U-Boat ramblings

Posted by John Freudenthal from ws126-252.critz.msstate.edu on November 20, 2000 at 05:03:46:

In Reply to: Some cool LC facts, and an anti-Indy athiesm(forgive me Indiana!) posted by Indy Coil on November 19, 2000 at 23:46:30:

I can't make any clear sense of the U-Boat's actions. Typically, U-boats mostly cruised on the surface until a target was spotted or aircraft approached. U-Boats, and nearly all pre-nuclear subs, were designed to run on the surface most of the time--that is why those older designs have hulls like ships--to cut through waves and have reasonable surface stability. To run only partially submerged (here I am assuming only the conning tower is sticking out of the water to some degree) makes no sense and would probably be a very rough ride. Running submerged for a long distance makes no sense, unless they want to approach and enter the island sub pen undetected. This is what I have always thought, as maybe the island base is a secret base.
The sub was clearly setting up for a dive when Indy boards it, and I believe we first see the island from a periscope view. So this supports the submerged journey theory (excepting maybe a long-ranged journey--they would have to have surfaced at some time to recharge batteries if the journey was too long).

Now what doesn't make since, is why they would submerge to just periscope depth, yet keep the periscope extended out of water. An extended periscope limits the sub's speed (or the periscope would be damaged--that's the way it is in Jane's 688i anyways!). Also, the periscope would leave a wake, which I think might be quite noticeable from the air. I have a book that is a compilation of wartime recognition journals which were distributed to troops to educate them about the latest enemy vehicles, and how to identify various vehicles, both friend and foe. I remember several wake photographs taken from altitude, and the captions identified what created the wake and how you could tell from the wake characteristics. I can't be sure, but I think one was a sub periscope. Anyways, the book is at home, not here at school, so I can't check.

I have always favored the theory that Indy actually got inside the sub. And, this may be stupid on my part, but I always thought that the sub "captain" looked very much like Harrison Ford--to the point where when this thought occured I actually had to do a double-take to make sure it wasn't. But it's not Indy. So this leads to an even better theory...the U-Boat captain is Indy's long lost evil brother (a Nazi of all things). Sounds like an Indy IV script to me :) But maybe the brother is not so evil, and hides Indy. Yeah, this is the most logical answer...

John Freudenthal

Follow Ups:

Re: U-Boat ramblings Indy Fan 082304 11:05:33 11/20/2000 (1)
- U-boat clarification... Indiana John 14:51:46 11/20/2000 (0)
Re: U-Boat ramblings HK 07:25:24 11/20/2000 (0)

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: I can't make any clear sense of the U-Boat's actions.  Typically, U-boats mostly cruised on the surface until a target was spotted or aircraft approached.  U-Boats, and nearly all pre-nuclear subs, were designed to run on the surface most of the time--that is why those older designs have hulls like ships--to cut through waves and have reasonable surface stability.  To run only partially submerged (here I am assuming only the conning tower is sticking out of the water to some degree) makes no sense and would probably be a very rough ride.  Running submerged for a long distance makes no sense, unless they want to approach and enter the island sub pen undetected.  This is what I have always thought, as maybe the island base is a secret base.
: The sub was clearly setting up for a dive when Indy boards it, and I believe we first see the island from a periscope view.  So this supports the submerged journey theory (excepting maybe a long-ranged journey--they would have to have surfaced at some time to recharge batteries if the journey was too long).

: Now what doesn't make since, is why they would submerge to just periscope depth, yet keep the periscope extended out of water.  An extended periscope limits the sub's speed (or the periscope would be damaged--that's the way it is in Jane's 688i anyways!).  Also, the periscope would leave a wake, which I think might be quite noticeable from the air.  I have a book that is a compilation of wartime recognition journals which were distributed to troops to educate them about the latest enemy vehicles, and how to identify various vehicles, both friend and foe.  I remember several wake photographs taken from altitude, and the captions identified what created the wake and how you could tell from the wake characteristics.  I can't be sure, but I think one was a sub periscope.  Anyways, the book is at home, not here at school, so I can't check.

: I have always favored the theory that Indy actually got inside the sub.  And, this may be stupid on my part, but I always thought that the sub "captain" looked very much like Harrison Ford--to the point where when this thought occured I actually had to do a double-take to make sure it wasn't.  But it's not Indy.  So this leads to an even better theory...the U-Boat captain is Indy's long lost evil brother (a Nazi of all things).  Sounds like an Indy IV script to me :)  But maybe the brother is not so evil, and hides Indy.  Yeah, this is the most logical answer...

: John Freudenthal

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