The Conning Tower
The Conning Tower 2001 - 2008
This was a huge user-supported members area that required fee for subscribing. We started this in 2001 and since then many visitors have joined and enjoyed the material found there. The name "Conning Tower" might continue as a "club" of sorts, mailing list or other means.
The Conning Tower closing for new subscribers / renewals
As of Jan 2008 the Conning Tower will be closed for new subscribers and renewals. This is due to the fact that later in 2008 almost the entire section will be open to all uboat.net visitors. This means tens of thousands of new pages will be made available. Current members will, of course, enjoy the access much further into 2008.
Why this change?
The section operated as a members area for almost 7 years - but was then merged with the rest of the site. Reasons for this change include simplicity (one large site instead of two large ones) and the many benefits of opening our vast databases to all.
Possibility of supporting uboat.net
It is possible to help us cover the cost of operating uboat.net. This is possible by two main ways:
- Donations through the KAGI payment service ($15, $30 or $45)
- Donations through PayPal – account gummi@uboat.net (any amount)
- Get me a beer when in Reykjavik, Iceland! :)
Donating is by no means necessary to enojoy the site. It‘s all voluntary but welcome of you feel like it.
Status of Conning Tower migration (2 Jan 2009)
Shaded areas have been fully opened in the main site. Some others, like Attacks, have been partially opened. A new section is opened roughly weekly or bi-weekly.
Aug 20 2008
Rewrote the Emblems section with new material and functions. Now you can see all boats with emblems, search all our emblems, link emblems from U-boat pages and more.
May 4 2008
Opened two major sections; WWI U-boat Commanders and Ships hit by U-boats during WWI.
May 3 2008
Opened the final two interactive maps from the Conning Tower; Ships attacked by U-boats (3184 positions) and Ships attacked by U-boats during WWI (2372 positions).
I've just opened 2 major sections on the main site; U-boat patrols and U-boat successes. The U-boat Patrols database especially is a very large and detailed section. These sections are integrated into all relevant pages as needed. You can see the Successes of U-99 and then the patrols of U-552 as an example. The Patrols section then gives you a very detailed view of each patrol with ships hit, maps, positions and more. You can access these sections directly from the U-boat pages, like from U-158.
I also opened the smaller Revised U-boat fates page that lists updates in U-boat fates since the war (over 140 entries).
Gudmundur Helgason