joe brandt. et al:

You wrote: "When loading a torpedo on a german u-boat it was greased NOT with vaseline, this is total nonsense but with a thick brown grease."

Vaseline is pure petrolatum or petroleum jelly. It was produced in various colors, but green and brown petrolatum was generally used. The U.S. torpedo's counter-rotating shafts were greased using a grease-gun loaded with petrolatum (brown) using an extension to reach the fitting through the bore of the shafts.. At assembly of the tail section, the bronze bushings were heavily coated with (brown) petrolatum. Obviously, it's consistency depended on the ambient temperature; the cooler it was, the thicker the petrolatum became, and vice versa.

Hope this helps,

ROBERT M.