North Sea, 1944
Revell, 1/72.
The Type XXVII Seehund (German for seal), was a successful series of midget submarines created during World War II. Designed in 1944, and operated by two man crews, the submarines were used by the Kriegsmarine during the closing months of the war, sinking 9 merchant vessels and damaging an additional 3, with 35 losses mostly attributed to bad weather.
The Seehund was inspired by the daring British X-Craft attacks on the Tirpitz (Operation Source, September 1943) , but instead of explosive charges, the German design carried two G7e homing torpedoes for operation in coastal areas and on the open sea. A total of 285 Seehunds were built, with the last wartime Seehund sorties on 28 April and 2 May 1945, when two special missions were used to resupply the surrounded German garrison at Dunkirk by carrying special food containers (nicknamed "butter torpedoes") instead of torpedoes, and on the return voyage using the containers to carry mail from the Dunkirk garrison.
The French navy received four units as war reparations, and commissioned them as S 621, S 622, S 623 and S624. They were used until August 1953. S 622 is preserved and on display at Brest naval museum.
I've wanted to build one of these for a while (although I would prefer an X-Craft!). Originally produced by ICM, Revell have recently issued this kit and last month, Wonderland Models in Edinburgh had it at a very much reduced price.
By amazing co-incidence one of the distractions affecting my modelling in September and October was my participation in an international sailing championship based out of Brest, where to my delight I saw French SSNs, NH-90 Caiman helicopters and all manner of French Navy surface ships each day.
The final prizegiving for our event took place in Brest Castle (Chateuau?), within the superb Marine National Museum, where one of the only remaining Seehunds sits. And I missed it. Goodness knows how - I must have been standing within a few yards of it (with a camera!), although to be fair it was very dark in the museum grounds and I was probably rather over-enjoying the French hospitality!
FredT
