PART 3 U-37 TYPE 9A - 1944 . A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF 9A HULL and XX1 TOWER

[Brokeneagle]

Well I found another really interesting U-Boat ......again, and I have to build it!
I found out about this unique boat when reading the new Type 9 U-boat study from AMP/ Dougie Martindale and it immediately captured my imagination.
A very early style type 9 Hull (the first in fact) still retaining a netcutter on the front of the bow (already weird in 1944) with a type XXI Tower.
U-37 was built in 1937 and launched pre-war in 1938. This type 9A was the first Type 9 U-Boat built and went on to become one of the most successful boats , surviving until the end of the war.
In its final phase during the last year of the war it became a trial boat, being the only type 9(or7) to be fitted with a Type XXI TOWER, the first tower completed, to be used in submerging and streamlining trials. This tower was also unique being the original design without the radar housing bump at the front and a few other details such as the flooding vent pattern on the sides.
The other really out of place detail is that while attaching this new style tower they also seemed to have re-fitted the old net cutter on the front of the bow for some reason. The order to remove these was issued in 1941. I am thinking it may have been an easy solution for mounting the jump wire from a new angle on the XXI tower.

THE MODEL STUFF
I will be combining the early Revell 9C hull and slotted deck, back-dating it to a 9A (which is only a few small details) and matching it with a 3D Printed U-37 specific Type XXI proto tower. I will use some extras I have left over from the various PE sets and rebuild the under-deck torpedo storage covers with strip plastic. Revell has incorrect patterns for these covers and have used an 8 plank pattern on the strip covers that should be only 7 or 6. I will need to study U-37's early deck to determine all the details acurately.
I have scoured the net and only been able to come up with a few photos of the late war trail tower version and a few of the early slotted deck. The U-boat tower has a yellow stripe around it and the forward deck also has a yellow strip across it denoting a training vessel. In the last photo you can see the net cutter.
Early tower and deck

1944 with TYPE XXI TOWER

 

[moon puppy]

That'll have the judges scratching their heads!

 

[Brokeneagle]

The special Type XXI Tower only used on U-37, which I had printed from RC Subs.
It has metal periscopes, PE details and smooth 3D printed tower and turrets.

 

[moon puppy]

All that PE looks fun!

 

[jknaus]

That looks so very very cool.
James

 

[Heavens Eagle]

That is all really cool James! All this U-boat stuff is really intriguing me. If I wasn't so into planes these days I would jump in as well.

 

[Brokeneagle]

Through my sources I have had a few more rare photos of this boat turn-up, showing more details of the tower.
These new photos show that the rear turret has not been installed as yet and the tower doesn't have the typical shape at the rear, leading into the turret cavity. It seems to be more curved.
Also these photos show the complete lack of doors at the deck level in this proto tower.

Other details that don't seem to match are the tarp draped across the white stripe, running around the top of the tower and a different configuration at the front of the bridge, one that seems to fit in with a production series layout but it still lacks periscopes. As you can see below, the earlier photos show a more open bridge without the rectangular sections that divide the space.

The model below[from RC SUBS, has been modified in this way compared to the later prod series behind it. You can clearly see the change in shape at the right rear turret that has not been applied on the model below.

 

[moon puppy]