U-45 WIP - Completed October 2019

[Mr. Bill]

Greetings!

All of the lost Imageshack images have now been restored!  Many thanks to Uboatfan for providing many missing photos!  Please note that there are some remaining Imageshack missing photo icons under posts from other members - I can't modify these posts so unless these members update their old posts the noxious Imageshack Evil Frog icon will remain.

If you see anything odd with these restored images, please let me know!

Cheers,

Bill

[Mr. Bill]

New images of my attempt to scratch build the two bow number plates for U-45.  All pre-war U-boats had these raised numbers attached to both sides of the bow.  From photographs, it appears that they had a background colour similar to the hull with darker (black?) colour for the numbers?  Any help concerning the colours would be greatly appreciated.  I made these from the AMP detail photo etch brass set for the Special Navy Type II U-Boat kit by carefully combining the parts for U-4 and U-5.  The seam is very hard to see and I think it will be invisible when painted.  I have yet to trim the corners round to better match photographs of U-45.

First photo shows U-45:



Second image is a closeup showing details of the bow number:


Final photo shows scratch built brass photo etch parts:



Thanks for having a look.  Your questions and comments are always welcome.

Cheers,

Bill

[Mr. Bill]

Greetings!

Some more new images of my U-45 WIP.  These show my attempt to scratch build stanchions.  As I am modeling U-45 as she appeared on Commissioning Day, I want to include the many deck stanchions that show prominently in photographs.  At first, I considered using the metal stanchion parts from the Special Navy Type II U-boat kit, but they are a bit crude in appearance and there are not enough of them.  So, I decided to use very small 0.5mm brass tube from LionRoar, spare photo etch strips, and thin copper wire.  I first carefully cut the brass tube to the proper length for the stanchions and then made rings for the top of the stanchions by twisting small strips of spare photo etch around a sewing pin.  These rings were then glued into the top of the stanchions. Finally, I inserted thin copper wire into the bottom of the stanchions to act as a anchoring pin when they are fastened to the deck.  Once all of the stanchions are completed and fastened to the deck, I will run a silk thread through the rings.

First image shows a group of completed stanchions (I have many more to complete!)


Next image show a closeup of an individual stanchion:


Thanks for having a look.  Your questions and comments are always welcome.

Cheers,

Bill

[Mr. Bill]

Greetings!

Please have a look at this enlarged photo from the book TYPE VII U-BOATS by Stern.  Apologies for the poor image quality.  As mentioned previously in the WIP, I believe this photo is of U-45.  There appears to be a row of small holes where the prop shaft housing meets the hull.  What are these?  Perhaps small flooding vents?  Note also the absence of the typical pattern of flooding vents above the prop shaft housing - which may be unique to U-45.

Many thanks for your help!

Cheers,

Bill

[Bad Karma]

hi,

I think they are zinc anodes.

This is a better resolution.


What i marked in red caught my eye,i have no clue what this is.

regards,

Ron

[Mr. Bill]

Hello Ron,

I believe you are correct - zinc anodes.  And what I thought were flooding holes are probably just shadows between the zincs.  Many thanks for the better resolution of this photo.  Did you get this image from the Stern book or somewhere else?  If somewhere else, does it have a caption identifying the U-boat?

Yes, what is that hole at the end of the saddle tank? ? ?

Cheers,

Bill

[Bad Karma]

hi Bill,

The picture came from this book,page17.I have this book in ``JPG format``,i download this book somewhere from the WWW,ages ago.
The author talked about a Type VII,no possible ID for this boat.
Unfortunly this boat is belonging to my ``U-who flottila``.


And about hole in the saddle tank,i have NO idea,never seen this on a Type VII.


regards,

Ron

[uboatfan]

Hello Ron, hello Bill,

this hole at the end of the saddle tank had a very simple function:

It's a flooding hole. The basic function is still the same as at the front (look here - post 2468 to 2475:http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=921.2460)

The aft section of the saddle tanks are free flooded. Look at the picture. The triangle sheet of metal is welded to the side structure. A second sheet will close this section except a very small gap to the pressure hull. So the add a foolding hole to secured that the water could get out.

Maybe only this subs was build like this. Maybe only one hole was not enough. Later build boats had three flooding holes right above the welding line.

Regards,

Uboatfan

[Mr. Bill]

Thanks Ron and Uboatfan for your help and information.  I found the publication (PDF file) mentioned by Ron here:

www.okretywojenne.pl/ow/download/index.php?did=47

It has some good photos, including the mysterious one that I believe is U-45.

Uboatfan - Did any other U-Boat have a flooding hole in this location?  It seems a very odd design?

Cheers,

Bill

[dougie47]

Hello gents,

There is a similar hole on early VIIBs. Here is a photo of U 54 on the 15th August 1939 -



It is below the lower torpedo door. U 99 did not have this. I'm thinking that U 45 probably would have had it.

Bill - fantastic work on those bow plates. For the colour, I am not too sure but there is a good photo here -
http://www.ebay.de/itm/ORIGINAL-FOTO-WK2-U-BOOT-KRIEGSMARINE-MARINE-Quer-25-/381141594774?pt=Militaria&hash=item58bdcf3296&nma=true&si=NBSw8kOEMUOiRafPu5MGWgxBtDM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Cheers,

Dougie

[Mr. Bill]

Hi Dougie,

Looks like the crewman is polishing that bow number plate in that photo - maybe brass?

Cheers,

Bill

[Mr. Bill]

Greetings!

I noticed another unusual thing in this photo - see the blue circle.  Appears to be a "bulge" on the hull?  Any ideas of what this might be?

Cheers,

Bill

[uboatfan]

Hello together,

Interesting picture about the bow plate: It is rectangular! The semicircles are just painted.

About the holes below the lower torpedo doors: Thesa are not flood holes. Early Type VII and IX had this. It is for a speedometer.

The pattern inside the blue circle: From my point of view this is a zink anode.Llook at the aft hydroplanes. There is a very similar pattern. This is a zink anode.
But if you look at the second picture (the colored one) you will find a hull opening just at same place. This should be the flooding pipe for the aft torpedo tube. So it is also possible that on U45 this was covered with a grid.

The pattern around the cover of the propeller shaft: This are not zink anodes. This are just welding lines. I attached pictures from U995 and another picture i found in the Book "Die deutschen Uboote und ihre Werften"
Last picture shows a riveted Type II cover of the propeller shaft from same Book.

@Bill: I think they made a tryout at the first Type VII B boats build. At pictures of U47 launch (29.11.38) you could see three small holes like later build boats. But later Boats had bigger holes. May be the changed the design due to first results from U45 wich launched  27.04.38 and was in service since 25.06.38. So it is possible that U45 and U47 are unique in these detail.

Regards,

Uboatfan

[SnakeDoc]

Hi Gentlemen,

The pattern inside the blue circle: From my point of view this is a zink anode.Llook at the aft hydroplanes. There is a very similar pattern. This is a zink anode.
But if you look at the second picture (the colored one) you will find a hull opening just at same place. This should be the flooding pipe for the aft torpedo tube. So it is also possible that on U45 this was covered with a grid.

The pattern inside the blue circle is the discharge of the cooling water system. On U45 it is covered with a grid indeed. On the other side of the boat (port), there is another hole (also covered with grid) - inlet for cooling water system, which is also connected with the aft torpedo tube flooding system (see the drawing).

--
Regards
Maciek

[dougie47]

Hello gents,

Bill - like you I think that the crewman is polishing. I did not want to say so, rather I wondered if you or others would come to the same conclusion independently. I am thinking perhaps bronze like the pre-war eagle? 

Uboatfan - thanks for telling me about the speedometer.

Maciek - very interesting on the grid for the cooling water system. I think it is also there on photos of U 47 and U 54 but not close enough to determine any detail. Perhaps you may have seen the grill on other boats. I wonder if I may ask a few questions about it -
Was the grill in the exact same location as the opening on U 995?
And was the grill square or rectangular?
Lastly, any ideas when the grill was discontinued in favour of the hole we see on U 995?

Many thanks for your help,
 
Dougie