best U-Boat Myth

[ABWorsham]

Which of these myths are the best?

[Gargantua]

The Antarctica Base is definetely the best rumor.

[aequitas et veritas]

I think the story about U-234 is one to think about...it hasn´t been confirmed yet only assumed...

[CWO Marc]

>>  U-505 was captured in the Great Lakes <<

Before the building of the St Lawrence Seaway in (I think) the 1950s or 60s, it would have been quite an accomplishment for a U-boat to -- among other things -- scale Niagara Falls. 

[MrMalachiCrunch]

The Welland Canal has gotten ships past Niagara Falls starting in 1829.  But yeah, the St Lawrence Seaway in 1959 allowed ships to get from the Atlantic into Lake Ontario.  Without that it would have been impossible to get a U-boat up the St. Lawrence River.

[Raunchy The Pirate]

I had to choose other.

Remember that on May 7th, 1915 the U-20 sank the RMS Lusitania.

Myth has it that the Titanic was sunk April 15th, 1912 not by an iceberg, but by an U-boat on a trial run prior to WWI.

[CWO Marc]

Myth has it that the Titanic was sunk April 15th, 1912 not by an iceberg, but by an U-boat on a trial run prior to WWI.

That's a good one.  The Titanic sank a few hundred miles from Newfoundland, on the western side of the Atlantic.  Considering that Germany's primary WWII U-boat, the Type VII, barely had adequate range to operate in the mid-Atlantic, it's rather implausible that a pre-WWI U-boat would be able to cross almost the whole Atlantic (in both directions) to accomplish such a mission.

It should also be noted that, just before being damaged, the Titanic was travelling at about 21 knots.  German WWI subs has a surface speed of about 12 knots.  It would have been impossible for a U-boat to track, overtake and intercept the Titanic with that kind of speed differential.  Even if we assume that the sub had been lucky enough to pre-position itself exactly on the Titanic's path ahead of time, it would have taken an equally lucky shot for it to have successfully torpedoed such a fast-moving target (especially in the poor visibility conditions of a dark, moonless night).  Even thirty years later, in WWII, fast ocean liners like the Queen Elizabeth could safely cross the Atlantic unescorted because their high speed made them virtually immune to U-boat attack.

[Guerrilla Guy]

I want to make a movie where several U-Boats make it down to the South Pole, team up with some aliens who give them injections to make them into long living super soldiers, and make a Nazi Alien comeback in the year 2210.

Oh wait, were we talking about real history?

GG

[CWO Marc]

I want to make a movie where several U-Boats make it down to the South Pole, team up with some aliens who give them injections to make them into long living super soldiers, and make a Nazi Alien comeback in the year 2210. Oh wait, were we talking about real history? GG

Because reaching the South Pole involves in part an overland journey through snow and ice, make sure that you put retractable skis on the U-boats.  Otherwise, critics would call the plotline implausible.

[Guerrilla Guy]

I want to make a movie where several U-Boats make it down to the South Pole, team up with some aliens who give them injections to make them into long living super soldiers, and make a Nazi Alien comeback in the year 2210. Oh wait, were we talking about real history? GG

Because reaching the South Pole involves in part an overland journey through snow and ice, make sure that you put retractable skis on the U-boats.  Otherwise, critics would call the plotline implausible.

Well, they would be docking on the "edge" of the south pole. No elaborate overland transport needed!
 
GG

[CWO Marc]

Well, they would be docking on the "edge" of the south pole. No elaborate overland transport needed!

Ah.  Yes, that solves the problem nicely.

By the way, if you're looking for inspirational sources involving Nazi warships operating from secret Antarctic bases, I recommend the Geoffrey Jenkins novel A Grue of Ice (published in 1962). 

[seththenewb]

This is a pretty interesting read debunking the secret Antarctica Nazi base.

http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Antartida/Base-Hitler/LaBaseAntarticadeHitler.pdf