Type VIIC Free-Flooding Vent Patterns

Vents aft of the rudders

The two sets of three vents immediately aft of the rudders are reasonably accurate in the Revell kit.



While it is not essential to drill out the central drainage area, some modellers have chosen to do so. The hull casing above the central drainage area becomes much weaker as a result, so great care is needed when handling a hull piece that has had this area drilled out.

U-boats had ribs which were spaced at regular 60cm intervals. These ribs could be seen in the central drainage area if viewed from a suitable angle. By adding vertical strips to represent these ribs, the hull casing above the central drainage area becomes much less prone to damage.

Central drainage area

Type VIIB, VIIC and VIIC/41 batches

Danziger Werft, Danzig 401-430, 1162-11703
F Schichau, Danzig 431-450, 731-750, 825-840, 1191-1210
Nordsee-Werke, Emden 331-350, 1101-1110
Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft, Flensburg 351-370, 1301-1308
Blohm & Voss, Hamburg 551-650, 951-1110
H C Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg 701-730, 905-912
Howaltswerke, Hamburg 687-698
Deutsche Werke, Kiel 451-486
Germaniawerft, Kiel 45-55*, 69-72, 93-98, 99-102*, 201-212, 221- 232, 235-250, 1051-1058, 1063-1065
Howaltswerken, Kiel 371-400, 651-686, 1131-1132
Flender-Werft, Lübeck 83-87*, 88-92, 301-330, 903-904
Neptun-Werft, Rostock 921-936
Stettiner Orderwerke, Stettin 821-824
Stettiner Vulcan Werke, Stettin 901-902
Vegesacker Werft, Vegesack 73-76*, 77-82, 132-136, 251-300, 1271-1279
Kaiserliche Marinewerft, Wilhelmshaven 751-782

* denotes Type VIIB batch. The rest are VIICs or VIIC/41s Source: Westwood, David. Anatomy Of A Ship: The Type VII U-Boat. Conway Marine Press, 2003.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Jess Montgomery for photos 12, 14 and 16, which are work-inprogress shots of his detailed U 253 build.



Photo sources

Breyer, Siegfried and Koop, Gerhard. The German Navy At War 1935-1945 Volume 2: The U-Boat. Schiffer Military History.

Köhl, Fritz and Niestle, Axel. Vom Original zum Modell: Uboottyp VIIC. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1997.

Rössler, Eberhard. Die deutschen U-Boote und ihre Werften. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1990.

Showell, Jak P. Mallmann. U-Boats In Camera. Sutton Publishing, 1999.

Wiper, Steve. Warship Pictorial #27: Kriegsmarine Type VII U-Boats. Classic Warships Publishing, 2004.

Article reprinted with full permission from Dougie Martindale and Wink Grise of Accurate Model Parts