1/350 Hobbyboss Type VII-C U-Boat, U-390
Posted: Wed May 28, 2014 7:13 pm
Hi guys here is my entry into the Group Build and I have gone for another floaty thing to complement DC87's build. However I decided on doing something from the German side so here is my kit.
As you can see there isn't a lot to this kit so it should be a nice quick build apart from a little delicate PE work
As to why I chose to do this, well make yourselves comfy
here we go.
SO I was browsing Google Earth the other day, like you do, around my home area and discovered an interesting little option you can turn on to show shipwrecks. So I had good look around my local area then zoomed out and looked along the channel coasts. More or less opposite across the channel are the Normandy beaches and it was showing a number of wrecks so I started looking through them. Almost the first one I found was the wreck of U-390. A little research later and I was hooked.
Following D-Day the Germans were losing the 'battle of the build up'. Basically the allies were pouring more men and equipment into Normandy than the Germans. Desperate to slow the allied rate of reinforcement the Kriegsmarine ordered U-Boats to interdict the supply ships. Given the allies overwhelming sea superiority it was little short of a suicide mission. U-390 was just one of the U-boats ordered to attack. She left Brest and headed across the channel to Lyme Bay travelled East close to the coast looking for targets of opportunity. Once past Swanage she altered course to cross the Channel again arriving in the middle of the Bay of the Seine ready to engage the enemy. There was no shortage of targets.
On the 5th of July 1944 U-390 went into action, she first targeted HMS Ganilly a converted anti-submarine trawler and sank her with the loss of 39 crew, this was the first kill for U-390. She then attacked SS Sea Porpoise an American merchant ship injuring 12 crew. Having announced her presence she then became the target of a major anti-submarine search. She located and engaged by HMS Wanderer (destroyer) and HMS Tavy (frigate). Sources conflict on what happen next; one says U-390 was destroyed by depth charges another says she was forced to the surface by Hedgehog attack and then rammed by HMS Tavy. She sank with all except one of her crew who was rescued by HMS Wanderer.
Here is what she looks like today
[youtube]J99jViHaDUE[/youtube]
As you can see there isn't a lot to this kit so it should be a nice quick build apart from a little delicate PE work
As to why I chose to do this, well make yourselves comfy
here we go.SO I was browsing Google Earth the other day, like you do, around my home area and discovered an interesting little option you can turn on to show shipwrecks. So I had good look around my local area then zoomed out and looked along the channel coasts. More or less opposite across the channel are the Normandy beaches and it was showing a number of wrecks so I started looking through them. Almost the first one I found was the wreck of U-390. A little research later and I was hooked.
Following D-Day the Germans were losing the 'battle of the build up'. Basically the allies were pouring more men and equipment into Normandy than the Germans. Desperate to slow the allied rate of reinforcement the Kriegsmarine ordered U-Boats to interdict the supply ships. Given the allies overwhelming sea superiority it was little short of a suicide mission. U-390 was just one of the U-boats ordered to attack. She left Brest and headed across the channel to Lyme Bay travelled East close to the coast looking for targets of opportunity. Once past Swanage she altered course to cross the Channel again arriving in the middle of the Bay of the Seine ready to engage the enemy. There was no shortage of targets.
On the 5th of July 1944 U-390 went into action, she first targeted HMS Ganilly a converted anti-submarine trawler and sank her with the loss of 39 crew, this was the first kill for U-390. She then attacked SS Sea Porpoise an American merchant ship injuring 12 crew. Having announced her presence she then became the target of a major anti-submarine search. She located and engaged by HMS Wanderer (destroyer) and HMS Tavy (frigate). Sources conflict on what happen next; one says U-390 was destroyed by depth charges another says she was forced to the surface by Hedgehog attack and then rammed by HMS Tavy. She sank with all except one of her crew who was rescued by HMS Wanderer.
Here is what she looks like today
[youtube]J99jViHaDUE[/youtube]
so she will be displayed as a full model on a stand for ease of completion. (After all I did not originally intend to anything for this build to try and keep the bench free for other plans)
)
are the pictures showing where I am now.
so pop over to the reveal section to see the horror that is my paintwork and attempts at weathering! 
