Das Boot

[bartonbank]

Originally Posted by Freddy Taken from BBC website today: Engineers have started a month-long operation to break up the only World War II German U-Boat in the UK to turn it into a new tourist attraction. U-534, which is being moved to Mersey Ferries' Woodside ferry terminal in Birkenhead, will be split into four pieces using a diamond wire cutter. The sections, each weighing up to 240 tonnes, will each take a day to move. Visitors will be able to walk through sections of the U-boat when the exhibition opens in July. The submarine currently stands at Mortar Mill Quay, near Birkenhead, where it formed part of the Historic Warships Museum, which closed last year. Merseytravel, which owns and operates Mersey Ferries, bought the vessel to turn into a tourist attraction at its terminal. The first of the four sections to be removed is a 23-metre (75.4 ft) length of the bow, which will be moved by floating crane across the water. The Imperial War Museum (IWM) confirmed there are only four full-size WWII German U-Boats in existence, and that U-534 is the only one in the UK. The submarine, launched on 23 September 1942, was used as a training vessel in the Baltic, according to the IWM. U-534 was sunk on 5 May 1945, in the Kattegat, North-West of Helsingor, Denmark, by depth charges dropped by an RAF Liberator. The boat was salvaged in 1993 and brought to the UK in May 1996, before becoming a popular tourist attraction in Seacombe. Freddy

Does this story depress other posters? One of only four remaining in existence is being carved into bit sized chunks. As stated elsewhere, these things were claustrphobic and that will experience will be lost.
I went on this U-boat 4 years or so ago and all of it is rust. Still there were shoes as they had been left when it went down (no-one was killed) and it was an amazing experience. Realising how complicated it was just to flush the loo, with certain valves having to be opened in a certain order; valves all in different sizes so that, if struck by a spanner, they were each a different 'note' so the sub wouldn't be sunk by opening the wrong valve...
In addition this sub was, possibly, unique as it had a 'snorkel' that ran half the length of the deck, meaning that air could be taken in without surfacing.
Two other things I can remember.
1. One of the engine batteries was removed after the sub was recovered (sunk for 40 years). The manufacturers got the thing working without too much difficulty.
2. Light bulbs were still in place and they thought they would remove one to see what state it was in....it still worked!! I have always bought Osram bulbs since

I think the phrase is Vorsprung Durk Technick!!!