![]() The streamlined hull also offered a much smaller sonar signature and with her silent running capability, and high underwater speed, she was a much more difficult boat for enemy ASW vessels to find or detect. Her pressure hull was fabricated from 1 inch thick steel aluminum alloy, which allowed a maximum crush depth of 280 meters (919 feet) the deepest of any military submarine at that time. By comparison, the Type XXI at 15 knots emitted the same noise as a US Navy Balao class boat at 8 knots. She had three times the battery capacity and with her new creep motor, the Type XXI was very silent when running underwater. The batteries were housed in the lower section. Internally, the cross section of the pressure hull was a figure of eight, with the upper section being of greater diameter than the lower. Instead of the traditional open conning tower, there were three small openings at the top of the bridge, one for the watch officer and the other two for lookouts. ![]() ![]() The forward hydroplane retracted when not in use, there were no deck guns, the twin 20mm AA flak were mounted in streamlined housings, and all extending devices such as schnorchel, antenna, and DF loop retracted into the superstructure when not in use. Equipped with air-conditioning, she was designed to spend most of her time underwater and could remain submerged for up to 11 days at a time, briefly surfacing for only 3 to 5 hours to recharge her batteries.įor this, the Type XXI had a full streamlined outer hull and complete absence of clutter on the deck. She was designed to have a faster speed submerged than when running on the surface. The Type XXI however, was designed from the beginning as a true submarine, whose natural habitat was in the depths.Īlmost everything about the submarine was new and achieved underwater performance far beyond the capabilities of any submarine then either in service or under development. They had to surface to run their diesel engines in order to recharge their batteries and replenish their compressed air supplies. Underwater, they were slow and un-maneuverable and could remain submerged only for limited periods of time. ![]() Range when Submerged: 340 nmi (630 km) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h)Īrmament: 6 × torpedo tubes, 4 x 20 mm cannonīefore the Type XXI, submarines would have been more accurately termed as submersible boats, as they were surface vessels with the special capability to submerge when threatened. Speed when Submerged: 17.2 kn (31.9 km/h) (electric), 6.1 kn (11.3 km/h) (silent running motors) (Page Down if you want to skip this - Sorry for the Verbosity!)ĭisplacement: 1,621 tonnes standard, 2,100 tonnes full load Revell 1/144 U-Boat Type XXI With Interior Detail ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |