Technology and Operations
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
Re: U-boat toilets
Posted by:
Ken Dunn
()
Date: August 17, 2007 02:16PM
Hi Jukka,
All U-boats had toilets and some had two.
The first part of the problem was that when the boats first left for patrol one of the heads was used as a storage area for food & supplies and couldn’t be used for anything else until the items stored there were consumed. That left the whole crew, perhaps 50 men, competing for the one available toilet (assuming the boat had two) and if two needed it at the same time one would have to wait or use the bucket.
The second part of the problem was that the heads couldn’t be used below a certain depth (25 meters at first). They didn’t have a storage system so the contents had to be pumped directly into the water when flushed and the water pressure at depth was too great to allow this. A storage tank that could have been pumped out later would have been a better idea but that’s not how the boats were designed. So below 25 meters the bucket was the only facility available. They did eventually develop a more powerful pumping system (nicknamed a “thunder boxâ€) which allowed the heads to work at a deeper depth (not sure what the max depth it could be used was but I think it might have been 75 meters) but the same problem still existed – below a certain depth it wouldn’t work either.
Also I doubt the head could be used during silent running & that again left the bucket as the only alternative.
I don’t know if they ever developed a storage system for the Type VII & Type IX but I think the Type XXI might have had one but am not certain.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
All U-boats had toilets and some had two.
The first part of the problem was that when the boats first left for patrol one of the heads was used as a storage area for food & supplies and couldn’t be used for anything else until the items stored there were consumed. That left the whole crew, perhaps 50 men, competing for the one available toilet (assuming the boat had two) and if two needed it at the same time one would have to wait or use the bucket.
The second part of the problem was that the heads couldn’t be used below a certain depth (25 meters at first). They didn’t have a storage system so the contents had to be pumped directly into the water when flushed and the water pressure at depth was too great to allow this. A storage tank that could have been pumped out later would have been a better idea but that’s not how the boats were designed. So below 25 meters the bucket was the only facility available. They did eventually develop a more powerful pumping system (nicknamed a “thunder boxâ€) which allowed the heads to work at a deeper depth (not sure what the max depth it could be used was but I think it might have been 75 meters) but the same problem still existed – below a certain depth it wouldn’t work either.
Also I doubt the head could be used during silent running & that again left the bucket as the only alternative.
I don’t know if they ever developed a storage system for the Type VII & Type IX but I think the Type XXI might have had one but am not certain.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
Subject | Written By | Posted |
---|---|---|
U-boat toilets | Jukka Juutinen | 08/17/2007 10:23AM |
Re: U-boat toilets | Ken Dunn | 08/17/2007 02:16PM |
Re: U-boat toilets | Jukka Juutinen | 08/18/2007 08:03AM |
Re: U-boat toilets | Jukka Juutinen | 08/18/2007 12:39PM |
Re: U-boat toilets | ROBERT M. | 08/19/2007 05:53AM |
Re: U-boat toilets | Richard Soderholm | 10/21/2016 10:30PM |
Re: U-boat toilets | Rand | 08/18/2007 11:51AM |
Re: U-boat toilets | Walter Schmidt | 08/18/2007 11:08PM |
Re: U-boat toilets | surcufft@yahoo.c | 09/16/2007 06:52PM |