When the ballast tanks are flooded with water, the U-boat sinks to the bottom (negative buoyancy).

When the ballast tanks are empty, the U-boat displaces positive buoyancy and floats to the surface. Unlike a surface ship, a U-boat may also adjust its buoyancy, or ability to sink or float. It has to be in motion in order to make a turn and is subject to the shifts of wind and tide. Driven forward (or backward) by its propellers, rudders steer the boat left or right. On the surface, a U-boat operates much like any other vessel.

In order to navigate underwater, special devices, which correspond to the eyes and ears are fitted to the outer hull. When submerged, a U-boat is virtually blind. Rudders and hydroplanes are mounted on the outer hull while the main ballast tanks are housed within. Fitted outside the pressure hull is an external outer hull, a much thinner aerodynamic hull which streamlines the U-boat for underwater movement. To withstand sea water pressure, the crew and vital machinery are housed within a strong watertight steel cylinder, known as the pressure hull. Even so, a U-boat is a highly sophisticated vessel of war, with hundreds of precision controls and a 45-man crew to operate. For the U-boat force, it was considered as a torpedo boat, with the special capability to submerge for attack or as a defensive measure – hence giving rise to the name Undersea Boat or U-boat. Unlike nuclear submarines, which could dive to depths of over 1,000 feet, travel thousands of miles submerged and remain on patrol for months at a time, the u-boat can operate submerged only for brief periods at a time. For modelers, researchers, and u-boat fans.

U-995 German Type VIIC U-Boat Illustrated GalleryĮxplore the last surviving German Type VIIC U-boat with over 600 Walkaround photos, videos, schematic plans, authentic sounds and a virtual tour. However, by the end of The Second World War, the submarine was considered as the most powerful and destructive of all warships. It did not succeed and was viewed by many as an unnecessary and troublesome vessel of war. The first attempt to use a submersible to sink a ship was made in 1776 during the American War of Independence.

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