U-534 - July Restoration Update and Artifact Tour
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Today we look another look at the U-534 and some of the progress made on her restoration.
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Pinned post for Q&A :)
EDIT - I know there's a fair bit of discussion over what exactly is in this machinery space (diesel, electric or both), next time I'm up there I will take another look and let everyone know either way, if I'm wrong this time around I'll lead in with that 😀
How long until we get the Canadian content? 😁 So happy to see all this new on location stuff finally coming out!
First, thanks for this and all you do. Second, I, as a USAF vet/ history buff/ teacher have always maintained that if Japan had met our fleet at sea as it was December 7th, 1941, we would have lost more than we did at Pearl Harbor, given the aircraft, Long Lance torpedoes, and more modern ships. Some of my students think it would not be that way, but if it's possible for a future program examining this I would love to hear your expert evaluation of that theoretical match-up. Again, thanks and Cheers from Indiana! USAF SECURITY POLICE 1982-1997.
Did any of the surviving crewmembers write about their experiences serving on board the sub? Even if it is in German, I would like to read more about it.
@@kurttrzeciak8326 a number recorded interviews, again, something I will be covering later in the restoration :)
@@Drachinifel Thank you for that, it helps my students more than a textbook ever will.
"Dive! Dive" "Sir, but Hans has not put away the mower yet!" "I told Donitz the vegetation camouflage was a bad idea!"
U-534 trying to imitate HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen
"NO! Not Hans! He was having such a good day. He got to destroy the bridge, sing the song, everything!"
“But it worked for the HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen!”
@@richardmackendrick4342 OH well ... play the Tipperary song.
@@richardmackendrick4342
Who gives a shit, they're nazis!
Those are absolutely diesel motors, no doubt whatsoever. It's clear by the open tappets for driving the cylinder head valves and the obvious intake/exhaust ports. The electric room would have been just aft of that.
Also the hand wheel at 14:05 is labelled exhaust valve, something you rarely need with electric motors during remotely normal operation.
I agree I had the same comment thank you
Clearly
Was going to say the same thing too, you can see some of the lube oil pipes on the top of the engine. I did not even know of any german subs in preservation. Thanx for the vid Drach... looking forwards to the rest of the series, greetings from a cold New Zealand.
Spot on.
This boat carried a twin, fully automatic 37mm mount, known as the DLM42U, which is pretty unique. Only a handful of boats were equipped with these, afaik only boats belonging to the type IXC40 (and perhaps the type IXD2, but I have never seen one of them), as they were too heavy for the type VIIC41 to carry. Another boat so equipped was U889, you can find photos of it online where you can see just how big that gun was compared to the twin 20mm, which was much more common.
I assume this weapon is the only one of its kind still in extistence. Perhaps they might consider giving it a full restauration and putting it in a museum, where it is not exposed to the elements. Even during the war, this otherwise extremely powerful gun was criticised for not holding up well to seawater.
Before her sinking, U534 actually shot down a B24 with this gun, killing 5 of the 6 aircrew, which is a testament to how powerful this gun was. They should take good care of it.
You'll see that in more detail later in the year :)
@@Drachinifel Great! I look forward to it!
I don't know which is more impressive that gun or the fact that you guys know this stuff
It should be no surprise, considering how destructive the Bofors 40mm was with the proximity fused rounds.
@@cheddar2648 Considering that Germany had no VT fuzes …
It was a crime to cut this sub into pieces, it was unique being in one piece and looked fantastic on display as a whole. I live not far away from it and used to go and see it often when it was in one piece.
Destroying pieces of history absolutely SHOULD be a punishable crime...
Agreed.
Cut my sub into pieces / this is my last u-boat
The problem was money. Previous place closed, and it was this, or the scrapyard.
@@wintersbattleofbands1144 The problem is *actually* that the scrapyard is even an option in the first place.
On the topic of defeating the acoustic homing torpedoes, I remember an interview from a u-boat crewmember, Peter Peterson, in the documentary miniseries "Convoy: War for the atlantic" In his words: "They dragged a noise making bouy behind the ship and with would just go wrr wrr wrr wrr and the torpedo would go right for that damn thing every time!"
And the noisemaker limited the speed to 15kn, if memory serves - and in addition was audible over long distances, making a convoy easier to find …
@@advorak8529 15kts wouldn’t be much of a limitation for most convoys, and given the state of hydrophones for the Type VII and Type IX submarines, the additional noise would not be much of a drawback.
Sounds like an early type of Nixie.
@@jamesharding3459 According to what I have read, the acoustic torpedoes where mainly used against escorts because they had a much easier to detect higher sound profile. A typical late war configuration was long range zig zagging torpedoes against the convoy from the front tubes and acoustic torpedoes in the aft-tubes shot in the direction of the searching escorts.
that‘s definetly the diesel engineroom. the electic motors were in the aft torpedo room, cause the sub was to cramed to get the e-motors in to an own room.
Or maybe the aft torpedoes were cramped into the electric engine room, same as that complete luxury, that work bench?
@@advorak8529 also a possibility. No, wait. They were in separate rooms i think, but they were in the same compartment of the sub i think. Yeah, i think, thats what they did on typ 9 uboots.
The motors did have their own compartment just forward of the torpedo room. There was a rectangular doorway between the diesels and the e-motors, rather than a circular hatch, presumably for ease of communication?
Those are diesel engines, plain and simple. The valve gear, exhaust manifolds, engine throttle, air induction valves, starting controls and gauges are all there and very distinctive.
As an addition to an obviously very interesting project with U-534, I can recommend visiting U-995 in the small town of Laboe at the mouth of the Kiel Fjord in northern Germany. U-995 survived the war in Trondheim, Norway and was taken over by the Norwegian Navy. Under its new name KNM "Kaura", U-995 served in the Norwegian Navy until 1965 with relatively few technical changes and was then given as a gift to the Laboe Naval Memorial. Today, the submarine appears to be more or less original, although there are some changes (such as a converted 40 mm Bofors instead of a 37 mm Flak M42).
I might add that U-995 is the only remaining copy of Submarine Class VII. This was the most common German submarine class during WW2 and more than 700 were built. Perhaps the most famous submarine from the VII class is the U-96 which inspired the author Lothar-Günther Buckheim to write his autobiography "Das Boot", on which of course the legendary German war film "Das Boot" by Wolfgang Petersen from 1981 is based.
U-505 is in the Chicago museum
@@SoloRenegade U 505 is type IX, Hvitserk is talking about the type VII
@@doppelT_066 ah, fair point, I did not make that distinction, i was just listing U-boats on display.
I recently read that the German navy wanted to scrap it, but the Norwegians objected and it was preserved :) Thx Norway.
Nothing better than drach to make a bad day a little more bearable
I hope you’ll have a better day soon my dude.
@@Masada1911 it will get better, just woke up with cramps in my legs and have to do a lot of stuff today that I don't want to do 😂
They have an RUclips channel called "U-534: How To Fix A U-Boat" if anyone is interested. Only some 1 - 3 min videos so far but still interesting.
You were in the diesel motor room, the electric motor room was in the last section you saw out the back. Those are M.A.N.N. Diesel engines on either side. The oil reserves are in the tank above your head in the center of the room.
I've been building a 1/48th scale Type VIIC U-Boat with full interior and crew for the last 4 yrs (and counting) as such I've studied quite abit about Kreigsmarine U-boats. I actually found your channel because of it. While workin away on this project I like to have something playing in the back ground something that fits. Ship modelling while listening to Drac has kept the U-Boat build from coming to a halt and me from burning out. It has also turned me into more of a Maritime buff than ever before. "My boys wicked smart"
"MAN" (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg), "Kriegsmarine" ...
1/48th scale? That's huge! We've got a similarly sized model of an IXC on our conference table, but it came with U-534 and sadly we have no idea who built it.
Any other good channels or podcasts you can recommend?
Hi Warren , I too am building the 1/48 scale trumpeter U-552 , and yes , it can be a burn out at times ,
I have used some of your photos for reference , there is also a web site that gives you a virtual
tour of U995 . I have extensively modified the interior to reflect a more realistic view ,
Hey Drach, if you find yourself in Chicago, I highly recommend seeing U-505
They really went all out with that exhibit now that it's indoors. My favorite part is that as clean as that boat is, the whole room she in still has that unique smell of oil and probably always will.
I found the timed schedule of the U-505 tour to be annoying. I wanted to spend far more time in each compartment examining things and figuring them out but we kept being herded on to the next one. The ban on photography was also a let down.
@@daveschrader2025 I agree. The timed thing was a bit annoying. I guess they have no choice with the volume of people they need to deal with especially on a weekend.
@@haunter_1845 I imagine the crowd size will decrease as memory of the war fades. If Grandpa isn't around anymore to talk about it, the grand kids & great-grand kids won't get interested in the history.
@@daveschrader2025 : Which is why channels such as Drachinifel's are important to have. History Channel has been a joke for years and all they have are "reality" shows.
I visited U-534 when it was complete. I can't believe the state it's in now, absolutely horrific way to treat this vessel. That piston and rod were on the engine room wall in perfect new condition then, why have they been left outside? Like U-505, once raised and cleaned U-534 should have been kept indoors and properly preserved. It was such an epic tour to see the inside when it was complete.
Same here , did a walk thru + the recovery show in the light ship , no cameras allowed aboard , in places where air had been trapped the paint was still good , at the stern where the depth charge went off a lathe had been knocked off the hull , still had a valveshaft in it's chuck , , there was a notice , in German on a valve by a pressure door, translated to " a big valve to bang your head on " . . .
@@billmcculloch8240 yeah, and the turnbuckle holding the compressor down as they missed putting the bolts in at production and couldn't access it afterwards. Such a shame it was allowed to deteriorate and get sectioned. It should have become part of the imperial war museum or gone to gosport or chatham.
10:31
pressure seawater inlet
seawater forward 1
10:45
a bit hard to read, but my guess would be something to do with an oil filter
11:21
upper label
ventilation
drive oil high container
lower label
overflow
oil leve container 2
13:53
distribution valve
open before greasing valve 2
open close
14:06
drive exhaust valve (more specifically a butterfly valve)
the rest i couldn't read
14:56
wastewater cooler
exhaust valve 8bi
15:00
wastewater Gasr (i'm not sure what that shorthand means)
exhaust valve 8bi
i'm not a navel engineer, so i'm not quite sure about all the shorthand used. but i am a chemical engineer, so there should be at least some overlap.
edit: time stamps
10:45 - Regelv Schmutz, mot Ölvorw 2 - Adjustment valve dirt, engine oil forward 2
@@Spartaner251 thanks, had a hard time pausing the video when it wasn't blurry. now the only question is what an adjustable dirt valve is
@@saladiniv7968 engine sump (sludge) low gravity drain, maybe.
I do believe that at the 14:56 and the 15:00 mark it's not 8bi but rather Bb (for Backbord or port in english) and then an "i". What the i stands for I can only guess, maybe "innen" (inner)?
I am unsure how the layout of that engine room is supposed to look and if there would be two valves each, one inner and one outer valve.
And if the inner and outer would refer to inside and outside the pressure hull or just towards the middle of the boat and the other one being further towards the hull.
@@PrivatePAuLa29a Yes, it's definitely BB for Backbord (= port).
i had a look about 534 when she was whole and in the hands of the HWPT and i have to say cutting her up like that was just vandalism, im sad that noone else will ever know what it was like to visit her when she was whole and the only way i can describe it is to say that i know how a diver must feel when they visit a wreck, other than that rant i'll say excellent work Drach as always, best channel for ships on youtube
As tragic as it is, and I am both a child at heart who loves to explore and follow the nuances of things, and passionate about restoring things to functionality, from a commercial perspective each independent section allows for more people to engage with the boat.
I have done the HMAS Ovens tour in Fremantle, WA. This is restricted to limited number of visitors per tour. To see everything in detail, ask questions, get informed and interactive answers is time consuming. Otherwise if rushed just to get more tours (patrons and money) through it can be frustrating to outright disappointing.
There are also significant advantages in terms of work flow options and access options.
None of us here would disagree with you, but at the same time we're sympathetic towards Merseytravel since they saved her from the scrapyard. Cut into 4 pieces sucks, but it sucks a lot less than 40,000 pieces...
Historic Warships was a fantastic museum that's still sorely missed, and their eviction was the real act of vandalism. Sectioning the boat was just making the best of a bad situation.
I too was lucky enough to actually go inside 534 before she was cut up, the thing I will never forget was the smell of salt/sea water. The tour guide said that if the Germans had had the homing torpedo's during the early part of the war we could have well lost the Battle of the Atlantic
@@bikes02 it was magic, the engine room hit me most, because it was so intact, you could just imagine them running as you ducked inside.... like das boot
@@bikes02 despite the boat being cut open for over a decade, I can promise you the smell remains the same! Salty and musty, it's not actually unpleasant though. The documents and artefacts have a very distinctive smell.
I've been to visit U-534 several times as it not very far from my home town, its well worth seeing!
this is really amazing. The restoration effort is a serious task for sure.
Looks like two big diesels to me. Electric motors don't have push rods and Valve rocker arms as can be plainly seen.
Translation of German stuff as good as I can do it (just a regular Kraut, no naval experience so abbreviations might be my doom). Will edit comment as the vid goes on with timestamps for each translation. Everything between these brackets [ ] is added by myself to complete the words if I don't forget to do so and end up putting it after the translation 😂
10:35 Druck seew eintr seew vorw 1. Translation: pressure seawater (?) seawater forward (just a guess. I'm sure seew stands for see Wasser, or seawater. Vorw is probably vorwärts so forward. My guess is this is for the ballast tanks, letting water in for diving)
11:21 upper sign: belüften, treibölhochbeh[älter, that part was just cut of for brevity] translation: Ventilate, fuel oil tank
11:21 lower sign: Überlauf ölstand beh[älter] 2 translation: overflow oil level tank 2
my assumption would be that "Druck Seew. Eintr., Seew. Vorw." is short for "Druck Seewasser Eintritt, Seewasser Vorwärts" - which I would translate to "Pressure seawater inlet, seawater forward", since this is in the engine compartment just between both engines, I would actually think it is the seawater inlet for engine cooling, valves for flooding the ballast should be in the control room, but also not a submariner, so educated guesses here as well ;)
@@lu-tze8099 oh ffs I completely blanked on the word Eintritt... I need caffeine. 🤣 And yeah you're probably right, didn't even think of inlets for engine cooling cause I'm a dumbass
Continuation of translations here:
13:53 verteilerhahn, öffnen bevor in hahn 2 Fett gepresst wird. Offen. Zu. Translation: Distributor tap. Open before pressing grease into tap 2. Open. Close.
14:06 antrieb. Abgasklappe stb [short for steuerbord] a. Translation: propulsion/engine. Exhaust flap starboard a
14:55 entw[ässerung (possibly, not sure) Kühlr[aum? Again, not sure)]. Abgasklappe Bb [short for backboard] i. Translation: (this one I'm not sure about) dewatering cooling room? Exhaust flap port i.
14:59 entw Gasr. Abgasklappe Bb i. Translation: (still not sure about entw and Gasr so will edit that once I know). Exhaust flap port i.
@@adenkyramud5005 no worries, us nerds have to keep together... and with the risk to develop this into an coop job, I would suggest translating "Fett" as "grease"... ;-P
@@lu-tze8099 ye I'll change that xD and I'd request some assistance regarding the entw abbreviation
Seeing all the machinery and equipment inside the sub is pretty cool, you should absolutely make this a series
You'll like the Quick Dive series on our page, I suspect!
Being a shipengineer/diesel engineer I can confirm you walked in between 2 fantastic beautifull, well bit rusty, diesel engines; the valve pushrods, rocker arms, inlet/exhaust ports (pipes were removed, must have been because of asbestos cladding) injectors were visible.
I was thinking the exhaust manifolds must have been a different grade of metal that corroded more quickly, but I think your suggestion is better. Exposed engines & push rods is one thing, but exhaust pipes would be best with some form of heat insulation to prevent injuries and keep interior heat down. Asbestos was the best available for the time.
@@drumbrakes high end engines, and most marine navy engines had high grade steel exhaust manifolds due to the agressive nature of diesel and heavy grade fuel oil that contained lots of sulfurous and fosforous chemical compounds, especialy when exhaust temp falls below 160 degrees C when sulfur compounds turn from gas to liquid state in exhaust pipes and manifolds when the engine load is low.
Asbestos was still used until the late 80's early 90's as exhaust isolation, the dangers were considered low when wrapped up nicely. Brakeliners containing asbestos from cars for example were still available untill around 2007; nothing beats asbestos brake liners! Especially in pre war race cars I worked on
Title should've been making the Untersee-Boot an Oversee-Boot
I started working as a sweeping-boy to a carpentry shop at 11 in 1981. Then we used no protection from asbestos. As I started my apprenticeship in 1986 things had changed and we were all sent on an asbestos removal course, but many other companies continued with little protection for at least a decade.
One suggestion, Drach: On these field trip videos, please always mention at the beginning where you are. It wasn't until the very end that you mention the sub is part of the Western Approaches Command. Not all of us have seen the earlier videos or even remember everything from them. Thanks!
I agree, it would be good to do that.
If you have uet to see it U-505 in Chicago is a must.
Drach, my dear lad! The Wind on a torpedo's back gives him confidence!
The engines and most of the pipework were installed before the sections were welded together. There was no way you could do a complete engine change without cutting the ship open. In wartime this is no big deal, chances are the boat would not outlast the engines anyway. If it did it would be so clapped-out that it would be relegated to training. One interesting thing to check out on this sub is exactly what spare parts could be loaded through the engine-room (or any other) hatch. Pistons, con-rods and cylinders obviously could, but would a cylinder-head pass through? My guess is that it would once the valve cages were off. These engines had separate cylinder heads which is useful as they are prone to cracking (over-heating, defects in the casting, a broken valve getting bashed against the head by the piston). The alternative would be to include a few spare heads before welding up the sub, but spare parts are a deadweight until you need them.
The real technical edge the Germans enjoyed was the method of construction and quality control. These subs were made from low-allow steel rather than mild steel or common structural steel, and I believe they were galvanised whole once the pressure hull was completed. They were fully welded, the Germans were the best in this and had trained the necessary number of expert welders for armour plate and sub hulls, this allowed them a safe diving depth that exceeded their Allied counterparts. Often this too was exceeded and the sub would blow a few gaskets but survive. Then they got assembly-line methods applied to sub building, which is truly remarkable. I'm not so sure the Type IX was modular, I suspect not. The later El-Boot types (XX!, XXVI etc) were modular so that they could be built in slices by sub-contractors, transported by canal and rapidly assembled in a bomb-.proof assembly pen. I believe one of these pens still exists near Bremen, with subs inside, but blasted closed as it is very unsafe in there. Hopefully there's no live ordnance there waiting to go off of its own accord.
Buy the book on the XXI and it shows you how the engines were loaded into the engine room. How the sections were built and what was in each section. You also need to keep in perspective that this class of U-Boat was really an updated WWI design. I wasnt until you get to the XXI boats that new designs were implemented. Had the XXI design and its smaller brother been produced a year earlier in the war. We may have had an armistice and not a German surrender. THe XXI could run at up to 18 knots submerged or run at 12 knots for a longer period or run 5 days without recharging the batteries at lower speeds. Basically the XXI could run at its slow speed for 5 days which was the fast speed for the VII boats! The could cross the Bay of Biscay without surfacing or snorkeling. We would have never found them or stopped them.
@@michaeldobson8859 Firstly I don't go much with "what if" scenarios, they are a waste of time and apply to both sides, it's just speculation. Time is better spent analysing cause and effect. Here's one for you: If officialdom had not been so disinterested in the jet engine being developed by Frank Whittle, the British would have had jet powered fighters by 1940. If you add up all the delays, procrastination and project interruptions you get about 7 years. Frank Whittle was a serving RAF officer and he had to go where he was told, he had no private means (so he could not quit his job) and the engine industries were not going to back him until much later. Had this happened the Germans would also have been stimulated to catch up so it's a fluid scenario. The best one is the demand (around 1942-3 I think) by the RAF top desk pilots that jet engines should have a TBO of 100 hours, the one Whittle proposed had a TBO of 75 hours (I think, I have the exact figure somewhere, could be 50), it took a year (one whole year wasted!) and Whittle came up with the definitive engine that entered service with the RAF, it had a TBO of 150 hours which is fantastic for something as new as that. Considering that many fighters did not live to see 50 hours flying time, demanding a TBO of 100 hours for ground-breaking technology that would give you a huge tactical advantage, is crass stupidity at best, treason at worst. The Jumo and BMW engines in the Me262 had a TBO of 25 hours, and most of them were falling apart after 16 hours, it didn't stop the germans using them, they just had to keep changing them before they blew up.
The later U-boats were very dangerous boats, but they were not invincible so means to combat them would have been found. "An armistice rather than a surrender" does not take into account the Easter Front, the USSR could be resupplied via Alaska and Iran, the logistic lines were in place and needed enlargement. One thing is for sure, the Flower-class corvettes would be of very limited use with their top speed of 16 knots. Secondly, the exotic method of construction was to avoid concentrating production on an easily bombed target, the final assembly taking place in a heavily fortified bunker, quite an engineering challenge. The sections were carried by barges on canals and these can (and were) effectively targeted. The Allies had the upper hand from about half way into the war and the German production capacity was systematically strangled, under threat the bombing campaign would have been intensified and Germany would be reduced to ashes. They had to dig tunnels in the Hartz mountains to build their V1 and V2, if it had been necessary the Allies would have come up with a solution for that problem too, such as happened with the "La Cupole" launching complex (a stupid idea as it negated the principal advantage of the V2 launching system, its mobility) as it was the possible launching areas were overrun and that was that.
You cannot take a "what if" scenario by itself, you cannot just ignore the cause and effect of any event, things do not happen inside a sealed microcosm...
@@michaeldobson8859 Every time a challenge arises the Allies (mainly the British) were quick to respond, this was their great advantage. Germany started the war from a vantage position in almost every field but were systematically overtaken by British ingenuity and adaptability, even Alber Speer admits to this and how very soon the boot was on the other foot and Germans were straining to overcome British countermeasures. There was a saying at the time "second-best tomorrow" meaning it may not be perfect but it will be in service very soon. The way top physicists and other scientists were mobilised for the war effort is a lesson in high-level person management that few nations would be able to match today. My late father flew with Coastal Command and he described the sonobuoy idea to me ages ago, I later verified this in the literature. A submerged U-boat could be detected and located, as long as it was traveling, by a trio of passive sonobuoys accurately dropped in a triangle. By comparing the signals from the 3 buoys, picked up by receivers aboard the aircraft, the submarine could be positioned. An expensive approach as the sonobuoys were expendable and not as accurate as seeing the snorkel out of the water, but effective. I'm not sure what they analysed in the signal, if it was just intensity or if it stretched to phase shift. With the buoys placed say 500 metres apart, and the velocity of sound in water being about 1000 metres per second, you could get useful information from phase shift which could be as high as 1/2 wave, to triangulate the position of the U-boat. Then it would be up to an acoustic torpedo.
Thanks for the short tour of one of the machines that threatened, my Father, one of his cousins,
And one of his Brother -in-laws. On land my wife lost a cousin to a German sniper, six years before she was born. Both sides of our family have German-American heritage. My Mother’s brother served on
the USS Swanee in “Taffy 1 “ and experienced one of the first planned Kamikaze attacks.
Life is history.
We are very spoiled here in America. We have both the U-505, which is a Type IX-C U-boat, and USS Silversides, a Gato-class submarine, within a day's drive of each other. Both are fully intact, both can be toured through, and both have very good displays and museums attached to them! Silversides is still in the water (permanently moored) and has operating engines. U-505 is in Chicago, Illinois and Silversides is across the lake in Muskegon, Michigan.
Don't forget USS Cobia up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, also a day's drive from U-505. There's also a LST based in Ohio that makes a tour of the upper Mississippi River every year or two. I've discovered but not toured a Pegasus-class hydrofoil in Missouri as well.
Interesting, especially the acoustic torpedo, I would be interested in learning how they worked.
Playing torpedo boat on the prowl is fun on those quiet nights at the helm of my tunaboat. Sharpens the senses immediately. The first nuke sub I ever seen parked a mile of Makena Beach. Very impressive. In the early seventies, on a Greek holiday, on a small island, a U-boat captain gave us a tour of his Greek WW2 US boat. Yep, could do that! For 45 years I am torn between choosing a carreer as a sub-captain or tug-captain.
Next time you visit the US I would recommend that you visit the U-505 in Chicago to see a fully intact Type IXC U-Boat. It was the first warship I ever set foot on at 7 years old shortly after she was put on display.
It is stunning how much has changed as in the ribbing and supports inside a sub as well as how each section is joined !
Funny watching the pigeons going and coming in the background. The sub needs to be inside!
You should visit U-505
Wow, it's one thing to conceptualize how crowded working in there was, but to see just how difficult reaching many of the valves and equipment had to be is impressive.
Yeah, this is why navies have minimum height requirements for submariners! I'm not sure what the minimum was for u-boat crews, possibly 165cm. The current Royal Navy requirement is 157cm (5ft 1).
The electric motor room is actually a Diesel engine room. Which likely had electric generators. But you’re looking at Diesel engines.
Another thing about the early acoustic homing torpedoes is that they had to be relatively slow, otherwise the flow noise of their own passage through the water would deafen their hydrophones. The Western homing torpedoes - developed independently of the German program and operationally deployed within a couple of months of the German introduction of the weapon - were much more successful than the German ones, because they were specifically developed to be air-dropped (meaning they would typically start their run closer to their targets) against Axis submarines (which couldn't run very fast, having dived to evade the aircraft).
I had the luck to do a walkaround of this Uboot. I regularly took the ferries from Belgium to England and then Ireland in my job with a moving company. The office lady had messed up all my travel bookings and instead of going to the usual docks, I had to cross Liverpool to a dock I'd never been to before..... and there was this whacking great Uboot just sitting there. I'd not heard about it before. What a joy it was to be up close and personal to one of those Gray Wolves. There was no-one around but no ladders to access the bridge either, so I just walked around it, kicking myself for not having a camera. I was horrified when I heard it had been cut up but at least it is being preserved. Unlike the Soviet era sub that used to be in Belgium that was cut up for scrap. I'd visited that one twice and it was fascinating. But money talks louder than history..... damned Philistines..... and yes, that was the diesel engine room you were in.
I was fortunate enough to have a tour of this boat before she was cut into three pieces and moved to the Ferry site. I also went to see her after the display was first opened and it was very impressive with interior lighting and cameras that could be remotely operated. I went again a couple of years ago to to show some friends how impressive it was but it was a great disappointment, the cameras no longer operated and most of the lights were not working either, i mentioned it to the staff but the response was lukewarm to say the least.. I wouldn't go back again until they get it back to the way it was.
I went on board her for the tour when she was in one piece, i was horrified to see what had happened to her, During the tour i took note of the details this was a wartime submarine and yet its fittings were first class. I may take a peep the net time i go toward New Brighton !
Thank you, Drachinifel.
Great info, I met you last summer at the event where we all went to see U534. I was s pleased to be gifted the wood from the Captain quarters at the event. Good to see your superb channel going strong. you have a vast knowledge and thanks for sharing. Maybe see you in 2023 all the best.
Drach you were in the diesel compartment. Those slim vertical metal rods were the push rods that operated the valves. The out put shaft would have been connected via a lock-out clutch to the electric motors in the next compartment, then on to the propellers. When running on the surface the diesels would have turned the motors but with their polarity reversed so that they acted as generators. When submerged the diesels would have shut down and the clutch disengaged so that the electric motors would have turned the props without turning the diesel. It was a better arrangement then having a dual gearbox setup, gearboxes were noisy, inefficient and prone to wear and break downs.
You should go to Germany and do avideo on the Type XXI, which inspired diesel-electric submarine designs until today
I was there yesterday after crossing the Mersey by ferry. I wondered why there were no advertisements for the U-boat tour. Thanks for explaining. It is only 3 miles from my home, so I can do the tour when the restoration is further along.
It looks massive, bigger than I expected, really a giant metal white shark. Good video always a pleasure to hear your explanations.
NOW we know!!! You came to America to steal our cutting edge U boat technology! How dastardly! We welcomed you with open cheeseburgers!
Nice to get an update:)
Yeah, that's a pair of straight 8 diesels, valve spring visible at 12:33. I imagine the confusion is that the Germans probably referred to those engines as 'motors'.
I have a similar problem with eastern Europeans calling electric motors 'engines'.
Nice to see it again, i went on when they first brought it to Liverpool
was still wet and salty smell water still in dials and light bulbs i think they spoiled it
cutting in sections. cheers Drachinifel
Achtung Drachinifel alarm! Pigeon attack!
"Battle stations, this is not a drill. Pigeon air attack, raise the umbrellas. Make ready the sanitary wipes!"
Those two engines are diesel engines, not electric.
You can clearly see the pushrods for the walves.
Yes, definately a pair of marine diesel engines in this section, as you correctly point out Björn. 🙃
There's a pair of much larger diesels up front :)
No, those are indeed the electric eng. The propellers were always driven by the electric engines. On surface the diesels powered them (like on a locomotive) and underwater obviously the batteries.
I'd go with diesel engines as well. Apart from looking like diesels (valve push-rods for example), at 15.00 minutes, the label that reads "Abgasklappe", translates as "Exhaust flap".
@@alanbrown9178 I know the Germans were developing all sorts of "wonder" weapons etc ... So I suppose it' s possible they were also researching electric motors with inlet and outlet valve gear. 🤔
Who thought it was a good idea to cut the poor boat up? It's staggering to witness the stupidity of community "leaders" at times. I hope enough money, effort & manpower can come together for the work that has to be done. I cry a little when I think about the whole thing.
MAN made most the engines for unterseeboot. The big rectangular shapes are 9 cylinder inline diesels. The Siemens elektromotor is round in shape and located in the electro room behind the diesels.
Those shafts at the end are part of the clutch system . They link the diesels to the electric motors which are used as generators when you are recharging your batteries. The big wheels on the ceiling at the beginning of the compartment are the air admission valves , used to close / open the air intake to the engines.
Very cool hands on history, Drach!
I'm not pretty sure but the little engine thing you are talking about it could be one of the aircompressors ? or a filter unit called a - water separator- used to separate , drain and preheat the diesel oil prior to the engines main fuel pumps . There role is to clean the fuel because if dirty fuel is feed, your engines are clogged in no time . Remember in Das Boot when the captain orders the full speed to chase the convoy ....and in the engine room the LI is looking at an glass bowl thing with some sort of liquid bubbling inside it ? That's the filtered diesel fuel which I'm talking about and the movement is caused by the main fuel pump suction - it's really the pulsating heart beat of the MAN engines. Good bless Wolfgang Petersen for his mind boggling and fanatic attitude toward accuracy - that movie will live forever !
It's amazing how well preserved those labels are. They are abreviated, but it's not hard to guess what they say.
So awesome that this ship is to be restored.
a uniquely brilliant restoration, thanks for covering it
Love it love your channel slowly making my way through your channel archives
Others mentioned this too, I say so again just to make sure im not going nuts trying to believe you: This looks definately like the Diesel engine room. If you look at a drawing of this sub, the diesel should be right below the lower flak mount, so that part you went into (if all the singnes talking about exhaust valves (Abgas Klappen) wouldn't be enough of a hint). The electrical engines should be in the section aft of this one.
Here's an idea for speeding up this restoration without breaking the bank: contact a bunch of RUclips creators with machinery restoration channels and rally them into a cooperative effort. That sub will never sail again, so you don't need parts restored to factory specs, just nice and shiny for display and further preservation.
The local team can dismount the machinery, ship parts to each restorer who agrees to participate and later re-install them on the sub. Shipping heavy parts may sound expansive, but it's certainly much less so than paying for a full on site restoration.
There are dozens of skilled mechanics who specialize in restoring old machinery on RUclips, here's a list of the ones I know that could handle such work if they decide to go for it (channel names, in no particular order): Hand Tool Rescue, My Mechanics, Black Beard Projects, Marty T, Mustie1, The Post Apocalyptic Inventor, Watch Wes Work, Cool Again Restoration.
That's a really good idea actually. Will check out some of these channels.
I worked for a large hydraulics company in Germany for 15 years so I recognise some of the identification labeling. Not being a submarine expert and with it being highly abbreviated, it's not easy to guarantee the translation but this is my attempt:
Drück Seew Eintr. Seew Vorw 1 = Pressurised seawater entrance. See water forward 1
Belüften Treiboelhochbeh. = Drive (motor) ventilation high pressure oil tank
Überlauf Ölstand Beh 2 = Overflow oil level, oil tank 2
Verteilerhahn öffnen bevor in Hahn 2 Fett gepresst wird. Offen Zu = Distribution valve. Open before it is greased 2 times. Open. Closed.
Entw Kühlr Abgasklappe 8b i = De-watering cooling regulator exhaust flap
Entw Gasr Abgasklappe 8b i = De-watering gas regulator exhaust flap
Thank you very much for undertaking such a precious restauration work! Although the sub stems from the well-known dark period in Germany, it is an excellent example of the high science and technology standard at that period.
Thanks, Drach!
I toured the USS Cod, a Gato class WWII sub in Cleveland OH just last week. Well worth the price of admission.
I remember seeing it on a VHS documentary. It's red rust and passage ways full of crap. I looked it up and was surprised that that ship in rough shape is this one in alright shape.
I was fortunate enough to have a very well presented tour of U534 before she was hacked to pieces by idiots. Those responsible should be in jail for a truly awful act of archaeological vandalism!
3:46 - "Invisible beams reaching out in the sky - Radar !" 🤣
I did get to go inside one U Boat. U-505 in Chicago. I was surprised at how cramped it was.
amazing ! I had never understood just how these subs could withstand the depths and forces, not until I see this sub in pieces ! amazing video!
While U-534 is a Type IXC/40, there is another Type IXC existing, and it's in much better shape, not having spent several years underwater, since it was actually captured during the war. It's the U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois, which raises the question, have the people in charge of the U-534 been in contact with the U-505 people? If nothing else, the U-505 can take photos of the interior to show U-534 what internal portions originally looked like. Also, what happened to the crew? And, perhaps, their corpses?
We've very much been in touch, yes! We're working with the U-995 team as well, they visited a few days ago. I've been planning to spend some time inside U-534 getting photos from the same angle as ones from U-505 (and wartime photos of U-190, U-533 etc). Though it's worth noting that the interiors of all the other boats were recreated, ours is the only original/unrestored one. Not in the best condition though!
The boat sank empty - all 52 crew got out, although sadly three died in the water.
Today I learned that Drachinifel looks like Hugo Drax cousin. The funny part is I'm not surprised at all, if anything it actually makes sense.
On the Allied side, the US Navy developed the Mark 24 mine, which was actually an aircraft launched, anti-submarine passive acoustic homing torpedo. The first production Mk. 24s were delivered to the U.S. Navy in March 1943, and it scored its first verified combat kills in May 1943. About 204 torpedoes were launched against submarine targets, with 37 Axis submarines being sunk and a further 18 damaged.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_torpedo (Just to give credit to where the information came from)
A friend and myself in the late 1990s booked a tour of U-534 when it was sited next to the "Spillers flour mill" at Birkenhead's "east float dock" as part of the "Historic warship preservation trust".
Such a tour would not be permissible now due to the over extended nonsense of modern "elf and safety". After climbing onto her deck via a scaffolding gantry our small group was taken for a full walk through of the entire sub (WITHOUT the respiratory protection), including ascending from the control room and standing on the "turm" or raised bridge, and looking out over the rotted wooden decking which exposed her high pressure air cylinders and torpedo storage tubes beneath. Not many people nowadays can say they've stood on the bridge of a type XI uboat and surveyed its decks.
While walking through her internal compartments which were coated with rust, in each compartment there was a small area up near the roof where the original paintwork and labelling of valves etc was still visible. It became apparent that this was where air trapped inside the sub after its sinking had prevented the salt water from corroding the metal.
The thought of panicking sailors trapped in a sinking sub, fighting for their last breaths with their faces pressed into such pockets did leave a lasting impression on me.
I still to this day drink my tea from the "U-534" mug that I bought at the MHWPT giftshop (a small portacabin) on that day.
It's fantastic that a project to save the sub from further degradation, reinstate it from the ridiculous cutting up it suffered in the 2000s, and place it within a protective building is taking place, and is to be applauded.
We are lucky here in Chicago to have the U505 type 9c in near mint condition but taken out of the box. LOL
Been a pleasure to meet you at tankfest - the akward guy at the boardgame stall
OH I created a 3D model of the U354 for someone as a part of The Historic Warships Display at Birkenhead / DVD as well as some photo restoration of the captain! I think I have the plans somewhere !
Brilliant. fantastic.
Thank you Drach! Absolutely fascinating visit to U-534!
Living in Liverpool I have visited this boat on several occasions. I first saw it in its complete state in Birkenhead docks & it was amazing. While it is great it has been saved, keeping it open to the elements is a disgrace.
Nice TUNIC ! ? Whenever I get less round, I want one. Link to purchase?
Also, I really enjoy your drone footage. Nice to see rare details in a ‘real time’ visual format. Videos like this and dedicated ‘walk around’ vids are game changers for scale modelers.
Seriously, Drachinifel. Such a satisfying ytuber. That was grand.
You should go and look at U-995 (Type VIIc) and U-2540 (Type XXI) in Germany. Especially U-2540 as the type XXI is probably the first real submarine (vs the submersibles of preceding models) and father of the Soviet Whiskey Class, the American Tang Class, the British Porpoise Class, and the Swedish Hajen III Class.
Where is the U-2540 located?
@@kurttrzeciak8326 U-2540 is located at the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven. And for completeness' sake: U-996 is located in Laboe, Germany.
@@Warentester thank you!
The British code name for one of the decoys was "Foxer". The Allies developed their own acoustic torpedoes during the war, they did not need to pinch the technology from the Germans as it has become fashionable to suggest every time something new crops up. The specifications and overall concept was devised by the British and handed over to the Americans who put a team at Harvard University (or possibly MIT) do do the development and put its into production. It was so hush-hush that one Ally called it a "Mark (something) mine" and the other called it "Mark (something else) depth charge" although it was neither. Towards the end of the war they had considerable success air-dropped against U-boats that had dived and were not amenable to depth-charging except by an Asdic-equipped surface vessel who could determine their depth and position. I think the full treatment of this is in "Instruments of Darkness" by Alfred Price or in "Aircraft versus submarine" by the same author. I am surprised a trained engineer mis-identifies massive Diesel engines as electric motors, I'm a chemist and it's pretty obvious to me! Nobody's perfect...
You walked through the Diesel compartment. The valve train ist pritty obvious and indicactiv.
In the machine Museum in Kiel ist a Wirkung example waiting to be visited by you.
Drachinifel, that's not the electric motors! Those are the diesel engines!
12:41 nah, some things are cast iron, some are forged/cold rolled steel and were machined or pressed in the shape they needed. The steel will rust faster in sea water, while the cast iron starts a bit earlier, but the rust preserves that it rusts any further.
Thank you so much for this.
It’s a great project to preserve an important part of history.
Hmm, i love that its um..."preserved" but damn it pains me to see her cut up. I feel like somebody with a far fuller wallet than mine (or perhaps all of us combined) should fund a concourse restoration to operational condition. She looks to be in remarkable condition despite her age and being full of salt water at some point. It would be excellent to have her fully functional again, although i understand its alot of money for not much in the grand scheme. Functional u boat would be amazing, id catch a ride on a merchant ship from australia to england just to hear it idle let alone go for a cruise in it. Haha
I think there's simpler candidate u-boats and submarines for that project first.
I'd be totally onboard with that, as long as we can agree on gold paint, a retro computer, and no imperialist war flag on the sail :)
After the war, a few u-boats were raised and continued to serve, especially an XXI Class one. (u2540)
I'd guess you already knew that.
The one in Chicago would be a much better candidate. This one is basically junk.
@@rogersmith7396 Most definetly Three of the engines still work. well at least when I was talking to the curator about it back in 2011. about 4 times a year at night they would test each engine for about 2 minutes.
@@stratagama I am thinking there is a US sub on the great lakes which takes people out on surface tours.
Look forward to meeting you
that engine part looks more like the diesel engines
and usually electric engines were placed behind them
14:56 says abgasklappe steuerbord which means exhaust plate , which is related to the exhaust ports of the diesel engines
Definitely. Those were the diesels Drach was looking at
Those are absolutely a set of diesel motors, no doubt about it.
Re Abgasklappe: I think it's a check valve, and suggest exhaust valve or exhaust flap is a better translation.
"klappe" can mean many things, basically "hinged plate".
Control- and high lift surfaces on aircraft can also be called Wölbklappe/ Landeklappe (high lift/ flaps) or Störklappe/ luftbremse/ sturzflugbremse (spoiler/ air brake/ diving brake)
You peeps beat me to the question. Because that sure looked like push rods and valve gear. Possibly injector lines too.
@@nos9784 “Abgasklappe” literally means exhaust port
Dear Drach,
Have added today, August 7th, to my calendar list of days to “Fly the flag,” in celebration of the Battle of Guadalcanal.
There is a book by Rear Admiral Daniel Gallery, called *8 Bells and all is Well* about his naval career. He commanded the light carrier *Guadalcanal* during her Atlantic Convoy escort duties. He was the one who perfected what was called the “Hold down” tactic, for exhausting a U-boats air supply.
He was also the one who had his men practice “Boarding Party” assaults. The combination of Hold Down and Boarding practice led him to capture the U-505, which is now on display in Chicago.
His superiors were unhappy, as they expected the capture to be leaked by the sailors who had taken part in the capture, thus informing the Germans that the codes were compromised.
As Gallery said, *not one* of these young men spilled one of the biggest stories of WWII, unlike the blabbering politicians do now. He followed Admiral King’s dictum, to tell be one ANYTHING about victories or defeats.
🇺🇸 + 🇬🇧 + 🇦🇺 + 🇳🇿 ⚔️🩸❤️ = 🕊🌎
Yes, the first US Navy Captain since the War of 1812 to give the command "Away all boarding parties!"
11:52 "Distribution valve
open before you inject two grease (no unit)"
Then below left = open; right = closed
When this handsome craft is eventful sea worthy, I wish to be part of her next crew.
Have you visited/commented on U505 in Chicago? Visited last month and was intrigued by the amount of interior woodwork.
I think it's cool how the glow in the dark paint still works in U-505!
A torpedo will make a trail of bubbles no matter if there is an internal combustion engine or electric. When the peopeller turns fast enough there is cavitation happening: the formation of air bubbles along the trailing edge of the propeller.
The bubbles from cavitation is miniscule. However, all german torpedoes left a trail of used compressed air. It was considerable less from the electrically propulsioned torpedoes as they only used compressed air to run the depthmechanism and the gyroscope, as well as the servoengines for the rudders.
WOW!! Thank you looking forward to more videos on this.