U-552 - doing it my way.

[Siara]

Hey Siara,

Where did you get the tool you used for the rivets?

Here:
http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=TU09910

Its out of stock now. Cheap, and effective. Recommended.

[rabapla]

 a guy from czechia used to produce similar stuff:

was called "rosie the riveter":

http://www.ipmsusa2.org/Reviews/Products/rosie-the-riveter/rosie-the-riveter.htm

[Siara]

a guy from czechia used to produce similar stuff:

was called "rosie the riveter":

http://www.ipmsusa2.org/Reviews/Products/rosie-the-riveter/rosie-the-riveter.htm

Nice tools Rabapla. Thanks for the link.

I scratchbuilt new rear light. Im happy the way it turned out. Thanks Dougie!



CT is ready for first coat of paint.

TBC...

[Siara]

I have put the conning tower aside, and im preparing the hull for painting. I came accross the model of Glenn Buckner, and one thing got me  scratching my head. Look at the snap below:


Ive seen this wires on some models, and they are absent on others. Whats the catch? Did U-552 sport this feature?
 

[dougie47]

Hi Siara,

I can't give you a definite answer on this. I've seen this feature on a number of early VIICs but can't see this area of a B&V boat. I think that the early VIICs had this wire and they were discontinued at some stage in the war. So if I had to guess I'd say U 552 probably had it. Best to add them, I think.

The location of where the wire enters the hull is incorrect in Westwood's Anatomy book. All photos show it entering the hull not on the hull casing but farther up on the pressure hull. I've knocked up a guide below -



The purple arrow points to the spot.

Before I forget, have you added the 2 doublers (the strengthening strips) that were located behind the forward planes? The green arrow points to them. Neither of the doublers are on the Revell kit. I'm not sure these 2 doublers were quite as wide as the other doublers on the hull casing but it is hard to be sure. You can also see them on page 25 and page 27 of Steve Wiper's pictorial book. 

Last point. On the starboard side (and ONLY on the starboard side) the doubler that is above the 4 UWT discs does not extend all the way to the bottom torpedo door. The red arrow points to where it ends on VIICs. The Revell kit is erroneous in this respect.

These features can be seen (just) in the photo below -



Just shout if you need more clarification on thse issues.

Cheers,

Dougie

[Siara]

Superb info Dougie!
Ill get to work on it this weekend.

[Siara]

All the welds were filled in.


TBC...

[Siara]

Sanding the hull:


TBC...

[dougie47]

Hi Siara,

Thanks for keeping us updated on progress. Hull looks good - holes identical to the U 552 pattern!

I see you have the breakwaters fitted (parts 115 and 116). Would I be right in saying that you aren't fitting the wind deflector around the top of the tower (part 121)?

Also, are you fitting the net cutter? U 552 did have one at the very beginning. When it was removed, there were four triangle shapes (2 on either side) remaining at the EDGE of the deck, where they had formerly been attached to the netcutter.

On one of the early patrols (perhaps patrol 2?) U 552 had the following combination -

Netcutter - no
Breakwaters - yes
Wind deflector at top of tower - no

There are photos at this time which show that a crewman has been a bit overenthusiastic with a pot of black paint (probably black rather than very dark grey). (NB. There was a painting regulation specifying that all horizontal surfaces were to be painted black). The crewman painted the following black -

- entire magnetic compass fairing (thing at the bottom of the front of the tower)
- top surface of the navigation lights
- deck railings
- tower railings
- inside walls of the tower
- ALL horizontal surfaces of the 88mm
- a narrow strip at the very bottom of the tower (where it meets the deck)
- upper surface of the spray defector (halfway up the outside of the tower)
- the railing fitted on top of the spray deflector

The two railings on the outside of the tower walls remained light grey at this particular time. And there were no snorting bulls at this time also.

Quite a few of the above were common practice (thought painting the entire magnetic compass fairing black wasn't). Perhaps the overenthusiastic crewman went back to his barracks and painted the tops of everything there black too?   

Later, when the wind deflector was in place, he went one step further and painted the entire 88mm black.

Hope this helps come painting time.

Cheers,

Dougie




 

[Siara]

Thanks Dougie!
I can not express how gratefull i am for all the help You providing me during this build. 
Im depicting the boat during the second patrol, and at the time of shelling Icelandic trawler Reykjaborg on 10 march 1941.  http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/813.html

The flood holes are correct, because i used Your reference from PDF about U-boots flood patterns.

I will add the brackets for the top net cutter, when all the sanding is completed. Im not doing the skirt around the top of coning tower.
As to the rest of the stuff, You just put my mind at rest, because everything You wrote about above is exactly what im planning.

Thanks again- You are enormous help to me Dougie.

[dougie47]

Hi Siara,

Very welcome. I'll continue to help until your model sails off to the N Atlantic.

I can see one possible problem. Have a look at U 552's patrol history here -

http://ubootwaffe.net/

(Type in 552)

Note that the 1st sailing was from 13/02 to 15/02. This may have been a sortie to Heligoland to pick up equipment. Or they may have been on their first patrol, which was aborted due to a technical fault, and stopped in on Heligoland to get it resolved.

They left Heligoland on 18/02, on their 2nd SAILING. Now, I'd consider that this was their first real active patrol. Others may consider this their 2nd patrol.

To be clear on this, let us just refer to SAILINGS rather than patrol numbers. So let's call the period 18/02 to 16/03 their 2nd sailing, 07/04 to 06/05 their 3rd sailing, etc..

You want to depict the boat on 10/03/41, during the 2nd sailing. U 552 would surely have had a netcutter in place on that date. It is reputed that the order to remove the netcutter was placed on 1st March 1941. But U 552 was on her 2nd sailing on 01/03, not returning to base until 16/03. The first opportunity for the removal of the netcutter was between 16/03 and 07/04. It is pretty likely that this was removed during this period in dock.

Wink and I have written a pretty lengthy article on his U 557 build. It will appear on the reference section shortly. We talk a bit about netcutter/breakwater/wind deflector removal and fitting dates in the article. Here is a preview of one section of the article -

Net cutters (parts 111 to 114)
Two net cutters were present at the bow of the very earliest VIICs - one on the deck and the other below the waterline on the stem.  On 1st March 1941 the order remove the net cutters was issued.  As a result, most of the net cutters were removed in March and April 1941. 
However, the net cutters were not removed from all boats in this period.  For example, U 96 still had net cutters when arriving back from patrol on the 22nd May 1941.  Similarly, U 94 still had net cutters when returning from patrol on the 4th June 1941.  U 94 had been in port throughout March, and again for 11 days in April.  But there are a variety of reasons why the net cutters were not removed from U 94 during these two periods.  One reason may have been the necessity to get the boat back to sea as quickly as possible. 
Opinions on whether the lower net cutter was removed at the same time as the upper net cutter vary.  Some hold that the lower one may have been left in place (too difficult to remove cheaply and easily), while others hold the view that both would have been removed at the same time. 
Some or all of the earliest VIICs built at Germaniawerft (U 69 to U 72, and U 93 to U 98) had the lower net cutters when launched, but not the S-G.  Certainly this was the case with U 70.  Presumably the S-G device was fitted to U 70 and others when it became available.  Fitting the S-G may have meant removing the lower net cutter.

Breakwaters (parts 115 & 116)
The earliest VIICs all had breakwaters fitted to the top of the hull casing to protect the 88mm deck gun crews from waves.  It appears that the process of removing the breakwaters usually occurred during the April/May/June 1941 period.  Prior to this the breakwaters were generally present, while after this they were generally absent.
   A pattern of small, round free-flooding holes usually replaced the breakwaters.  This was intended to help the boat dive slightly faster, but any improvement must have been marginal.  Some boats, and indeed all of the late war VIICs and VIIC/41s, did not have any holes in this area at all. 

Wind deflector (parts 121 or 124)
Another modification was the wind deflector.  Fitted around the outside edge of the top of the tower, this flange was intended to block some of the wind and spray that hit the lookouts

[Siara]

Confusing?- not at all. Actually i like the look of the top net cutter, and im glad i can add it to the boat. I gather from what i read in Your article, that U-552 on 10 march 1941- time of sinking of Reykjaborg was equipped with top net cutter, and SG, but no bottom cutter.
I like the sound of that, and i think this feature will add some detail to my boat. Aswell as being more pleasing to the eye, it is historically correct. Perfect. Thanks for Your time Dougie. You give me so much info, and much needed boost for the job in hand. Top man!

[dougie47]

Hi Siara,

Last point for today. Do you know the piece at the very front of the deck - the front of the net cutter goes directly onto the top of this piece? This piece has a hole through which a tow rope could be passed. Lets call the piece X.

From your pics I can see you will be scratchbuilding it. The photo of U 431 on the first few pages of Showell's U-Boats in Camera is a great guide for you. The caption date of the photo is wrong (it is 05/04/41) but the photo itself is brilliant.

Looking at plans and photos, the front of X should be farther forward - perhaps 3mm or so. The front of the netcutter should then be placed on TOP of the rear of X.

And yes, 10/03/41, U 552 I think had -

top cutter - yes
bottom cutter - no
S-G - yes

The bar in front of the S-G on the photo of U 551 (see photo below) was, I assume, merely a removable guard intended to protect the stem during the launch.



They surely wouldn't have placed a lower netcutter over an S-G.

Cheers,

Dougie

[Siara]

Thanks Dougie!

First in line of attack were the inspection hatches.
I used the PE from Modelbrass. After schaping the PE to the curvature of the tank i used the soldering iron to carefully sink the PE in plastic.
Sanded the edges smooth.





TBC....

[Siara]

Work started on bullnose.





Once dry i will fill it nicely, and sand to right shape.

TBC...