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Photo Album

German Submarines

Pictures of submarines of the German Kriegsmarine of 1935 to 1945 on display. U 505 is in Chicago, U 995 is located in Laboe near Kiel and U 2540 in Bremerhaven. More information about these and another boat in the article German Submarines.

2010 April 7 15 / 2014 March 11

Bremerhaven (161) Chicago (155) Germany (318) Illinois (155) Laboe (157) Museum of Science and Industry (155) Rabea (1) Type IX (155) Type VII (157) Type XXI (161) U 2540 (161) U 505 (155) U 995 (157)

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In the center of the photo is the "Load panel", which displays current and voltage of the batteries.
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Battery main switch and above the original log book.
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Original log book of Monday, September 12, 1960.
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Equipment inside the radio room.
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Radio Room.
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The entry to the radio room is prohibited for unauthorized persons.
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Experiment room (Sonar room)

In this room all equipment is combined that is required to detect enemy shipping.

1. Nibelung device
2. Group listening device
3. Gyroscopic compass (Master compass)
4. Cathode-ray direction finder
5. Sonar

A target could be located with the help of the group listening device over a large distance. If it was located loudly enough, the sonar could be switched over to listen and rotated to the direction found using the group listening device. If the propeller sound was strong enough to be located on the cathode-ray direction finder, some impulses were sent. In good conditions, three impulses where already enough to detect distance, course and speed of the enemy. Afterwards, those values could be used in the torpedo data computer and transmitted to the torpedos which were then fired.

Theoretically a target with a length of more than 60 m could be hit at a success rate of 95 %.
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Escape pack

There were 77 escape packs in the submarine destributed in a way that in case of disaster in each section a sufficcient quantity of them were available for the crew.

By these escape packs crew members had the chance to escape out of a depth of 40 m as a maximum. The mixture of air in the cylinder contained 50 % oxygen under a pressure of 200 bar. A pressure-relief valve lowered the pressure down to 8 bar. By the lime box the carbon dioxide and the moisture was filtered out of the exhaled air. Two disembarked men always were joined by a security line and each escape pack was provided with a whistle and a lamp.
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The controls for the sonar.
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Battery rooms

Through the cut open deck you can see one of the 3 battery rooms. Each contains 2 x 62 accumulator cells with a weight of 620 kg each which are installed on two decks and connected with each other. These cells enabled the submarine to remain submerged for 1 hour and 8 minutes at a speed of 17.2 kn. The cruising duration at silent speed under water was 50 hours. The battery has a voltage of 149 volts with an output of 6267 to 12150 Ah depending on current. The battery has to be recharged directly after being completely discharged, after partial discharge within on week. An ordinary charge starts with 2040 ampere up to 2.4 volts per accumulator cell = 149 volt per partial battery. With a constant current voltage the current is gradually reduced to 510 ampere. When a current intensity of 510 ampere and 149 volts is reached, recharging is concluded and the battery charged to capacity. Recharging takes approximately 15 to 20 hours.

Manufacturer: Varta, Hagen in Westphalia
3 partial batteries 2 x 62 cells each = 372 cells
total weight: 230 tons
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One of the instruments in the sonar room.
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Looking into the battery room.
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Console in the sonar room.
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Equipment in the sonar room.
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Master compass.
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Cathode-ray direction finder and the top part of a periscope.
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