Hello all,

First I just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing their expertise. This forum is very informative.

On to my question. I have a basic idea of what happened to German u-boats when they were sunk by depth charges: the pressure hull was compromised by a shock wave, water would flood in and make the u-boat sink like a stone. But I would like more detail. The pressure hull had four compartments, if I am not mistaken. Could a u-boat survive a flooded torpedo room fore or aft if it were sealed? What about the center compartments? Was flooding an initial problem that made the u-boat uncontollable, eventually letting her tumble to depths that crushed her? Were there any boats that survived a ruptured pressure hull? Could depth charges cause a u-boat to lose control without breaching the pressure hull?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Tom