Life aboard an Austrian U-boat

[Hagen]

When Austria went to war it had 4 operational U-boats. And even though submarines were a fairly new weapon of war, the Austrian boats were already passed their prime. The passages below are from the book "To The Last Salute" Memories of an Austrian U-boat Commander by Georg von Trapp. This, by the way, is the Father of the von Trapp children in the movie "The Sound of Music"

On using the periscope; "The periscope is my biggest concern. To be sure, with an improvised arrangement, I can raise and lower it, but that goes so slowly that it is easier to steer the whole boat higher or deeper so as to look out of the water with the periscope or to submerge it."

A crewman on the boats engines; "Sir, I must call your attention to something. The boat is old and worn out. We have tried again and again, but it is impossible to get the engines tight, and exhaust and gas fumes come into the boat. For example if we submerge now without ventilating the boat, in half an hour half the crew will be unconscious. Men will fall like flies, and we will be able to revive them only after we surface and bring them into fresh air." The crew calls this "Gasoline Stupor" Later in the book there is a passage where they're caught on the surface by a cruiser and have to submerge before they can ventilate the boat, by the time they can surface there are only four men still conscious!

On life aboard; "Below everything is in one room, an entanglement of pipes, valves, levers, and engines. Everything is damp. Water drips incessantly from the ceiling overhead, which is finished off with small cork pieces. Those off duty lie on woolen blankets on the deck, there are no berths. They cover their faces because of the water drips."

Officers quarters; "Beside the torpedo tubes two air mattress's lie on the deck. They are the berths for the two officers; they date from 1908 and are not airtight anymore. It makes no sense to try and keep them inflated because the air inside does not last very long. Seffertitz (1st officer) lies down by the mattress and begins to inflate it; thirty five breaths is the tested amount. Then the air lasts until you are asleep, provided that you can do it quickly."

Getting a tour of German U-boat U-21; "She has an enormous conning tower, with large safety walls behind which you can stay dry in the heaviest weather. Two periscopes and an 8.8-centimeter gun. I go on board the German ship and welcome the commander Lieutenant Hersing, who at this time had sunk the Pathfinder, an English cruiser-the first warship of this war to be sunk in the North Sea. I am welcomed very cordially and enter the boat. What this boat has is unbelievable! Powerful diesels, the engine room seperated from the other parts by bulkheads. The men have proper berths, the commander even an honest to goodness cabin with an electric lamp next to his bed. A dining table for for the officers and a mess table for the crew. It is like being in wonderland and the Germans don't even know it. With difficulty I invite Hersing to visit. There is not much to explain. With one glance a U-boat man can comprehend the whole room" Hersing looks around. "I would refuse to travel in this crate."

Later in the war things get a bit better for von Trapp and his crew as they receive a captured French submarine the "Curie". Captured in 1914 in nets while trying to enter the port of Pola, a port on the Adriatic.

Georg von Trapp died of lung cancer on May 30th 1947, it's felt that his cancer can be partially blamed on inhaling the fumes of his U-boat.

[Geek44]

And here I thought there was a typo in the title of the thread...Austria being land-locked and all. I just learned something. Thanks.

[McCoy]

Austria-Hungary had a rather long coast...

[Brin]

Georg von Trapp died of lung cancer on May 30th 1947, it's felt that his cancer can be partially blamed on inhaling the fumes.

You are probably correct, the pressurised hydraulic oils used by several countires contained what today would be described as carcinogenic components.

Nothing like a good cup of tea where the water used is slightly dis-coloured from diesel. The type of encounters these early submariners had to live with make today's submarines seem like a floating hotel.

[Jim O]

Georg von Trapp died of lung cancer on May 30th 1947, it's felt that his cancer can be partially blamed on inhaling the fumes.

You are probably correct, the pressurised hydraulic oils used by several countires contained what today would be described as carcinogenic components.

Nothing like a good cup of tea where the water used is slightly dis-coloured from diesel . The type of encounters these early submariners had to live with make today's submarines seem like a floating hotel.

The asbestos probably didn't help much either.

[Geek44]

Of course McCoy! I forgot about the 'Austro-HUNGARY' part.

[Miss Saigon]

I remember it was a trivia question about Von Trapp from the sound of music. How could he have been a naval captain in a land locked country? That is when I learned the answer about WWI and adriatic ports.

[Jim O]

Of course McCoy! I forgot about the 'Austro-HUNGARY' part.

Actually Austria-Hungary was a dual monarchy or dual monarchic union state. Most of the Adriatic coastline was part of the Austrian Empire.

In the second map the red lines and lettering show the the new nations after World War I (in 1920 more specifically).

[Geek44]

My mistake was looking at a modern atlas. Thanks for the geography (and history) lessons gents.

[Hagen]

Another Austo-Hungarian U-boat of WW1 although this type XV coastal U-boat is of German manufacture.




The Type XV was 128 metric tons above water and 156 below. It was 28 meters long and 5 meters wide, it had two tubes armed with a torpedo each and that was it. For secondary armament it carried a 37mm rapid fire canon and a machinegun. The crew consisted of 3 officers and 13 men.