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RE: Navigation

Posted by: Robert Eno ()

Date: August 18, 2000 11:38AM

Hello Andrew,

Although I am not an authority on U-Boats, navigation is one of my specialties and navigation of U-boats is of interest to me. U-boats were navigated like any other naval vessel at the time: a combination of dead reckoning - through the use of magnetic and gyro-compasses and charts - coupled with, weather depending, position fixes by astro-navigation (sextant, chronometer and tables).

From what I have read, it was more often than not - at least in the North Atlantic - impossible to obtain an astro fix with the sextant due to bad weather. Often times the boat would be cruising for days on end, strictly on dead reckoning. The latter is, in the simplest of terms, an accounting of one's position based on speed and track (the direction of the boat). Some of the U-boat Obersteurerman (navigators) were exceptional navigators and were able to keep a pretty accurate account of their boat's position through dead reckoning and also taking into account, the effect of tides, currents and wind. This is no mean feat, beleive me. I've read all of the theory on these methods and it is quite straightforward. Doing it a sea is an altogether different matter!

I could expand on this more if you want me to, but that, in a nutshell is how it was accomplished.

Robert Eno

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Subject	Written By	Posted
Navigation	Andrew Hetherington	08/18/2000 08:09AM
RE: Navigation	Robert Eno	08/18/2000 11:38AM
RE: Navigation	Jay Baker	08/19/2000 02:55PM
RE: Navigation	Rbbert Eno	08/19/2000 03:20PM
RE: Navigation and the Wolf Pack tactic	Andrew Hetherington	08/21/2000 10:12AM
RE: Navigation and the Wolf Pack tactic	Robert Eno	08/21/2000 05:29PM
RE: Navigation and the Wolf Pack tactic	Steve Borgianini	09/05/2000 01:22AM
RE: Navigation and the Wolf Pack tactic	Robert Eno	09/05/2000 11:42PM

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Robert Eno Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello Andrew,
> 
> Although I am not an authority on U-Boats,
> navigation is one of my specialties and navigation
> of U-boats is of interest to me.  U-boats were
> navigated like any other naval vessel at the time:
> a combination of dead reckoning - through the use
> of magnetic and gyro-compasses and charts -
> coupled with, weather depending, position fixes by
> astro-navigation (sextant, chronometer and
> tables).
> 
> From what I have read, it was more often than not
> - at least in the North Atlantic -  impossible to
> obtain an astro fix with the sextant due to bad
> weather.  Often times the boat would be cruising
> for days on end, strictly on dead reckoning.  The
> latter is, in the simplest of terms, an accounting
> of one's position based on speed and track (the
> direction of the boat).  Some of the U-boat
> Obersteurerman (navigators) were exceptional
> navigators and were able to keep a pretty accurate
> account of their boat's position through dead
> reckoning and also taking into account, the effect
> of tides, currents and wind. This is no mean feat,
> beleive me.  I've read all of the theory on these
> methods and it is quite straightforward.  Doing it
> a sea is an altogether different matter!
> 
> I could expand on this more if you want me to, but
> that, in a nutshell is how it was accomplished.
> 
> Robert Eno