Feldgrau.net

Apologies if this has been asked before, but how did U-Boat crews keep their deck guns and AA guns (where applicable) working given the amount of time they spent underwater? Did it require regular and scrupulous cleaning or were they protected in some way?

Breeches were locked closed, and a wooden tampion wedged in the end of the Barrel. there was one major incident where a U-Boat deck crew fired at a freighter....without removing the tampion and the gun exploded. One man was killed and the sub's 2nd-in-command had to be put ashore in a neutral central American port for medical treatment, he later lost his leg. There are many different grades of grease and working parts would have been coated and protected with this, like the thick water-resistant grease used in sealing/waterproofing wading vehicles for D-Day.

Cheers, Phylo!

-SC

U1 - 20mm Flak was water protected, and preserved like this...



Link: http://www.nwzonline.de/index_regionala ... id=1387977&

(Enlarge photo to see the details of the "container".)

Knox

Hi Phylo,

I think you may be referring tom the incident when a U-boat tried to shell Aruba refinery in the Dutch Antilles at night. In the dark they forget to remove the tampon and the first shot burst the barrel. I think the crewman may have been put ashor in Vichy French Martinique.

Cheers,

Sid.

Hi Phylo,

I found the following on U-boatnet:

"16 Feb, 1942
U-156 began to shell the oil refinery at Aruba in the Caribbean, but the gun crew forgot to remove the water plug from the barrel, causing an explosion that killed one man [Matrosengefreiter Heinrich Büssinger]. The gunnery officer [II WO Leutnant zur See Dietrich von dem Borne, see right] lost his right leg in this incident, and so had to be put ashore into captivity at Martinique on 21 February. The commander decided to saw off the ruined portion of the gun barrel, and using this shorter barrel, on 27 February U-156 sank a 2,498-ton British steamer."

Cheers,

Sid.