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U 47 Modifications & Colours

Late October 1940

In late October 1940, repair work was carried out upon U 47 in the Marinewerft shipyards in Lorient. The photos at the start of the ninth patrol on the 3rd November 1940 show U 47 freshly painted in the same late 1940 dark grey.

December 1940 to February 1941

The last refit and overhaul carried out upon U 47 took place in the Marinewerft shipyards in Lorient between the 7th December 1940 and the 19th February 1941. The departure of the last patrol was delayed until the 20th February because the two trial runs on the 15th and 18th revealed some defects. The photos at the start of the tenth patrol on the 20th February 1941 show U 47 freshly painted in the same late 1940 dark grey. No external changes are visible in these photographs.

The tower of U 47 on the 20th February 1941, with air trunking on both sides and Schlickgrau 58 paint..

Part II - Lower hull colour

The Kriegsmarine painting regulations (Allegemeine Baubestimmungen Nr.31 or building regulations form Nr. 31) specify the colour of the many of the paints that were to be applied to U-boats. The U-boat section of two editions of Nr. 31 can be found at:

http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/farben_maerz_1940.html and in

http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/farben_juli_1944.html

The March 1940, November 1941 and July 1944 editions of these painting regulations all state that the external sections of the lower hull were to be painted with two coats of anti-corrosion paint followed by two coats of the anti-fouling dark grey paint Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau (RAL7016, in between FS36076 and FS35042). This is the paint that was likely to have been used upon the lower hull of U 47. Since the U-boat arm had been experimenting with the colours above the waterline in the years leading up to the commencement of hostilities, it may have been possible that they also experimented with the colours below the waterline at this time. A comment by U 35 veteran Kurt Grosser suggests that colours other than dark grey may have been used in pre-war times. He maintains that when he reported aboard U 35 in April 1939 the lower hull of this U-boat was dark green. We should be extremely careful when dealing with veterans’ memories of the colours used 60 to 65 years ago, but this comment is interesting in light of the fact that a green anti-fouling paint - Schiffsbodenfarbe I Grün (DKM 24) - was mentioned in the 1944 painting regulations. Considering this comment, it may be impossible to disprove the possibility that the lower hull of U 47 may conceivably have been dark green in pre-war times. However, the common dark grey colour arguably remains far more likely than this dark green colour.

Some drawings and models of U 47 show the U-boat with a red lower hull and a black bootline/boot-topping (the horizontal stripe between lower and upper waterline). Countless debates within the modelling community have been sparked by these, and other, drawings of red lower U-boat hulls. The red coloured hull is likely to be erroneous, as no positive evidence has ever surfaced of any U-boat, whether pre-war or wartime, having had a red hull. Without the pre-war painting regulations, which are currently unavailable to us, it is impossible to disprove the possibility that the lower hulls of some U-boats may have been painted in the Kreigsmarine red-brown anti-fouling paint (Schiffsbodenfarbe III Rot - RAL8013). The red lower hulls, however, will remain very questionable, and frankly extremely dubious, until such time as positive confirmation comes to light.

The black bootline seen in some drawings and upon some models is definitely erroneous as there are no photographs in common circulation showing any Kriegsmarine U-boats with a bootline. A good quality photo of U 47 being launched shows that the U-boat certainly did not have a bootline.
The artists who produced the drawings of U 47 and other U-boats with red hulls and bootlines may have been influenced by the standard Kriegsmarine surface unit colours of red-brown (RAL8013) hull and dark grey (RAL7016) bootline. Some artists may also have known that dark grey was the colour used on the lower hull of U-boats, but preferred to opt for red. The red hull provides a much more visually stimulating drawing than the drab, featureless grey, and artistic license may well have negated historical accuracy. The Amati 1/72nd U 47 kit is a perfect example of this. The model shown on the box has a red hull, yet the instructions specify that dark grey should be used. It is possible that marketing considerations may have taken precedence over accuracy in this case.