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U-166 Site Map
The Story of U-166
The Type IXC
U-580
Photos of U-166
The Conning Tower
U-166's Patrol
PC-566
The Robert E. Lee
Sinking Animation
Crew of U-166
U-166 Crew List
Hans-Günther Kuhlmann
The Mystery Solved
Legend of the U-Boat
White and Boggs
Finding U-166
Video of U-166
Daily
Updates, 2003
Wreck Photos, 2003
Wreck
Photos, 2003 (2)
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U-166
Wreck Photos
These images were taken on October 6-9, 2003 by
Sonsub's
Innovator ROV. They show
the current condition of the wreck, which is remarkably well-preserved in
many respects.
One note about these images: the lighting used on the
Innovator ROV gives the original images a strong, greenish tint that
obscures the actual colors of the wreck. With the permission of project
archaeologists Dan Warren and Rob Church of
C&C Technologies, we have adjusted
the color balance of these images (see example below) to present a more
realistic impression of U-166 and the Robert E.
Lee, lying almost a mile beneath the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
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A closeup view of the antiaircraft gun
platform, or wintergarten, of U-166. The single 20mm gun shown
here proved ineffective against Allied aircraft, and additional, heavier
guns were added as the war went on. |
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Looking aft along the deck of the
shattered bow section. A tremendous indentation in the deck, believed to
be from the depth charge that sank U-166, is plainly visible at center. |
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The conning tower of U-166, looking down
from directly above. At left is the stand housing the search and attack
periscopes (both retracted); at center top is the
unterwasserzieloptik, or UZO, a pedestal on which targeting
binoculars could be mounted for an attack on the surface. The
rectangular shapes at bottom and upper right are steps for lookouts. |
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A view of the conning tower, from
forward. On either side of the periscope stand (center) are vents for
drawing fresh air into the boat. At upper right, the extended radio
antenna, covered with marine growth, rises above the boat like a
feathered plume. |
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The side of the conning tower, as seen
from the port (left) side of the boat. At center is the port-side
running light. U-166 is covered with unusual white rusticles, previously
seen only on the wreck of a more famous German warship, DKM Bismarck. |
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Looking directly down onto the front of
the conning tower. The dark, diagonal shape at left is a slot for the
boat's radio direction-finding loop. The opening for the boat's
retracted search periscope appears at top center. |
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Microbiology test platforms like these
were placed on the wreck to gather samples of the organisms that inhabit
the wreck site. Strips of exposed slide film are used to collect and
grow specimens that will later be retrieved and analyzed in the lab. |
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A closeup of the
unterwasserzieloptik, or UZO, a pedestal
on which specialized binoculars could be mounted while making a surface
attack. The UZO transmitted the bearing of the target to the control
room, where an electro-mechanical computer calculated the exact angle
for firing torpedoes. |
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An engine telegraph from the debris field
around the Robert E. Lee. This device was used to send engine
orders from the deck to the engine room, several decks below. The index
rests on the order, "Finished with Engine." |
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