Type VIIC Free-Flooding Vent Patterns

Three vents at rear of saddle tanks

The three elongated vents on the hull casing next to, and very slightly above, the rear of the saddle tanks are missing from the Revell kit.

Vents behind forward hydroplanes

There are very few clear photos in books of the pattern of vents behind the forward hydroplanes, nor are there side profiles or drawings which can be relied upon. What can be established from these few photos is that the pattern is a little too simplified in the Revell kit and, more importantly, the vents in the kit are rectangular when they should be oval in shape.



The photo-etched upgrade set from Modelbrass/White Ensign Models includes parts to replace this areaof the Revell kit. The pattern in the set resembles the shape and pattern found in the museum VIIC/41 U-boat U 995. An extra group of 7 vents (slightly offset from the main group) were not a feature of U 995. This extra group needs to be filled in if U 995 were to be modelled. It is possible that all late U-boats did not have this extra group.

Vents near rear hydroplanes...

As with many of the vents in the Revell kit, the vents behind the rear hydroplanes are also rectangular when they should be oval in shape. The pattern of vents in the Revell kit is also too basic.





Photos which show the pattern of small vents near the rear hydroplanes are even rarer than the group behind the forward hydroplanes. Due to the scarcity of photographic material, the pattern visible in photos of the museum VIIC/41 U-boat U 995 was used for the Modelbrass/WEM set.