AN 8-TRACK TRANSPORTER SYSTEM. SET ON A PORTABLE CRADLE AND AIDED BY AN OVERHEAD TRAVELING CRANE, A U-BOAT FIRST TRANSITED THE SLIPWAY. BRIEFLY OUTDOORS, AN ELECTRIC- MOTOR POWERED TRACTION UNIT THEN MOVED THE U-BOAT ALONG PARALLEL RAILS INTO THE SELECTED CONCRETE OVERHAUL BERTH. IF ALL WENT AS PLANNED THE COMPLEX PROCESS TOOK ONLY ONE HOUR. THE EQUIPMENT, OPERATION UNITS, AND HIGHLY ORIGINAL AND DETAILED PLANS CAME FROM M.A.N. INDUSTRIES OF GUSTAVSBURG, GERMANY. OF 1,149 MAJOR WARTIME OVERHAULS, 492 WERE AT THE LORIENT YARDS. A SECOND VISIT IN 2005 VERIFIED THAT THE LORIENT AND ST. NAZAIRE BASES ARE AS THEY WERE IN 1999, AND AS THEY APPEARED DURING THE WAR. NOT ONE ALLIED BOMBING MISSION OF HUNDREDS EVER STOPPED THE PROCESS. IT STOPPED ON THE DAY THE WAR IN EUROPE ENDED.