Pictures

Pictures Loading mines on board O 19

Photos from IMH / Siem Spruijt, J.J. Kragten and Jan Klootwijk

If you recognize any of the unidentified equipment/ships/crew/locations or know in what year a photo is taken, then please contact the webmaster at webmaster@dutchsubmarines.com

Click on the pictures to see the larger version.

- A -

(un)loading of exercise mines on board O 19. June 1944 off Arrochar. (Photo: © Jan Klootwijk).

- B -

loading of exercise mines on board O 19. June 1944 off Arrochar. (Photo: © Jan Klootwijk).

- C -


loading of exercise mines on board O 19. June 1944 off Arrochar. (Photo: © Jan Klootwijk).

- D -


Loading mines on board O 19. First from the right, on the deck of O 19, Sergeant Torpedomaker W. Snel. (Photo: © Collection IMH / Siem Spruijt / Jan Klootwijk ).

- E -


Loading mines on board O 19. Fifth from the right, on the deck of O 19, Sergeant Torpedomaker W. Snel. Note the frog emblem on the conning tower (Photo: © Jan Klootwijk).

A mine being transferred to the submarine O 19. The mine is just about to be lowered in its external shaft. This photo is taken sometime between mid-1939 and mid-1945. The other vessels name, location, date and type of mine are unknown (Photo: © Collection IMH / Siem Spruijt ).

We are especially interested in the type of mine being transferred. But details on the location, the other vessel and date are also very welcome. Please contact the webmaster at webmaster@dutchsubmarines.com if you have any additional information.

 

  In May 2004 J.J. Kragten provided lots of info that answers many questions. Below his extensive information.

This Vickers T III T mine was new to many people on board the O 19. During the maintenance in Scotland several crewmembers had to attend courses to learn how the mine worked and about its placement on board the submarine.

There were also dummy's / exercise mines of this type T III T mine. The notebook of one of O 19's crew members clearly proofs that.

Another page of the note book lists the numbers of all 40 mines that were loaded.

Note that the numbers of mines #581, #582, #583 #588 and #594 can be recognized in photo's A through E (at the top of this page). Johan his opinion is that all 40 mines are dummy's which are loaded during a work-up after a long period of maintenance. It would not be logical to have real mines (or a mix of real and dummy's) on board during a work-up in home waters.

Johan also send some interesting photos of the official Vickers 'Submarine mine type T' manual (dated 1944):

All photo's © Collection J.J. Kragten)
Submarine mine type T, diagram of depth taking.	Submarine mine type T Mk III T, arranged for tube wells.
Submarine mine type T Mk III T, arranged for tube wells.	Plain view of mine.
Diagram of electrical circuits for horn battery connections.	Sinker.

 

In Jan 2004 Marc Lemaire (Mine Specialist for the Belgium Navy) writes (translated by the web team): ..........Regarding this photo E.I am not 100%, but only 99% sure. Below some info on the Vickers T Mk III mine

Vickers T Mk III
Type	Contact mine
Diameter	92 cm
Height	119 cm
Material	Steel
Shape	Two hemispheres connected in the middle with a 21 cm cylindrical socket.
Warhead	220Kg TNT or Amatol
Horns	Six horns in total Four, divide equally, at the top hemisphere Two at the bottom hemisphere
Notes	Launched from vertical mine shafts and not from torpedo tube.

The mine does not have the normal war markings but they do make me remind of English exercise contact mines. In case they are exercise mines they would probably have been loaded with sand, to replace the white phosphor like all early English exercise mines.......
 

In Oct 2003 Jan Klootwijk writes (translated by the web team) ......I took another look at the images that I have and walking around the mine one could read:

583 D U ??????? Y And fill ????????????? N APHDE MK THIT ?????????????????????

The top line could very well read "DUMMY" which would indicate they are indeed exe4rcise mines (as my father- in-law wrote on the back of the image). "MK THIT" possibly stands "MARK THIT", the type of mine, and "And fill" could very well stand for "Sand filled". In May 2004 (after the T III T data was published on this page) Jan writes that the barely readable "THIT" could of course also simply be "TIIIT".

In Sep 2003 Jan Klootwijk writes (translated by the web team): .......This is probably the loading or unloading of exercise mines (note that the mine in the photo has #582). The man on the right, with the cap, on the deck of O 19 is my father-in-law W. Snel. At that time he was a Sgt. Torpedomaker. Judging from the cloths it must have been a rainy day.

I have three other photos of the loading of exercise mines off Arrochar, a place at the end of Loch Long in Scotland. They are taken in June 1944 and the men do not wear foul weather gear. One of the mines, which is still wet and is being retrieved from its bun, has the number 583 and the markings 'D U' in large print. Below those marking the text (in small print) 'fill' is visible. At the same height as the text 'fill', but on the other side of the mine, there is the text 'and'

The vessel that is hoisting the mines is some what visible in one of the photos. The vessel has its bridge far aft

	Home	Classes	Boats	Tenders	News	Export
	R&D	Men	Books	Pictures	Links
	Models	M-media	Specials	Forum	Search	Help US !
	Copyright © 1997-2006 - Design and content DutchSubmarines.com