VIIC/42

[Ducimus]

Besides the stats listed here:

http://uboat.net/types/viic-42.htm

What other characteristics do you think this sub might have had, had one been built?

[Ducimus]

It always amuses me when you ask about or research for this boat design, I always seem to draw up a blank. You can search around for specifications, but you'll never really find any substantial information as all websites seem to regurgitate the same standard info. Yet, no one ever provides any sources. :shifty:

I don't know about anyone else, but ever since i first read about this boat in that fantastic manual that came with Aces of the Deep, this boat has captivated my intrest. It's a boat that i really wish would have been comissioned as it represents the pinacle of ww2 submarines. you could argue that, that mantel belongs to the XXI, but i really dont consider that a uboat at all. Its more akin to a modern submarine. So it never really got my intrest.

At anyrate while ive mucked around with it before, ive always wanted to create the most exact representation of this boat had it ever been built. Even to go as so far ( If i knew how) to resize the VIIC model to represent the acutal dimensions of the VIIC/42, but it wouldnt have been that much larger then a VIIC anyway, so cloning and resizing probably isnt worth the effort.

[CCIP]

I was under the impression that the Soviets actually took over and finished a couple of these boats. Am I imagining this, or did they really? :hmm:

[Ducimus]

I read about that.

You probably read that here: ( http://www.uboatwar.net/VII.htm )

Ironically it was the Russians who completed the only known examples of the VIIC/42 post-war when they finished the construction of U1174, U1176 and U1177 at the Danziger Werft, Danzig. It is though that they may also have finished several examples from the ordered U2301-U2318 series at Danzig's F Schichau yard as well.

I tried searching for the indidual uboat numbers that are attributed to the soviets, but i dont recall ever finding anything.


As an aside, i was looking at what specs are avialable and the VIIC/42 was only marginaly larger.

Compared to a VIIC:
I's total displacement was only 293 tons larger.

its overall length would have been only 1.6 meters longer, and its beam only 0.65 meters wider. Its draft would have been 0.26 meters deeper, and its hieght only 0.4 meters taller.

Intrestingly it would have had the same submerged performance as a VIIC, but its diesl engines would have been comperable in horsepower to the ones installed on IX boats. I think this was accomlished via another supercharger, and its surface endurance would have been comperable to a IXB.