Type IXB (9B) External Torpedo Storages & Loading

[tom2189]

Hello, i was curious about external storages on Type 9B (Specifically!) and in general. How do marines load torpedoes in sea from external compartments to internal? I've tried to find some schemes and pictures but failed. I will be happy to see all those cranes and equipment wich was hidden when not needed. I would like to see schemes of type 9b where it can be seen, or photoes\videos of this procedure.

All i found was the mention that empty external storages were sealable and had a tendency to break inside torpedo room under heavy depth charge bombardment wich often leaded to submarine death because of quick water arrival to torpedo room compartment. So, no pictures at all.

P.S. excuzes for not perfect english, it's not my native.

[Aktungbby]

<This is how loading into the slanted weapon hatch looked at dockside....a far cry from doing it at sea in 5" waves and a bobbing rolling hull with ever increasing
threats from enemy aircraft??!! In any case, in all navies it's a miserable job> https://nevsedoma.com.ua/en/600762-h...23-photos.html

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

<This is how loading into the slanted weapon hatch looked at docside....a far cry from doing it at sea in 5" waves and a bobbing rolling hull with ever increasing
threats from enemy aircraft??!! In any case, in all navies it's a miserab le job> [

and for all of these reasons, the germans ceased using their external storage for torpedoes sometime in 42 or early 43.

[Aktungbby]

Indeed! I've been searching old discussions on just that:

Originally Posted by JohnPancoast

Well, they weren't transferred at night anyway for obvious crew safety reasons; tricky enough dealing with a heavy torpedo on a moving platform during daylight, i.e., let alone in the dark.

If you want to follow the historical timeline there should be no externals after 5/43. If not, load 'em up !

Originally Posted by ME

...in another related thread we (Fubar, Pancoast) recently discussed concluded that none of the type IX carried reloads due to air cover and I noted that Hardigan the drumbeater only carried 16 in his American coast raid. Air cover and the particularly miserable weather conditions of the Atlantic precluded convenient loading times -generally 4 hours -to wrangle fresh steam eels below deck. The electric eels were never carried above deck. Also even a near DC attack would render the top-stored eels inoperative and not worth risking an expensive Uboat and crew to find out which ones. The type IX's, in addition to being at 2/3 eel complement, were removed from the Atlantic main convoy routes by '43. Aces Silent Otto and the Bull of Scapa were long gone by then.

BOTTOM LINE: Only steam eels were ever carried in the external storage as batteries (requiring prelaunch heating up were susceptible to damage outside the U-boat's hull). tom2189's inquirey past 5/'43 is essentially moot. John Pancoast even has a mod for historical correctness on external eels: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...84&postcount=1