Having just visited the remnants of the german U-boat pens at Lorient in France, I would like to ask if any reader has further information about this base and how it operated, or could direct me to a source of information.
As an engineer, I found the structure to be one of the most impressive and awe inspiring I have seen. The method of launching and moving the submarines was designed on a scale which must surely be unique in the history of submarine operation.
On 31st October 2001 the U-boat pens are in a state of decay, and the French government has allocated 20 Million Francs for their demolition, although it is hard to imagine how such a building could possibly be destroyed. All the pens are fenced off and the tourist visits available during the Summer have long since finished. My eldest son & I squeezed through a gap in the fence to take a closer look and were amazed by the sheer size of the pens which were accessible. The original blast doors used to protect the pens in the event of air attack, were enormous. The Traversing table used to move the submarines when out of the water is still intact, with a single vast cradle supporting a post-war (presumably) French rotting sub. It was difficult to determine how the base operated and how the submarines were removed from the water and onto the cradle.
Peering into one pen with the end door open gave an appreciation of the scale of the building, like looking into a gigantic tunnel, with the sea just visible at the far end. Notices painted on the walls in German were still faintly visible and evocative of the origins of the base, its dreadful purpose, and the time of war when it was opeational.
Has anybody else seen more of the base, or even taken advantage of the tourist visit ?