Why did submariners eat lemons?

His reported experiment on board a naval ship in 1747 showed that oranges and lemons were a cure for scurvy.

What did German submariners eat in ww2?

Meat, vegetables (mainly potatoes), bread and fruits were the basic ingredients in the submariners' menu on German U-Boats during World War 2. While long-distance German U-Boats were excellent killing machines, habitability ranked very low on their designers' priority list.

What did u boat crews eat?

Lunch would be soup, potatoes, cooked meat and vegetables, and fruit. Dinner included sausages or canned fish, cheese, bread, and coffee, tea or chocolate. The galley was located on the starboard side, between the chiefs' quarters and the wardroom, and was made up of three hotplates and two small electric ovens.

Did America have U-boats?

Once the United States entered the war, U-boats ranged from the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Arctic to the west and southern African coasts and even as far east as Penang.

How long would a German U-boat stay at sea?

The Germans' most formidable naval weapon was the U-boat, a submarine far more sophisticated than those built by other nations at the time. The typical U-boat was 214 feet long, carried 35 men and 12 torpedoes, and could travel underwater for two hours at a time.

This Is What A British Sailor Ate In Nelson's Royal Navy!

What happened to German U-boats after the war?

Of the 156 U-boats that surrendered to the allies at the end of the war, 116 were scuttled as part of Operation Deadlight. The Royal Navy carried out the operation, and planned to tow the submarines to three areas about 100 miles (160 km) north-west of Ireland and sink them.

What did Germans eat during WWII?

The Germans' diet became more monotonous, with lots of bread, potatoes and preserves. There were meat shortages due to lack of imports from the USA. Meat rations dropped from 750 grams per week in 1939 to 250 grams per week in 1945.

Did U-boats have showers?

Only one lavatory was on board, located close to the captain's small cabin which was the only private space on the vessel thanks to a plywood door. There were also no showers on board, so you can imagine the stench after six months at sea with the men returning to port wearing the same clothes that they departed in.

How many U-boats are still missing?

A U-boat of this type, listed for decades as being sunk off Gibraltar, was found on the sea bottom about 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey in 1991. According to the definitive website Uboat.org, a total of 50 German U-boats remained unaccounted for after the end of World War II.

What is a milk cow submarine?

The Type XIV U-boat was a modification of the Type IXD, designed to resupply other U-boats, being the only submarine tenders built which were not surface ships. They were nicknamed "Milchkuh/Milchkühe (pl.)" (milk cows). U-459 sinking after being attacked by Vickers Wellington aircraft.

Why are German submarines called U-boats?

U-boat is an abbreviation of the German word ''Unterseeboot'' (meaning ''submarine'' or ''under the sea boat''). The German navy launched large-scale submarine offensives in both World Wars. The letter ''U'' inU-boats is from the German ''unter'', meaning ''under''.

Are any U-boat sailors still alive?

The last surviving U-boat commander, Reinhard Hardegen, who brought the Second World War to America's doorstep, has died at the age of 105. Hardegen was one of the most successful commanders during Operation Drumbeat, when Nazi submarines attacked merchant ships along the east coast of North America.

Was Hitler's U-boat ever found?

In 2014, researchers found the remains of U-576 off the coast of North Carolina, and just last year, the notorious German World War I U-boat UB-29 was found off the coast of Belgian.

What ship sank the most submarines?

For almost 73 years, the USS England has set a record for most subs sunk by a single ship. That record remains unbroken. Destroyer escorts were the econo-warships of the U.S. Navy in World War II.

How deep could a ww2 U-boat dive?

World War II German U-boats generally had collapse depths in the range of 200 to 280 metres (660 to 920 feet).

What was it like inside a German U-boat?

U-boat submariners had a 75% casualty rate, the highest of all German forces during the war. The U-505 had two bathrooms, one of which was used to store food for the first part of the voyage. For the entire two months at sea, the crew never bathed and instead cleaned themselves by swabbing with alcohol.

How many German submariners died in ww2?

In terms of human lives, 28,000 German U-boat crew of the total 40,900 men recruited into the service lost their lives and 5,000 were taken prisoners of war. Some 30,000 men of the allied merchant service died, in addition to an unknown number of Allied naval personnel.

What was the speed of a German U-boat?

The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft). The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).

What did SS soldiers eat?

Standard German rations for SS units in the field consisted of a four-day supply: about 25 ounces of Graubrot (gray rye bread); 6-10 ounces of Fleisch (canned meat) or Wurst (canned sausage); some five ounces of vegetables; a half ounce of butter, margarine, jam, or hazelnut paste; either real or ersatz coffee; five ...

What did Japanese soldiers eat?

The rations issued by the Imperial Japanese Government, usually consisted of rice with barley, meat or fish, vegetables, pickled vegetables, umeboshi, shoyu sauce, miso or bean paste, and green tea.

What did the soldiers eat during the Battle of the Bulge?

At first, the meals were stews, and more varieties were added as the war went on, including meat and spaghetti in tomato sauce, chopped ham, eggs and potatoes, meat and noodles, pork and beans; ham and lima beans, and chicken and vegetables.

Did U-boats have to surface to fire?

And it must have done so on the surface of the water, where it was able to travel at a faster speed than the ships it pursued. By approaching from astern, where the lookouts rarely checked, the U-boat would be able to slip inside the convoy undetected, fire at close range, then submerge in order to get away.

Who sank the most U-boats in ww2?

Of the U-boats, 519 were sunk by British, Canadian, or other allied forces, while 175 were destroyed by American forces; 15 were destroyed by the Soviets and 73 were scuttled by their crews before the end of the war for various reasons.

Do any German U-boats still exist?

The German Unterseeboot, or U-boat, was a submarine that appeared seemingly out of nowhere to destroy both military and commercial ships. Despite their prevalence during WWI and WWII, only four U-boats exist today.

Has the wreck of U 47 been found?

A team led by Rodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz of the University of Southampton discovered the submarine's remains during an exploratory dive this summer. Resting at a depth of 150 feet below the surface, the wreck is situated some 20 nautical miles off the coast of Yorkshire, England.