The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.
― Edsger W. Dijkstra
The sonar ping echoed through the cramped corridors of U-557, a haunting melody in the crushing depths of the North Atlantic. As the submarine’s historian documenting its restoration, I thought I knew every inch of this Type VII U-boat. I was wrong.
Three hundred meters below the surface, I traced my fingers along the cold steel walls, documenting the authentic details of this preserved war machine. The control room stood frozen in time – gauges still marked with their last readings from 1942, periscope bearing the scratches of its final dive.
That’s when I noticed it. Behind the captain’s chart table, a hairline crack in the bulkhead that wasn’t in any of the original blueprints. As I pressed against it, the metal groaned, revealing a hidden compartment that had remained sealed for over 80 years.
The musty air that escaped carried something else – whispers, like distant German voices engaged in frantic conversation. My flashlight beam caught something etched into the compartment’s wall: tallies. Hundreds of them. But the official records showed this U-boat had only claimed twelve vessels before vanishing.
The temperature plummeted. My breath frosted in front of me as the sonar’s ping grew louder, more insistent. In its rhythm, I could almost make out words: “Nicht verlassen… never leave…”
The bulkhead door slammed shut with the sound of twisting metal. In the darkness, I heard the distinct sound of boots on steel decking – coming from a crew compartment that should have been empty.
They never found me, of course. How could they? According to the restoration team’s logs, no one had entered the U-boat that day. But if you listen carefully to the sonar recordings, between the pings, you might hear knocking from within – a desperate morse code message from someone who learned too late that some war machines never truly surrender their secrets.
Or their prisoners.
With this map you get:
- grid & gridless variations
- PNG files, low (70 PPI) & high (140 PPI) resolutions
- no background, splatter & abandoned variations
- floor plan
- dd2vtt files for FoundryVTT & Roll20
- High-resolution WebP files
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Plan View
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Top View
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Plan View – Splatter
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Top View – Splatter
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Plan View – Abandoned
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Top View – Abandoned
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Plan View – No Background
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Top View – No Background
Type VII U-Boat Submarine – Floor Pan
