U-2518 Type XXI
Comments
James CHaving enjoyed the Revell Type VII kit, my brother gave me the Type XXI out of his stash, so decided to make it my next project.
Excluding the assorted periscopes and masts, assembly is finished, and will install these more delicate parts after I've cleaned up a couple of joins.
Robin (WhiteGlint)Another sub? I'm in. 😄
A few more and you have a Wolfpack ready.
James C@ Treehugger - Thats surprising 🤔
Perfect weather for airbrushing today, so was able to make some good progress on the paint work.
Sebastian MeynerI will follow this one with the greatest interest James 🙂 👍 My grandfather was actually one of the radio operators on U2518...yes the very same boat. If you're interested I uploaded two crew pictures taken in the shipyard, when the crew took over the boat in November '44.
See here:
U2518 | Album by SMey (1:144)
James CThanks for stopping by and commenting Murad, Greg, WhiteGlint & Sebastian.
Much appreciated guys 🙂
@ Sebastian - Wow, that's awesome mate and YES, very interested!
Of the three options provided in the kit, I chose U-2518 because unlike the other two which were scuttled at the end of hostilities... U-2518 would live on a little longer, which I intend to cover in a little more detail when I post the finished pictures. 😉
James CThanks Villiers 🙂
After installing the propellor screws I gave it 3x light coats of Pledge floor polish to protect the paintwork.
Also sprayed a coat of liquid decal film onto the decal sheet as they didn't appear to have aged very well and I didn't want to take the risk of them falling apart when dipping in water to remove from the backing paper.
The next step will be to apply a black wash to the limber holes along the hull, but will leave it now for another 24 hrs to let the floor polish properly cure/harden to avoid leaving behind the dreaded fingerprints while handling.
Simon NagorsnikI built this model in the interior verson when I was thirteen.
I'm sure that this one will be much better then mine;)!
However, it's nice to see it back again!
James CThanks guys 🙂
I finished it off a little while ago, but is a little late to get some outdoor pictures.
Will leave it until tomorrow when there's better lighting.
James CBackground info:
The German Type XXI U-Boat was the most advanced submarine of the second world war and would go on to greatly influence the design of all future post-war submarines; particularly those of the US, Russian and British navies for decades to follow due to its revolutionary new features.
It was the first submarine designed to spend the majority of its time at sea operating completely submerged; surfacing only to recharge it's batteries.
Prior to the design of the Type XXI, U-Boats typically patrolled on the surface, and only dived to engage shipping, or to escape to the depths once spotted by allied escort vessels or aircraft.
As the war dragged on, better radar equipment was developed for allied aircraft which could detect surfaced U-Boats at increasingly greater ranges, which forced them to spend more time submerged, which would inevitably drain their batteries and force them to the surface again to recharge using their diesel engines. Some 56% of all German U-Boat losses were as a result of air attack by allied aircraft while surfaced, or attempting to dive to safety.
The Type XXI was designed with this in mind.
It had three times the electrical power of previous U-Boat designs, and It took just 3-5 hours to re-charge it's batteries with the "Schnorchel" just once every 2-3 days (if travelling at a moderate 4-8 knots) which greatly reduced the threat of attack from allied aircraft.
It had a top speed (while surfaced) of approx. 15.6 knots, but perhaps its greatest strength was its top speed while submerged, which was an impressive 17.2 knots!
This was much faster than most allied merchant vessels at the time, and particularly those travelling in large convoys. There is no doubt that had the Type XXI entered service earlier, it could have gone on to wreak even greater havoc against allied shipping than its predecessors did.
Other innovations were a hydraulic torpedo reloading system which enabled all six bow tubes to be reloaded in just 10 minutes, which was less time than it took the crew of a typical Type VII design to manually reload just one tube.
Better crew comfort was also a consideration, with the addition of a wash basin and shower for crew hygiene, as well as a freezer for better storage of perishable food items; something that was unheard of in previous U-Boat designs.
Some 118 type XXI U-Boats were commissioned into service, but being so late in the war, only three would complete crew training/working up exercises and go on to conduct a war patrol.
Most were scuttled at the end of the war, but many would fall into the hands of the USA, Britain, Russia, France and even the Netherlands where they were extensively tested to learn it's many hi-tech features and secrets.
The U-2518 which this model depicts was ordered on the 6th of November 1943.
The keel was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany on the 16th of August 1944. Construction was completed barely two months later, and was launched on the 4th of October, then commissioned into service the following month later on the 4th of November, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See, Friedrich Weidner.
From the 4th of October 1944 to the 1st of April 1945, U-2518 would serve with the 31st (training) Flotilla based out of Wilhelmshaven and Wesermünde.
On the 1st of April 1945, U-2518 was transferred to the 11th Flotilla based in Bergen, Norway for active service but would not go on to see any action.
This is where the story of U-2518 gets more interesting.
On the 9th of May 1945, the boat was surrendered to British forces at the Horten naval base in Norway, then was transferred to the capital of Oslo on the 18th of May.
On the 3rd of June it departed Oslo for Lisahally, Northern Ireland and arrived on the 7th of June 1945 where it would remain, presumably for testing and evaluation until the 14th of February 1946 when it would again be transferred... this time to the French Marine Nationale (French navy)
On the 26th of February 1946 she arrived at Cherbourg, where she would remain while repairs and assorted modifications were made to better suit her service with the French navy, and then carried out her first voyage on the 20th of August.
In January of 1948 she sailed from Toulon to Casabianca while remaining completely submerged throughout the entire journey, and in April of 1948 was permanently assigned to the French navy.
On the 14th of February 1951 she was renamed the "Roland Morillot" (S613)
In August 1956 she took part in "Operation Musketeer" in support of Anglo-French forces during the Suez Crisis. (Refer to the link below for more information regarding this operation)
In 1967 she was placed in reserve, and sadly on the 21st of May 1969 was sold to Lotti S.p.A. at La Spezia for scrapping.
The kit:
As with my previous build of the Revell Type VIIC/41 submarine, this kit assembled very quickly (under 6 hours) but being quite a bit larger and with only a two piece deck suffered from a little minor warpage; particularly to the forward deck section.
This was easily overcome by bracing with masking tape while the glue cured.
The rear section needed to be carefully shoehorned into place with the aid of a metal Tamiya paint stirrer.
I only encountered two small issues with the kit.
The first being with the bow dive planes which were engineered to be retractable.
The mechanism looked too flimsy for my liking, so I opted to glue them fixed in the deployed position. The other small issue was with the base of the conning tower/sail which once assembled didn't want to sit cleanly in position on deck. I found the sides (at the rear) needed to be splayed apart slightly with a piece of off-cut sprue to sit cleanly against the positioning mounts molded on deck.
Unfortunately the decals were a bit of a let down, but this has more to do with their age rather than being an issue with the kit itself. I gave them a coat of liquid decal film to hold them together, but found the adhesive once rehydrated had long since expired and didn't want to adhere whatsoever. I was able to secure the unit numbers on the conning tower with pledge floor polish, but for the name plate on the cradle I opted to just cut it out and glue it in position while still attached to the backing paper.
All up, a very nice kit.
Thanks for following 🙂👍
en.wikipedia.org/wik..tion_Musketeer_(1956)
Youtube Video
Simon NagorsnikFantastic result my friend!
The two submarines look great together👍
Your pre- shading works very well!
Murad ÖZERMagnificent build. hard to believe this is from the ww2, has a much more modern look to it. 👍👍👍
Robin (WhiteGlint)Very good work James! 👍
Beautiful colours and weathering, especially with the brown/rusty panel lining.
It really does look much more modern compared to Type VIIC.
JvInteresting to see the 2 boats together at the end and see the development over just a few years
2 very butiful models
James CMany thanks guys, very much appreciated as always 🙂
In hindsight, I was probably a little too heavy handed with the transparent green on the lower hull, and if I were to do it again I'd probably skip that step and just leave it looking dark grey instead. Another good lesson learned though 😉
Simon NagorsnikI have to say that I like your coloring very much.
Immediately caught my eye🙂!
Sebastian MeynerI don't think you were to heavy handed on the paint job at all. Very, very well done mate! 👍
Album info
Background info:
The German Type XXI U-Boat was the most advanced submarine of the second world war and would go on to greatly influence the design of all future post-war submarines; particularly those of the US, Russian and British navies for decades to follow due to its revolutionary new features.
It was the first submarine designed to spend the majority of its time at sea operating completely submerged; surfacing only to recharge it's batteries. Prior to the design of the Type XXI, U-Boats typically patrolled on the surface, and only dived to engage shipping, or to escape to the depths once spotted by allied escort vessels or aircraft.
As the war dragged on, better radar equipment was developed for allied aircraft which could detect surfaced U-Boats at increasingly greater ranges, which forced them to spend more time submerged, which would inevitably drain their batteries and force them to the surface again to recharge using their diesel engines. Some 56% of all German U-Boat losses were as a result of air attack by allied aircraft while surfaced, or attempting to dive to safety. The Type XXI was designed with this in mind.
It had three times the electrical power of previous U-Boat designs, and It took just 3-5 hours to re-charge it's batteries with the "Schnorchel" just once every 2-3 days (if travelling at a moderate 4-8 knots) which greatly reduced the threat of attack from allied aircraft.
It had a top speed (while surfaced) of approx. 15.6 knots, but perhaps its greatest strength was its top speed while submerged, which was an impressive 17.2 knots! This was much faster than most allied merchant vessels at the time, and particularly those travelling in large convoys. There is no doubt that had the Type XXI entered service earlier, it could have gone on to wreak even greater havoc against allied shipping than its predecessors did.
Other innovations were a hydraulic torpedo reloading system which enabled all six bow tubes to be reloaded in just 10 minutes, which was less time than it took the crew of a typical Type VII design to manually reload just one tube.
Better crew comfort was also a consideration, with the addition of a wash basin and shower for crew hygiene, as well as a freezer for better storage of perishable food items; something that was unheard of in previous U-Boat designs.
Some 118 type XXI U-Boats were commissioned into service, but being so late in the war, only three would complete crew training/working up exercises and go on to conduct a war patrol.
Most were scuttled at the end of the war, but many would fall into the hands of the USA, Britain, Russia, France and even the Netherlands where they were extensively tested to learn it's many hi-tech features and capabilities.
The U-2518 which this model depicts was ordered on the 6th of November 1943.
The keel was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany on the 16th of August 1944.
Construction was completed barely two months later, and was launched on the 4th of October, then commissioned into service later the following month on the 4th of November, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See, Friedrich Weidner.
From the 4th of October 1944 to the 1st of April 1945, U-2518 would serve with the 31st (training) Flotilla based out of Wilhelmshaven and Wesermünde. On the 1st of April 1945, U-2518 was transferred to the 11th Flotilla based in Bergen, Norway for active service but would not go on to see any action.
This is where the story of U-2518 gets more interesting...
On the 9th of May 1945, the boat was surrendered to British forces at the Horten naval base in Norway, then was transferred to the capital of Oslo on the 18th of May.
On the 3rd of June it departed Oslo for Lisahally, Northern Ireland and arrived on the 7th of June 1945 where it would remain, presumably for testing and evaluation until the 14th of February 1946 when it would again be transferred... this time to the French Marine Nationale (French navy)
On the 26th of February 1946 she arrived at Cherbourg, where she would remain while repairs and assorted modifications were made to better suit her service with the French navy, and then carried out her first voyage on the 20th of August.
In January of 1948 she sailed from Toulon to Casabianca while remaining completely submerged throughout the entire journey, and in April of 1948 was permanently assigned to the French navy.
On the 14th of February 1951 she was renamed the "Roland Morillot" (S613)
In August 1956 she took part in "Operation Musketeer" in support of Anglo-French forces during the Suez Crisis.
In 1967 she was placed in reserve, and sadly on the 21st of May 1969 was sold to Lotti S.p.A. at La Spezia for scrapping.
Completed 6th March 2022
