Dive Planes

The dive planes is the primary method of changing depth of the u-boat while submerged. The station is located at the front right of the control room. The station has a number of gauges. On top are the tachometers for the port and starboard engines. On the left is a big gauge for fine depth. This only measures up to 25m, where the needle stops. On the right is a similar gauge for coarse depth. The scale for this one stops at 200m, however the needle will continue past 200m to that ever depth the boat reaches. In the center there are two vertical columns. The red one is called the pappenberg indicator, and is useful for maintaining periscope depth, or other shallow depths. To the left it has a profile view representing the cross section of the u-boat. The long section at the top represents the attack periscope, bellow that the bridge, then the conning tower, and last the hull of the boat. The blue scale is an inclinometer. It shows the pitch of the boat. Last but not least are the indicators for the position of the dive planes.

The dive planes them selves are a pair of hydrofoils at the front and aft of the ship, and allows the crew to "fly" the u-boat through the water. The front planes has the largest effect on the u-boats depth, as the both push the boat up and down them selves, as well as pitch the boat in the same direction, essentially using the entire hull of the boat as a wing, as well as the thrust from the engines to push the boat up or down. The aft planes however act in the opposite direction to the pitch of the boat, and consequently are less effective at altering the depth of the boat. It is also important to note that the dive planes are only effective while the boat is moving, as they rely on the flow of water across them to create lift.