The German submarine sinks because of a toilet retraction
- The U-206 German submarine sinks because of an unfortunate toilet rinse
- Inlet water flooded batteries and created chlorine gas
- Submarine was sunk, part of the crew was captured by war
The U-1206 submarine was a novelty, the system innovation did not have to store feces and urine in a container, but with high pressure the end product could be immediately delivered to the sea. Although the tank system was considered safe because they tried to save every space and mass on a submarine, the designers looked after another solution.
At that time, rinsing was not just as much as it is today. There had to be different valves for the staff in a specific order that it was not easy, and it also proves that they were trained directly. This was important because, if the order was missed, not only did the wastewater returned, but the seawater came into the hull – which could be fatal for a submarine.
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And that’s how we arrive until the banal disaster. The U-1206 set off from Kristiansand in Norway, heading to the North Sea on April 6, 1945. More than a week later, he was near Peterhead in Scotland when the trouble happened. According to contemporary descriptions, the captain, Karl-Adolf Schlitt, went to the toilet at a depth of 60 meters. He tried to rinse alone, but since he failed, he called the so -called rinse technician to explain the method again. They must have misunderstood each other because the technician opened the wrong valve and the water was already pouring in. According to other sources, Captain Schlitt was in the engine room when he was told that he was in trouble with the toilet. A later statement was that one mechanic repaired the valves of one toilet, the display of which did not work or showed bad value.
The inlet water soon flooded the submarine’s batteries, while a toxic chlorine gas was formed, which began to spread in the hull. To save their lives, Captain Schlitt commanded the submarine to rise to the surface. Meanwhile, they even got rid of their torpedoes. When they reached, the chlorine gas left with ventilation of the ship, but they were seen by the British King Air Force pilots, who immediately began bombing the submarine.
The U-1206 was unable to dive or change space, so Captain Schlitt decided to allow the submarine to sink to sink. The 49-man crew left the ship, three were lost to the sea, and 46 were captured. The U-1206 is still resting on the bottom of the sea, at a depth of about 80 meters, and in relatively good condition.
