one better not be a dud."

[johnno74]

This page has some info: http://www.uboatwar.net/equipment.htm

The jumper wires that are such a distinctive part of most Second World War U-boats were in fact short-wave radio antennae (3-30MHz). Stretching both fore and aft of the conning tower, the forward portion was used to transmit while the stern twin wires were for reception. The antennae were connected to the radio within the U-boat by a thin insulated wire entering the conning tower facade. Coupled with their primary use was also the value of using the jumper wires as a means of attaching life lines for crew working on deck in bad weather.

[Herr Russ]

Yep, radio antenna... We still use them on almost every US Navy ship. The blocks seen are actually insulators and they use the hull as a ground plane.. we call them "Fan Wires"

[mookiemookie]

Ah ha! I THOUGHT they were antennas but was thrown off by the fact that they had an antenna on the side of the conning tower as well.

Now I can sleep at night. Thanks for everyone's input on this.

[AVGWarhawk]

I'll buy that. Notice some thin wires hooked to the larger cables. Now case closed. You have to admit the torpedo loading demonstration is cool. Makes it look easy but I bet it was no party.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Paging Sailor Steve... :rotfl:

Ummmm............................I 'on't know

I would have guessed antennas, but it would have been a guess.

Next time page johnno74. The definition of an expert is 'the guy who knows where to look it up'.