U-Boats and Gibraltar

[mark harrison]

HI, and best wishes for the new year.

Any boat passing the straits of Gibralter had to be aware of the sea and water conditions.

The straits have a main central current moving East there is a minor counter-current moving West
but this is mainly around the shallower rocky and uneven coastline.

I was told around 1971-72 when I was based in Gibralter by a submariner that the straits have an eastwards SUBMERGED current of 4 knots.
This means that a battery operated boat would not have the power to exit the straits submerged as it would be fighting the current.

So once the boat goes in it cannot come out unless it is on the surface.

regards MH.

[mark harrison]

HI again-sorry spelt Gibraltar wrong.

[Dili]

I don't think that is true, at least always. I have seen Italian submarine missions passing Gibraltar underwater in both ways.

[mark harrison]

http://formontana.net/uboats.html
Hi
Some more info here.
Only in bad weather would you be able to exit the straits westwards on the surface. In good weather you can see right accross the straits you can actually see the waves crashing agaisnt the african coast.

I have to confess though I don't know much about Italian war patrols.

Regards MH.

[flakbait]

Believe several German, British and Italian subs did in fact transit the Strait submerged; am certain both the British and Italians did so pre-war to test the possibility of doing so. Do not know when but am also certain that the British placed a MAD (Magnetic Anomoly Detection) cable (or cables) almost completely across the Strait and operated this system from Gibraltar to detect subs attempting this feat. Do not know which subs but several attempting this transit during WW2 were in fact immediately detected and attacked and that at least 2 were promptly sunk by air attacks and/ or surface ships. Am certain the information is available at Uboats.html...