Cargo Submarine U-Deutschland Artifacts and Model

[drmessimer]

Some time ago we were trying to figure out what two apparent bumps on one of the Deutschland class boats were. I found this this 11 July 1916 inspection report among the FBI case files today: "There are two steel-covered elevations or bumps about two-feet in diameter on the deck of the submarine, one being well forward and the other well aft, which might be some sort of contrivances convertible into gun bases. But only a submarine expert could judge as to this feature" Are we any closer to an answer than we were several months ago? The guy who wrote the report was a Bureau of Investigation Special Agent, Billups Harris who was certainly no submarine expert, but he did see the 'bumps." Dwight

[Steve Zuke]

Dwight,
I thought we only saw the bumps on the photos of the U-Bremen? There were fantastic pictures of the U-Deutschland in the Baltimore and none of them showed the bumps. I wonder if the were removable? Maybe they put them over hatches to hoist material up from below deck? My brain is starting to hurt. We need better pictures or a better description. I am going below. You have the watch...

Steve

[drmessimer]

Steve: I think it was the Bremen we were looking at, but being too lazy to go back and re-read that section of the thread, and too feeble to recall exactly what were were talking about, I just shot in the dark. I think that Agent Billups Harris, the man who wrote the report, was looking at the foreward and after deck hatches, which at the time were closed. He was probably on deck killing time while Lieutenant Klein was below gathering information about the boat for US Naval Intelligence. Klein, who was wearing civilian clothes and pretending to be a B 0f I agent named Kelly , later told Harris that the temperature inside the boat was up around 100 degrees, which is probably why Harris was milling around topside while Klein sweated it out below. Who else but a total land lubber would assume that something 24 inches in diameter could be a deck gun base; especially since they were slightly domed? He should have asked Klein about them, he was the naval expert. Dwight

[STBaltimore]

Gents, If you are referring to the domes with a curved securing bar over the dome, I would venture to say that, had the hatches been opened for inspection, you may well have found those heavy lifting hooks frame-mounted on swivels at the base of these companionways.



The cutaway that U-Bremen graciously supplied and Zuke so artfully retouched does not show the deck lumps but it does indicate the massive lifting hooks in about the same general locations.

Hope that possibility helps to get us over the hump... hem - question. Any more thoughts?

[STBaltimore]

Perhaps more than meets the eye? Besides another one of those flange-less humps, we may be on the verge of making anther re-discovery, similar to [Post 171] Claas's after port-quarter dark apron on the U-DEUTSCHLAND (and not the U-BREMEN), Zuke's input about the curved-side footholds forward of U-D's conning tower and my ID'g of the U-D's fixed location at Quarantine Point [Post No. 63] simply because her anchor chain is out and the E-CLAY TIMANUS (a city quarantine boarding tug) is alongside.

But first, another view of the deck hump aft and Dwight's positive ID'g of one of the crew (the cook) in his posting of No. 402:

Attachment 347355

This is a shot that we have seen before, but this one is exceptionally sharp. The guy on the far left in the white shirt is the ship's steward, Adolf Stucke, the only crew member who had not previously served in U-boats.

Please click on to the image and look a little closely at the fellow standing just aft of the jack staff (rt.) and exactly beneath the vessel's ensign. Notice a few things about him that are different from all of the rest? His is wearing a simple civilian shirt. But unlike everyone else, he also supports no hat. Could it be that he possesses no hat similar to all the others because there before our eyes stands the supercargo personage of Gotthold Prusse?

[drmessimer]

STBaltimore: I envy your eyes. Yes, that is Prusse. Good call! Dwight

[Steve Zuke]

O.K folks, I found something really cool.

A while ago I found a thread on a postal forum and saved it to get back to it later. Then I forgot about it. If someone here put me on to it I thank you, but if you did it slipped my mind.

So anyway, this thread provided more information about the German insurance stamps (like the one I use for my icon) that were used when sending mail via U-boat. The explanation is well written and is even smaller footnote in history than our merchant U-boats. Claas you will get a kick out of it. The postal thread adds to what you had explained earlier in this forum. I would give my left arm for a letter with one of these stamps and a U-boat cancellation mark. I guess I will have to just settle for the pictures of them. I would guess that these things would only come up for sale in Germany, very rarely, and at a price that would buy a house.

German Submarine Mail of WWI

Reading through the history of the merchant U-boats he wrote, I think he got much of it from Wikipedia. I think it is time one of us wrote an updated entry for Wikipedia, theirs is using out of date information (thanks to the efforts of the people on this forum).

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Steve Zuke

P.S Nice job on identifying the super cargo ! I was impressed!

[Steve Zuke]

Gentlemen,

I have more to report on a thread StBaltimore started on page 62, post 619.

A series of news articles relative to an explosion aboard the submarine DEUTSCHLAND while being dismantled in a Birkenhead dry dock was reported in the Manchester Guardian, datelined Liverpool, Saturday, Sept 11th 1921.

Five apprentices lost their lives and another was seriously injured as a result of the explosion.

You may view a series of related articles by visiting: Old Mersey Times

We thank the compiler of this linked-to information, who says that she wishes us not to cut and paste her articles as they have been slightly modified from the original newspaper account text to allow for copyright. The compiler has also indicated a willingness to add more information taken down (in a slightly modified form) from the papers in Liverpool, Manchester and/or Morecambe on the continuing saga of U-DEUTSCHLAND.

I sent an email off to Lyle Cummins author of the book Diesels, For the First Stealth Weapon: Submarine power 1902-1945. I figured if they were using the hydrogen in the engine Lyle would be the one man that would know. Below is a copy of the two emails.

Lyle,
While doing research on the World War One U-155 we discovered that there was an explosion
on board when it was in the breakers yard. Apparently a hydrogen tank exploded killing
three men. What we are trying to find out is what the hydrogen was used for on the
U-boat. It was left there by the Germans; that much we are sure of. Could this have been
used in conjunction with the diesel engine? Or do you have any other ideas?
I have enclosed a link to the article.



Hi Steve,
You raise an interesting question about a hydrogen tank in U-155. I wish I could shed some light on
the subject but sure can't. The only thing I can figure is that they were experimenting with trying
to run an engine under water by injecting H2 in some way. But this seems awfully early to think of doing
this, plus at that stage of the war to have wasted any time on such a project.

Well I gave it my best shot. However, the door is not closed yet. If someone could find the time to look through Admiralty records of the time , they may well have figured out and reported what the hydrogen was used for in their report. We may even find it on line.
I would send my minions back over to England to search, but they spent to much time sight seeing (every pub they walked by) and trying to over-through their government.

I know Dwight is busy on his book, but Luke and StBlaltimore this may be something for you two to look into online. If you come up with nothing, let me know, and I try PLAN B.

Sincerely,
Steve Zuke

[UBremen]

Hello everyone,

today I spend some time with my wife (!) in the "Deutsche Schifffahrtsmuseum" (yes, with 3 f).
And I made some crummy pictures of what they have from the Deutschland. (the things on the right of the display are from Graf Luckner)
Here they come:

First a lttle overview of the display:


Here a little plate donated by Hermann and Clara Sielcken (no idea who they were)


Paperweight of black marble and wood inlay and some nickel from the cargo


A tea or coffee pot...


...cup and plates of tableware


Die ship output declaration for the third trip


Some medals and the pin (right) from a few post ago...


Here the cut away model (scale 1:50) from the Deutschland (sorry for the reflections )


Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Best regards
Claas

[Steve Zuke]

Claas,
The pieces of melted metal in the jewelry box, what are they?

Steve