The torpedoes were brought into the vessel via a ramp above deck through the torpedo loading hatch. Below deck they were then stored in the lateral relocatable storage and loader racks by an additional ramp with crawler and hydraulic cable winch. By means of this custom–build lading equipment, it was possible to have two torpedoes simultaneously loaded and ready for combat within 6-8 Minutes. For this procedure three men were necessary, yet only one person was needed for firing. Before one torpedo was fired (maximum of two torpedoes could be fired at once) the torpedo tubes had to be evacuated and flooded in order to guarantee no bubbles in the tubes. The loss of weight when torpedoes left the submarine as well as when the torpedo tubes where evacuated had to be balanced by flooding the ballast tanks to avoid changes of course.