General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
U-505...finally
Posted by:
Tom Iwanski
()
Date: October 10, 2003 09:05PM
<HTML>Hi all,
Well, I finally managed to visit U-505 this week. It was a very interesting tour. Unfortunately, the tour was guided by a curator with a memorized spiel and no enthusiasm for the topic. Nonetheless, I was able to hang behind and get some photos and look things over.
Some interesting things of note:
First, they had the Junkers diesel air compressor on its own display outside the boat. It was supposedly a unique "free piston" design. Can anyone eloborate on this disign and its operation? (I have a photo of a metal plate on the compressor that has operating instructions in German. Unfortunately, I don't read German very well)
Second, they cut large holes in the boat for ingress and egress. It was interesting to see that the pressure hull averaged about 1/2" thick. I was under the impression it was thinner. The outer hull was about 1/4" thick.
Third, they had one of the enigma machines retrieved from the boat on display. Instead of using an illuminated panel for displaying the output cipher, it used a printer. It printed out on a ribbon of paper, no doubt for the purpose of easing the operator's job and preventing possible transcription errors.
Fourth, they had several German torpedoes on display, one a cutaway of an electric. The torp fuse, although dimensionally accurate, looked to be a simple mockup, as the "wings" were welded. One interesting item on the torp I could not identify was on the aft section. It appeared to be a small looking glass that showed a two-color (red and blue, maybe?) wheel with what appeared to be degree hash marks. Above this was a small square ended stem that looked like a place where you could use a socket wrench to make adjustments that would be displayed on the wheel.
Finally, they had a cutaway "fido" on display as well. It had what appeared to be an adjustment ring back toward the motor. The ring was secured by a cotter pin and had increments of 25, 50 75, 100 and 125. I assume this was for depth? Any other ideas? I have photos but I can e-mail but no Web site to post them on.
Anyhow, the display is being shut down for refurbishing at the end of the year. I don't know how long the exhibit will be unavailable, but I got the impression it would be down for the year of 2004.
Regards,
Tom</HTML>
Well, I finally managed to visit U-505 this week. It was a very interesting tour. Unfortunately, the tour was guided by a curator with a memorized spiel and no enthusiasm for the topic. Nonetheless, I was able to hang behind and get some photos and look things over.
Some interesting things of note:
First, they had the Junkers diesel air compressor on its own display outside the boat. It was supposedly a unique "free piston" design. Can anyone eloborate on this disign and its operation? (I have a photo of a metal plate on the compressor that has operating instructions in German. Unfortunately, I don't read German very well)
Second, they cut large holes in the boat for ingress and egress. It was interesting to see that the pressure hull averaged about 1/2" thick. I was under the impression it was thinner. The outer hull was about 1/4" thick.
Third, they had one of the enigma machines retrieved from the boat on display. Instead of using an illuminated panel for displaying the output cipher, it used a printer. It printed out on a ribbon of paper, no doubt for the purpose of easing the operator's job and preventing possible transcription errors.
Fourth, they had several German torpedoes on display, one a cutaway of an electric. The torp fuse, although dimensionally accurate, looked to be a simple mockup, as the "wings" were welded. One interesting item on the torp I could not identify was on the aft section. It appeared to be a small looking glass that showed a two-color (red and blue, maybe?) wheel with what appeared to be degree hash marks. Above this was a small square ended stem that looked like a place where you could use a socket wrench to make adjustments that would be displayed on the wheel.
Finally, they had a cutaway "fido" on display as well. It had what appeared to be an adjustment ring back toward the motor. The ring was secured by a cotter pin and had increments of 25, 50 75, 100 and 125. I assume this was for depth? Any other ideas? I have photos but I can e-mail but no Web site to post them on.
Anyhow, the display is being shut down for refurbishing at the end of the year. I don't know how long the exhibit will be unavailable, but I got the impression it would be down for the year of 2004.
Regards,
Tom</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
U-505...finally
|
Tom Iwanski | 10/10/2003 09:05PM |
|
Re: U-505...finally
|
Ted Agar | 10/10/2003 09:39PM |
|
Re: Junkers Free Piston Diesel Compressor.
|
Terry Andrews. | 10/11/2003 08:18AM |
|
Re: Junkers Free Piston Diesel Compressor.
|
Rick Pacey | 09/12/2020 04:45AM |
|
Re: U-505...finally
|
ROBERT M. | 10/11/2003 04:56AM |
|
Re: U-505...finally
|
ROBERT M. | 10/12/2003 02:51AM |
|
Thanks for the replies
|
Tom Iwanski | 10/12/2003 07:07PM |