Inside a German World War I submarine

Categories: History |

During World War I, Germany used a fleet of 351 submarines to wage submarine warfare against Allied forces.

Faced with a naval blockade by the British, the Germans responded by declaring the waters around the British Isles a war zone on February 4, 1915.

And although their submarines had rather limited success in the fight against high-speed British warships, merchant and passenger ships cruising in the war zone were excellent targets for torpedoes. The loss of passenger ships, such as the transatlantic liner Lusitania, eventually forced the United States to enter the war on the side of the Allies.

Inside a German World War I submarine
Inside a German World War I submarine

1. On July 19, 1918, the twin-screw submarine U-boat 110 pursued a merchant ship in the North Sea near the city of Hartlepool and was attacked by the ships of the convoy. When, due to damage from the explosions of Allied depth charges, the boat was forced to surface, it was rammed by the British destroyer H.M.S. Garry.

After the ramming, the boat sank, but in the same year it was raised from the bottom and put into dry dock at the Swan Hunter Wigham Richardson Ltd. shipyard in England for subsequent restoration.

These photographs of her unusually cramped and equipment-filled compartments were taken before the Armistice on November 11, 1918. In peacetime, the restoration of the boat did not make sense, and she was written off for scrap.

Inside a German World War I submarine

2. The central post on the stern from the starboard side. The picture shows a hatch into the well of the periscope and various valves for diving and surfacing.

Inside a German World War I submarine

3. UB-110 in dry dock.

Inside a German World War I submarine

4.

Inside a German World War I submarine

5. Electric control panel.

Inside a German World War I submarine

6. Electric control panel.

Inside a German World War I submarine

7. Aft torpedo compartment.

Inside a German World War I submarine

8. Engine room.

Inside a German World War I submarine

9. Electrical switchboard room.

Inside a German World War I submarine

10. Central post. The picture shows the steering wheel of the submarine's horizontal rudder, depth and fuel level indicators.

Inside a German World War I submarine

11. Table and lockers in the cabin.

Inside a German World War I submarine

12. Compartment No. 3, crew lockers.

Inside a German World War I submarine

13. Bow torpedo compartment.

Inside a German World War I submarine

14. Pipes of four torpedo tubes.

Inside a German World War I submarine

15. View of the torpedo compartment from the stern. A crane beam for lifting torpedoes is visible at the top.

Inside a German World War I submarine

16. Electric control panel, view of the engine room and aft torpedo compartment.

Inside a German World War I submarine

17. Crew cabin in compartment No. 6.

Inside a German World War I submarine

18. Compartment No. 5, starboard.

Inside a German World War I submarine

19. Crew rest room.

Inside a German World War I submarine

20. Central post. The picture shows the handles for lifting and lowering the periscope.

Inside a German World War I submarine

21. Central post. The picture shows a depth gauge, a machine telegraph, valves for diving and surfacing, as well as a steering wheel for controlling the horizontal rudder of a submarine.

Inside a German World War I submarine

22. Central post. The picture shows the handles for controlling the temperature and air pressure.

Inside a German World War I submarine

23. Bow torpedo compartment.

Inside a German World War I submarine

24. Central post. The picture shows a gyrocompass, a steering wheel, a machine telegraph and speaking tubes.

Inside a German World War I submarine

25. Diesel engine.

Inside a German World War I submarine

26.

Keywords: World War I | Submarine | Fleet | Flotilla

     

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