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Wars and ConflictsΒ  permalink

Hunt for U-864

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by CMcNab (U11802196) on Monday, 28th April 2008

  I'd always thought Timewatch to be a serious programme, but what's going on?
  
  WW2 diesel/electric subs using the diesel engine under water? So what's the electric motor for? How do they get air to the diesels? Don’t say snorkel please – that was for recharging the battery by running the diesels not for making progress.
  
  Another sub, in 1945 COULD track a diesel engine but not an electric one – that’s hard enough today.
  
  So why the discrepancies? Come on, Timewatch – is there something you’re not telling us or have you made a serious mistake?
  
  CMcNab
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by MB (U177470) on Tuesday, 29th April 2008

  I seem to remember that there was a lot of discussion about this when the programme first went out (last year?).
  
  MB

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Tuesday, 29th April 2008

  Did they actually claim that the U-boat was tracked under water ?
  
  I watched this whilst doing house work, so I might have missed a bit. But the sinking was achieved by a mixture of periscope sightings and sonar whilst the U-boat was on the surface. The British captain then fired four torpedoes, some of them speculatively.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Anglo-Norman (U1965016) on Wednesday, 30th April 2008

  Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:34 GMT, in reply to CMcNab in message 1
  
  Type IXD2 boats like U-864 were fitted with two sets of diesel engines - one set could be used to charge the engines whilst the other was dedicated entirely to cruising - on the surface. Submerged, schnorchels WERE used to propel the boat, whilst recharging, but only at 6 knots (the electric motors of the IXD2 could manage 6.9 knots). The device was also prone to 'closing up' if it dipped below the surface (as it frequently would), meaning air was drawn from the boat, causing painful - and potentially permanent - ear problems for the crew. Boats were rendered virtually 'deaf' by the noise of the diesels underwater. So the commander would have to have flat batteries and a desperate need to stay submerged if he wanted to use his diesels whilst submerged.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Northern_Andy (U2943874) on Thursday, 1st May 2008

  A book called 'Iron Coffins', written by a U-Boat commander called Herbert A. Werner, gives an excellent account of the use of schnorkels in U-Boats.

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Anglo-Norman (U1965016) on Thursday, 1st May 2008

  Thu, 01 May 2008 14:55 GMT, in reply to Anglo-Norman in message 4
  
  Submerged, schnorchels WERE used to propel the boatΒ 
  
  
  
  Sorry, "schnorchels were used to ALLOW DIESELS to propel the boat"

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