U-47 Photograph Album
Sections P (Early November 1939, Kiel) & Q (16th November 1939, Kiel - start of 3rd patrol)
P01. Early November 1939, Kiel
The freshly painted U-47 has just had the spray deflector extended around the conning tower. This took place in late October 1939 at the Krupp shipyard. The starboard bull now faces forward (to the right) rather than facing aft (to the left) as it had earlier. The port bull is the same as before.
The three fairleads, net cutter, capstan and the cover over the KDB can be seen near the bow. Also visible on the starboard side of the bow casing is the U-boat's anchor. By scrutinising a similar area of the port side in L04, it becomes clear that Type VIIs such as U-47 possessed only one anchor. (Admiral cover)
View Photograph: P01. Early November 1939, Kiel
P02. Early November 1939, Kiel
Karl Alman in Günther Prien: Der Wolf Und Sein Admiral states that this photo was taken in April 1940. However, as Engelbert Endrass (who left U-47 in January 1940) is standing to Prien's left, the caption in this book must be incorrect. It was taken before U-47's 20mm Flak gun was re-sited from the aft deck to the tower, which was done at the end of 1939 and the beginning of 1940. The barrel of the Flak gun was not considered waterproof at this early stage of the war, and was usually kept in a deck hatch and only brought out when in use. Usually only the gun mount and bracket would be seen on aft deck, as in this photo. The extended spray deflector and the rear tower navigation light can just be seen at the left hand side. Another area of interest are the extra wires on the port jumping wire; similar additional wires are not present on the starboard jumping wire. (Weg, Phantom, Admiral, Landser 784, Landser 891)
View Photograph: P02. Early November 1939, Kiel
Q01. 16th November 1939, Kiel (start of 3rd patrol)
The magnetic compass at the front left-hand side of the tower bulwark can be seen, as can the riveted (not welded) steel plates on the housing for the direction-finding aerial.
Every communication device which transmits electromagnetic waves can be detected, and its position determined. To detect and fix the position of the Allied ships which used their radio sets, U-boats were fitted with a loop type aerial especially designed for direction finding purposes. By using a handle, the operator could rotate this loop on its axis. The direction of the electromagnetic source - the radio azimuth – could then be determined. (Miller)
View Photograph: Q01. 16th November 1939, Kiel (start of 3rd patrol)
