Model Fleet: Update 1/17/09: More Refernce Pics

Update 1/17/09: More Refernce Pics

Posted by Matty on January 18, 2009, 10:39:52, in reply to "The PRIZE: The Capture of U-505"
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I did some more digging and found some more pics - several of t hem the best so far, in many respects - including the following one depicting the boarding operation:

Click on Image to EnlargeThe actual boarding, that is; not the staged one. Notice, starting at the bow, the tip of the prow is clearly sharper and more angular than depicted by many kits, and the bullnose is prominent - almost as much as for contemporary USN fleet subs. Moving down towards the water, note the #1 torpedo tube door appears to be open! Does anyone(s) have any info on this - was it a result of defensive tactics, or perhaps part of the scuttling procedure?

Proceeding aft, up above the painted waterline, a large darker patch I originally identified as weathering is now shown to have a very straight border - looking like it could be a splinter-camouflage element; either wearing off, or beginning to show through a lighter gray overcoat, as it wears off. Does anyone have any futher info on this possibility?

All the way aft, there is another decent look at the conning tower port side, and its boxy trunk. Behind which are visible a massive (twin) AA machine gun mount - compare the length of the guns to the white-clad sentry, just in front; they appear to be a good 10 feet long, or more!

And another pair of interesting pics, from (long) post-capture:

Click on Image to EnlargeBoth of these pics I think are from postwar - though perhaps many months afterwards - on her way to her new home at the Chicago Science and Industry Museum. This pic at left is remarkable, of course, because it reveals a large, ragged hole punched in the stern! Does anyone have any info on this damage; was it sustained somewhere in transit from Bermuda, or perhaps was this a spot where (one of) Chatelain's hedgehogs tagged her?

Speaking of which, I discovered that the bent railing seen earlier just forward of the conning tower, portside, did not result from the battle, as proven by the abandoning pics, showing this railing was still completely straight as U-505 surfaced. So, it must have been mashed during her (repeated) close encounters with Pillsbury.

At right is a good look - for the first time - at the wintergarten, aft, as well as the heavy flak cannon. Note particularly the railing details; idicating the upper wintergarten platform plan is very angular (exactly as depicted in the Aurora kit), with the railing itself pitched out much more steeply than that of the lower level. Note also the plating of the lower level tapers outward at the aft end (exactly as in the Nichimo kit), but forward of that appears to be simply a straight-sided box, extending the length from the conning tower.

And, here's another great detail pic, from the museum in recent decades:

Click on Image to EnlargeNote some of the clearest views so far of the AA weapons, and now the starboard conning tower side (including what look like some 40mm or unexploded 3in shell holes), and the precise railing layouts - though now the upper wintergarten railing does not look nearly as angular as earlier, above; I would judge this particular feature to be possibly suspsect of having been modified or replaced, over the years.

OK, that's some significantly augmented refs to depict U-505, at the time of her capture (or later). I'll keep adding more useful pics, as uncovered, however that should be enough to at least get you started. I know it did me!

Cheers,

-Matty