by Keith Hastie
1/350 U-73 Type VIIB (AFV Club)
I used an AFV Type VIIB hull and Type VII 41/c conning tower to approximate U-73's late 1943 fit. Quad 20mm was scratched from extra Dragon 20mms, misc. PE, and scraps. Camouflage scheme is conjecture based on photos of some other Mediterranean boats of the period. Figures are from L'Arsenel except the CO, he's from Dragon (LCDR Queeg?). Water is Liquidtex gel, not really happy with the effect or color...oh well.
On December 16, 1943, U-73 was cruising submerged off the coast of Algiers. During the afternoon she sighted a small allied convoy and attacked with torpedoes. She scored a single hit on an 8,000-ton merchant vessel then dove to a depth of about 130 feet to leave the area. About three hours later, U-73 was surprised by a full pattern of depth charges which caused considerable damage. U-73 lost trim and sank to an estimated depth of 755 feet. At about 1900, U-73 blew all tanks and attempted to escape on the surface. She was almost immediately illuminated by searchlights and engaged by gunfire. The crew was ordered to abandon ship and U-73 sank stern first shortly thereafter. Thirty-four officers and crew were captured by USS WOOLSEY (DD-437) and EDISON (DD-439). Sixteen men were killed. This was U-73’s fifteenth war patrol; her first six were made in the Atlantic, the remaining nine in the Mediterranean. Over the course of her long career, she claimed sinking about 120,000 tons of shipping and a number of warships.
