The Type XXIII operated through to the end of the Second World War to which just seven total units were lost and these to air attacks. Conversely, its size and operational abilities allowed the vessel to utilize stealth practices to ensure it was unseen before firing its payload. Its size, power and limited operating depth forced the craft to attack targets within close range. A low reserve buoyancy and lack of most of its outer casing meant that the system could submerge itself in a matter of seconds, as fast as 9 or 10 seconds according to some sources. Once in the water, the Type XXIII proved to be of sound design and exhibited responsive handling in all quarters of submarine activity. Surface ranges centered on about 1,500 miles while this was curtailed heavily when submerged - limited to just 202 miles at 4 knots.© The vessel exhibited a top surface speed of 9.7 knots but increased that when submerged to an impressive 12.5 knots. When quietness was a requirement, the crew could elect to switch on its BBC CCR188 electric creeping motor, a system generating 35 horsepower at the cost of silence. When submerged, the submarine could call upon its AEG GU4463-8 double-acting electric motor (generating up to 572 horsepower) for full undersea flight. The diesel unit consisted of an MWM brand RS134S type 6-cylinder engine developing roughly 575 horsepower. Propulsion was derived from a diesel engine (when surfaced) and two electric motors (when submerged). Another similarity to the XXI was that the XXIII was constructed as major sections(four for the XXIII while eight for the XXI) at separate locations only to be assembled altogether at a main yard. The Type XXIII was in design by 1942 and in construction by 1943, with the first launching in 1944. 2 x bow-facing 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes were a required part of the design and no surface deck gun was included. Sharing development with the Type XXI, the two systems had commonality in parts and operating philosophy. Small by design, the Type XXIII was fielded with a crew of 14 to 18 personnel and only two torpedoes. The Type XXIII was developed alongside the larger Type XXI electric boats and intended to operate where the bigger Type XXI could not. This was accomplished through the extensive use of high capacity battery cells and a snorkel to feed air to the diesel engines when the craft was submerged. These vessels were purposely designed to operate almost exclusively underwater without a detrimental need to surface. These boats were part of the all-new electric boat designs pioneered by the Germans in the latter stages of the war. If you've been hesitant to embark on your Type VIIC project, especially if you've invested in any of those great CMK detail sets, then this is just the project to get you started.The Kriegsmarine Type XXIII were developed as smallish coastal submarines to operate in the shallow waters between England and France and the Mediterranean Sea. This isn't a complicated build for the experienced modeler and there really isn't that much detail to worry about on this particular type. The kit includes a pair of stands to display your completed project. One resin part replicates the sonar array under the bow, and of course the installation of the bow and stern planes, rudder, and propeller. The details of the rest of the conning tower are equally well-done.Īs you can see in the images, the conning tower halves have vent holes nicely replicated, but you'll have to blank most of these out from the inside to replicate an interior, otherwise you'll see daylight through those vents where you're not supposed to.īelieve it or not, the vast majority of work will be the fitting and detailing of that conning tower as there are not many parts needed for the remainder of the hull. We have one of the most detailed snorkel assemblies I've seen so far. I'm rather impressed with the details in this kit. The kit includes a small bag of resin parts and a fret of photo-etch to replicate some of the finer details. The kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on two parts trees. Their first offering is this 1/72 Type XXIII U-Boot which is a nice companion to the far-larger Revell/Germany 1/72 Type VIIC U-Boot. Special Navy is a new line of kits from none other than MPM of the Czech Republic. Of the six operational examples, four were responsible for the sinking of five ships before the end of the war. ![]() Seven more were in various stages of work-up when they were lost to accidents, mines, or in one case, to an enemy aircraft. While 61 boats were commissioned, only six were operational during 1945. The type only carried two torpedoes, and these had to be loaded externally, that is how cramped the interior of this type was! The Type XXIII was a smaller U-Boot (U-Boat) variant initially launched in April 1944.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |