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eskimo3883
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The Mammoth Book of the Deep

Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:10 pm

The Book "The Mammoth Book of the Deep (Jon E. Lewis, Editor, 2007)" is a compilation of ~30 excerpts (chapters) of larger vintage diving books including "The Sea Devils" by Borghese, Hidden Depths" by Tailliez, and Truk Lagoon by Silvia Earl. It’s a good read and can help you pick out the next full book to pick up.

On a non-diving note, one chapter is about a German U-boat that escaped to Argentina at the end of the war as written by the German Captain. After I read the one chapter I picked up the original book on Amazon (U-boat 977, Heinz Schaeffer, 1950). While not a diving book it is a very interesting read. I had no idea on the actual speeds involved (until the very end of the war top speed under water for a German U-boat was 3 knots) or that until just before the normal u-boat attack was done on the surface. The introduction is perfect. Just imagine a British Commander, (Nicholas Monsarrat), would write about a German U-boat captain’s book in 1950.
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”

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capn_tucker
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Location: Southeast GA

Re: The Mammoth Book of the Deep

Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:24 pm

Yes, WW2 boats were not true submarines. They were actually just submersibles. They spent the majority of their time operating on the surface. They would only submerge to conduct torpedo attacks, evade enemy countermeasures, and to sometimes ride out bad weather.
The battery and electric motor technology of the time was the limiting factor in this..
Quick Robin, to the Voitmobile!

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eskimo3883
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Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm

Re: The Mammoth Book of the Deep

Tue Jan 12, 2010 4:04 am

In the book they speak of the trip to Argentina. They escaped on the newest sub of the day. It had a snorkel for the diesel engines that could be elevated like the periscope and keep the majority of the U-boat under water. Problem was if the boat hit a swell the air intake shut down to prevent water entering the engines. The engines would then suck their air out of the sealed sub. They said the vacuum the engines pulled was quite painful. Also, the exhaust would be dumped into the cabin. The entire sub was soon covered with black soot. Eventually they got it worked out. They used it to stay submerged for 66 consecutive days. The walls of the sub were covered in green slime. No one saw the sun for over two months. It is quite a story.
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”

crimediver
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Location: Richmond, Va

Re: The Mammoth Book of the Deep

Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:56 am

eskimo3883 wrote: The entire sub was soon covered with black soot. Eventually they got it worked out. They used it to stay submerged for 66 consecutive days. The walls of the sub were covered in green slime. No one saw the sun for over two months. It is quite a story.
Sound like my old dorm room in Pritchard Hall at VA Tech...

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capn_tucker
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Posts: 707
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 9:04 am
Location: Southeast GA

Re: The Mammoth Book of the Deep

Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:30 pm

eskimo3883 wrote:In the book they speak of the trip to Argentina. They escaped on the newest sub of the day. It had a snorkel for the diesel engines that could be elevated like the periscope and keep the majority of the U-boat under water. Problem was if the boat hit a swell the air intake shut down to prevent water entering the engines. The engines would then suck their air out of the sealed sub. They said the vacuum the engines pulled was quite painful. Also, the exhaust would be dumped into the cabin. The entire sub was soon covered with black soot. Eventually they got it worked out. They used it to stay submerged for 66 consecutive days. The walls of the sub were covered in green slime. No one saw the sun for over two months. It is quite a story.
Yes, I've read that book. "U-Boat 977" by Heinz Schaeffer. Pretty interesting read..
Quick Robin, to the Voitmobile!

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