Saturday, August 31, 2013

Model Boats Magazine 10/2013

After a more complicated then usual recent hobby project, something a shade easier was needed. One of those ideas that had been on the back-burner for some time and looked ideal, was a small simple model based on the WW2 RN River class frigates. These were the follow-on design to the Flower class of corvettes which had carried the brunt of the fight against U-boats in the early years ofWW2. Being larger and with twice the installed power, these frigates answered the shortcomings of the corvettes. Their larger hulls made them more suitable for the rough conditions which had placed a great strain on the corvette crews. Their extra speed also allowed them to run down surfaced U-boats, something the Flowers' could not do. Perhaps the most important improvement was the increase in anti-submarine weapons with the ahead throwing Hedgehog mortar and up to 150 depth charges carried. Thus it was possible for a frigate to be detached from the convoy escort group to prosecute a sustained attack on a submerged U-boat which could not escape by surfacing, yet still have the speed to return to the convoy later.

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