Search Results for 'conversion'
-
Search Results
-
The model is totally scratch built. Sperrbrecher 32 Mur was rated as one of the best designed Sperrbrecher. That was possible because it was still building at time of being taken over. It was one of many built for Norddeutschen Lloyd by Deschimag in Bremen. All had river names. 14,2 kts, 3290 BRT
It was finished in October 1943 with all the latest devices. Including 2 x 10,5 cm guns, 2x 3,7 cm in twin mounting, 2 x 4 cm quads and 7x 2 cm. In addition RAG (Raketenabwurfgerät) rocket lauchers got fitted. It could fire HE rockets and chute/steel cable ones. A mix was fired, no Sperrbrecher downed a plane with them but the planes kept distance.
Being the most modern Sperrbrecher Mur was sent to the hotspot. It was much needed for submarine escort in Biskaya. For that it had to pass the Channel. 29.1.1944 it went through the Dover Calais area. It was escorted by M292 and M 370 (both type 1940) and R-Boote from 2nd and 4th Flotilla. Former French escorts PA 2 and PA 3 got added.
The dance started with MTB attacks at dawn. Next came radar controlled long range coastal artillery from Dover area. And then air attacks. A group from B-Dienst was on ship, getting informations from British wireless. The coastal radar was countered by metal foil
Next morning saw all German vessels still afloat. Mur alone had 190 holes, 2 dead and two badly wounded.The Sperrbrecher had been very successful in escorting U-Boote. In more than 3500 missions just one submarine was lost by a mine.
D-Day cut the area of BSW (Befehlshaber Sicherung West) in two. The Diesel engine Mur had to reduce the missions due to Diesel shortages in Western France. Coal burning Sperrbrecher took over.26.8.1944 Mur was decommissioned at St. Nazaire. The VES and arms got taken away for use on land. A conversion to Hospital ship with 600 beds was started. It was registered with International Red Cross as München. The large numbers of wounded made hospital ships a must.
Another former Sperrbrecher, the Rostock, had been converted first. The officers and crew had been from merchant navy and everything was done according to international law to make it into a legal hospital ship. 19.9.44 it left Lorient for Spain with 211 wounded. Staff included 11 nurses. But MTB 696 and 713 approached the vessel and forced it to go to Portsmouth. A series of protests by Germany, Spain, some Neutrals and the USA (!) followed but Rostock was not set free. The RN claimed it to be a secret warship.
Following that the München / Mur stayed at St. Nazaire, painted white with red crosses.
It survived the war with some damage from air attacks on the harbor and became French booty.The French navy first used it as troop carrier. 1958 it was converted and became Île d’Oléron, used as experimental rocket ship. In that role it served for decades
There is a big mix in English writing about the “F-Lighter”. There are many types of Marinefährprähme. For Germans short MFP, not just F. The F was used with the number to name the individual. Fährprahm …
In addition there was a letter. That gave the type. For example F 220 AM was a MFP type A converted for minelaying. An A type had a draught of 1,45 m but a AM 1,48 m.
Many (From types A, B, C and C2) got converted (on stocks or later) into Artilleriefährpräme. These got an armor of beton for amo chambers and steel at bridge. With the conversion a MFP got a new name.
For example F 817 D became AF 97. 8. AT Flotille, sunk 26.8.44 bei MTB near Capa d’Antifer. One of the very few AFP sunk by Torpedo. Draught of the AFP was 1,70 m.
A bit more confusion? AFP in Northern seas and Black sea got named AF in Kriegsmarine use but in Mediterranean KF. And Danube AT.
Some only part converted in Med. got named KF F and original AFP number.
MFP 701 – 800 are built in Italy. Many became German post September 1943. So MZ 704 A that became F 704 A.
There had been A, B and D Versions among the Italian MZ.That’s all the guns i build so far. A twin Bofors for a Captain Class Frigate (Buckley Class conversion) and a set of 37mm twin guns for my scratch build Sperrbrecher. Of course the barrels are to thick, but at arms length you really cant tell. The rest of the dimensions are close to the respective scale.
Attachments:
Topic: Strath class trawler
Nerd me starts doing „generic“ models that come without a name or class given with a research for the model of the model. (If someone from Warlord’s Cruel Sea team can give me a hint for the tanker ….. ?)
No problem with the German VP Trawler and even less with that British one.
160 Straths had been ordered in WW I by RN. Most got sold post war and served the fishery industry. In 1939 the RN owned just one, the Strathcoe that was converted to carry 24 mines and a single 3 in gun.The WW I design looked different from WW II service one. The only gun position was the aft one. The boat was positioned at the stern and so the space for Depth charges was small.
1n 1939 75 Strath class Trawlers got requisitioned.In service they had some differences, esp. with the DC at stern. I decided to do Benjamin Coleman that had the style of the Warlord model.
Most got a single 3 pdr at bow and 2 – 4 .303 MG at the aft gun position. Others had a 6 pdr and a few (like the Benjamin) a 12 pdr. In mid/late war the MG got replaced by a 2 cm in most.
So first conversion was the armament, scratch 12 pdr and MG. Aft mast area was different and a crane had to be added. Above bridge a command deck was to be added. And the fishing gallows at the sides.
Attachments:
Like many others I bought Wargames Illustrated January 2019 and got the PT boats. Elco and Higgins.
I want them for European waters and so the Higgins cried : “I want to become one of RN MTB 419-423.”
These are the former USN PT 88,90,92, 93 and 94. Tranfer was in spring 1943. But 93 was soon converted into a target towing boat.They are from the 1942 built series. The main difference to the US configuration was that the aft torpedo tubes are not carried by RN. They had 4 DC there.
The RN ones had the early pole antenna mast, not the later A type in kit.An easy conversion that you all can do. Just cut away the bases of the aft torpedo tubes and add the DC. Made from wire or plastic rod.
The MTB served in Mediterranean
—
Early US Higgins had a 20 mm aft. From 1943 a 40 mm was added and the 20 mm went to mid of boat. The tubes on US boats got exchanged to launching racks to save weight, the same reason the RN had to drop two tubes.Attachments:
I bought the rules over this weekend and I have examined that other than hull and speed almost submarines have cloned weaponry suite of 1×3″ gun, 1x20mm and 6 Torpedoes and this is incorrect. You don’t need a copy of Jane’s to identify this…just look at Wikipedia!
The correct stats for the following are as follows…(rounding speed to nearest whole number)
P.94
T Class- should have 1×4″ Gun, 10 Torpedoes, and no 20mm AA Gun. Speed is probably correctP.95
Type VII ( VIIc is the majority of production) speed is correct, as most could achieve 16.5kts on the surfaced (rounding up)
VIIa and VIIb- has 1x88mm gun, 5 Torpedoes and 1x20mm
VIIc- has 5 Torpedoes, 1x88mm gun and can replace the 20mm with a 37mm and should also have more hull points
VIId- has 5 torpedoes, 1x88mm gun, and has 2x20mm with the same hull as VIIc
VIIf- has 5 torpedoes, no 88mm gun, 1x37mm and 2x20mm and again increased hull over the VIIcType XXI- has 6 torpedoes, no heavy deck gun, 2x20mm, speed should be 16kts (rounding up)
P.96
Marcello Class- 2×4″ guns, 4xHMG, 8 torpedoes and speed should be 17ktsP.97
Gato Class (early mod 1 & 2)- 1×3″ gun & with 1xHMG, 10 Torpedoes, replace 1x20mm with HMG and speed should be 21kts
Gato Class (late mod 3 & 4)- 1×5″ gun with no HMG, 10 Torpedoes, 1x40mm, 1x20mm and speed should be 21ktsP.98
Shchuka Class- no 3″deck gun, 6 Torpedoes, 2x 45mm and speed should be 13ktsAs I can’t work out the calculation for the conversion of hull points and speed in terms of game PV the fully loaded points I could only estimate.
