HMS Meteorite Project Help Please

[Albacore 569]

Researching more the HMS Meteorite. What an interesting story. Preparing a detailed in-depth article. One thing I discovered are her commanding officers. Primary her main skipper during her operational tests of the Walter system was none other than Lt-Com-James Stewart Launders-DSODFC. The same that commanded HMS Venturer. The only time so far in history a submerged submarine sank with torpedo another submarine submerged on 9 February 1945, in the North Sea west of Bergen, Norway, his submarine torpedoed and sank U-864, commanded by Korvettenkaptain RaffReimar Wolffram - U-864 was a Type IX .

This boat was specially targeted. Venturers primary mission to take out U-864.

Enigma codes broken at Bletchley Park had revealed she was on a special mission to Japan which included jet-engine parts from the German Me-262 jet fighter plane that the Japanese were going to try to clone, missile guidance systems from Peenemunde of the type used on the V-2 rocket, and 56 Tonnes of mercury a raw material that was in short supply in Japan that was vital to the industrial production of ordnance since it was a necessary component in the fabrication of detonators.

Other officers and crew regarded Launders as highly capable, cheerful, and courageous. His crew trusted hm and his capabilities completely. The skill in locating and sinking U-864 tells plenty about the crew abilities too. He was only 25 years old when he commanded as a lieutenant HMS Venturer. He served in the Royal Navy after the war and passed away in 1988.

What is strange is one website on Meteorite mentions its commanding officers. I wanted to research them to put a human face on this story too. I wasn't sure and needed independent confirmation he was the same officer. Strangely Wikipedia doesn't even mention he commanded HM Meteorite (being Wikipedia not surprised by this) but a search of Naval officer's bios lists in the Royal Navy in the cloud I located him and indeed he was the same officer. The DSO DSC also helped find him quicker.

So, in the bottom photo taken during Operational trials of HMS Meteorite off Scotland in 1947-48, the man waving is most likely Lt Cmdr. 'Jimmy' Launders himself,


Jimmy Launders - Wikipedia

[Albacore 569]

Thanks Dave! Going to work faster!!

I suppose the urinal was a aluminum box welded together with a tube that simply drained out under the casing to be washed out by the sea anyways. So ironic, next to it is that brilliant piece of German engineering - that amazing sky surface search scope with the rounded head. The round port opening on fairwater is 2 feet 6 inches in diameter according to the plans. It is offset off the centerline ot help line up free accents for the crew in an emergency escape. It must have felt more like sitting in or on top of a Sherman tank turret. I have some binocular sighting scope too, but omitted as it sits on the top of the folding window frame and would interfere retracting it flush , besides its just one more thing to get knocked off at the pond.

Reading the British intel operating reports. The fuel is what scared the crew Sensibly so! (the hydrogen peroxide) it was very concentrated Hi test. (or called often 'Ingolin). The boat had fuel enough to run at high speed for 8 hours. The workable limits of the Ingolin concentration was narrow. During trials, HMS Meteorite's Type XVIIB Plant was found difficult to start with concentrations below 78%. Above 82 % the Ingolin was unsafe.

Briefly writing, the hydrogen peroxide (known as T-Stoff, Ingolin, or Aurol) is supplied under pressure to a catalysts chamber where activated by potassium permanganate tablets it was decomposed into steam and oxygen. These products pass to a combustion chamber where fuel oil is injected & burnt with the oxygen, fresh water from the decomposition is added to reduce operating temperatures and form more steam. The products CO2 & Steam pass through a turbine where power is produced. The turbine exhausts to a jet like condenser were the CO2 is separated and dumped overboard.. A by-product gained is Fresh water that is used to cool the system. This fresh water passes through a heat exchanger external to the hull using sea water flow and scoops along the aft sides of the hull.

The plant, once understood was reported comparatively easy to control and could be run up to full power from cold in less than 5 minutes. With just minimum diesel power available, otherwise the Type XVIIB was slow on the surface. The available limited volume for more diesel engines displaced by the Walter plant..

The Walter system worked optimally at 60 feet. Shallower the boat causes bubble trails & a surface 'bulge' . Deeper than 60 feet, the Walter systems propulsion begins to loose efficiency to back sea pressure on the exhaust. But still for1946, the British experiencing any sub capable of going over 20 knots underwater (and on only half the power because Meteorite used just one 2.500 SHP turbine) would WOW anyone.

Meteorite was very noisy. It had been designed with rubber isolation mountings but these wre omitted in the Britsh refit, as it was deamed an unnecessary expense for what was to be a non operational test boat. The operational tests were performed off Barrow in Furness, The Ex- U-1407 was the last captured U-boat to be evaluated. All others acquired after the war had by then been scraped or scuttled. The sound of that turbine makes me think of the sound in Disney's 20,000 leagues Under the sea when the Nautilus males its first star appearance at ramming speed.

Walter conceived the idea for a high speed underwater submarine in 1933! And conceived the Peroxide system t power the boat. Walter stopped progress to work on rocket jet propulsion and returned tp his submarine walter system in 1938. He demonstrated it in the V-80 in 1940. Next came the Type XVIIA & B boats. The Type XVIII was next, but Donitz regretfully had to cancel it as its development would be too late to help the war. The Type XVIII became the Type XXI we all know. Walters streamlining in a boat with a massive battery capacity, and ultimately the better solution. Type XXI influence on all submarines since is well known. Walters system continued in development and his system would result in the advanced Type XXVI only parts laid down when the war ended..

Walter Werk Kiel when the British 30 th armor division arrived (30 AU) on May 5th, 1945 immediately apricated their find. Walter works was or had worked developing or were developing Advanced submarine and torpedo propulsion, Rocket engines for the ME 163, Launching system for the V-1 rocket launch ramps, .Also the powerful peroxide powered fuel pump for the V-2 A-4 ballistic missile, and a new electro Numatics Schnorkels was completed. A complete 2000 & 6,250 SHP turbine for submarines was recovered intact in the shops.

[rwtdiver]

The photos and the workmanship on that sail is beautiful. You are certainly a master builder and watching you and David M. putting your talents into the "Old School" type of building is a pleasure to see!

Rob
Firemen can stand the heat."

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Wonderful composition on those photos. Showing up the masterful work you are renouned for, pal.

(I hate you!).

David
Student

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Nice work, Steve!! 637, 671: We didn't have a tube, as the sail was quite open inside. If you had good aim, you could "discharge" overboard through a rigged out side light! ;)

... or, if you were the sneaky type, into the other lookouts back pocket as he fixated on a contact.

[wlambing]

Nice work, Steve!! 637, 671: We didn't have a tube, as the sail was quite open inside. If you had good aim, you could "discharge" overboard through a rigged out side light! ;)

[Albacore 569]

Completed Fairwater in 1/30 scale for HMS Meteorite in 1946-47. On to hull work. Just needs final paint color & name dry transfers. HF radio antenna, bridge compass, flag mast removable for diving. Windshield folds down. That beautiful German air/surface search scope.(mast not vertical was just placed in for photos') If the mast color looks right, its should its real - a dulled stainless steel. Whip anntenna is made with brass tubing, a spring and a plastic broom hair from the broom closet. It's waterproof, holds its shape, yet flexes like the real one. It's about the right size in 1/30 scale. In my Dutch walrus sub I shaved it thinner scraping it down with a scalpel to match size in 1/50 scale.for the Dutch Zeeleeeuw. The Meteorite is 1/30. The interior bridge details. Teakwood planking , the British followed the German practice as built restoring the U-1407 orienting the bridge planking athwartships to save wood. The look out platforms, some bridge gages, & a urinal tube for the bridge watch. I am following detailed drawings provided by the National Maritime Museum Greenwich UK of HMS Meteorite . The large round opening looks slightly offset, thats because it is. It a clear access to the bridge hatch below for free assents to the surface if the crew has to. The removable bridge magnetic compass is suspended in the air to distance itself from the bridge steel. It is made from a 1/4 inch diameter plastic rod rounded to a half sphere on top, brass tubing bands and view port slapped together. I wish there were more r detailed photos this boat , I am sure ina dusty corner in Barrow in Furness they exist. (or in Greenwich). Bridge hatch operates too (forgot to write)

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Need a new Surface Gage for marking waterlines. My faithful 1/96th size one needs a larger 1/32 scale big brother , All part of a shops shipyard infrastructure. I patterned mine after David's in his Thresher 593 project 'work of the day' photos. Thank you David! Steve R

Just passing on what others taught me, Steve.

(By the way, for those of you looking over our shoulders: Steve is one of the great model-builders in this game. He's taught me more than a few tricks-of-the-trade).

[Albacore 569]

Need a new Surface Gage for marking waterlines. My faithful 1/96th size one needs a larger 1/32 scale big brother , All part of a shops shipyard infrastructure. I patterned mine after David's in his Thresher 593 project 'work of the day' photos. Gage is 8.5 Inches high. Made of oak hardwood from Hardware store. Thank you David! Steve R

[Albacore 569]

The submarine used to deploy the body in the sea during in the real Operation Mincemeat was the S class submarine P219 H.M.S. Seraph. The same vessel herself reprised its role for this movie. Its likely the colors seen in the Technicolor flm was as she was when filmed n 1956, but they seem very useful for paint colors as Meteorite was in 1948?

[Albacore 569]

Interesting new photo in a recent search for new Meteorite Photos. I do these searches occasionally even after years of saving photos of a model subject. The color pattern is kwel. A lighter soft sprayed gray around the sides of the casing, and darker toward the bow. A darker gray or possibly a gray blue on the top deck casing. A black or black dark ble tint on hull below. I foud some useful image with accurate RN sub colors in the Film 'The man who Never was' (1956) wa filmed in Technicolor. Technicolor film stock is excellent for maintain its original color, in fact the colors over time even seem to improve with age. In this film, The submarine used to deploy the body in the sea during in the real Operation Mincemeat was the S class submarine P219 H.M.S. Seraph. The same vessel herself reprised its role for this movie. Its likely the colors seen in the Technicolor flm was as she was when filmed n 1956, but they seem very useful for paint colors as Meteorite was in 1948?

Steve

[Albacore 569]

Photos related to post above. Dying is easy but Comedy is hard or referring to here, Building is easy posting in here is hard with this web page program....smh. lol.

Earlier same post attempted a week ago. Clicked this time.

[Albacore 569]

Photos of hand rails. Most U -Boat Sub model seem to make chunky looking hand rails. I wanted to make as scale as I could. I ordered 2 packages of the smallest ball stanchions (see photo for part #) from Cornwall model boats in UK. The problem often with railing is often getting the diameter of the hand rails correct in scale. They are either too slim or too fat & chunky. I found that K&S brass rod stock 0.81 MM stock was perfect for 1/32 scale. The only issue is the stanchions from Cornwall take 0.50MM brass rods, so I have a 701 dental burr. It has a tapered shank perfect for this, I place in a pinvise tool & carefully by hand gently ream out the brass on each stanchion. Then I placed the parts into the pre drilled holes I made earlier. Important s to get the radius of the curve bends right. The resut seems 'scale' & are remarkably very strong when CA glued in place.

Shapeways 3 D printed the brass nae plates for HMS Meteorite for placement on the fairwater sides. The parts are printed with the curve in place so the glue flush to fairwater sides. I will liquid mask the raised parts frame and letters and glue on and spray the name plates and pel off the mask. I designed these parts & shapeways saves the programs on line in my account file for printing new or replacements. The plates are solid brass! At least in feel and wegt they seem to be...amazing. Ill add the rear navigation light and add the hinged bridge wind spray shield today. The the fairwater is done, and on to the dreaded limber holes...lol.

Steve
Last edited by Albacore 569; 09-08-2022, 11:16 AM.

[Albacore 569]

Can moderator approve above post please? made to many spelling corrections.

[Albacore 569]

Photos of hand rails. Most U -Boat Sub model seem to make chunky looking hand rails. I wanted to make as scale as I could. I ordered 2 packages of the smallest ball stanchions (see photo for part #) from Cornwall model boats in UK. The problem often with railing is often getting the diameter of the hand rails correct in scale. They are either too slim or too fat & chunky. I found that K&S brass rod stock 0.81 MM stock was perfect for 1/32 scale. The only issue is the stanchions from Cornwall take 0.50MM brass rods, so I have a 701 dental burr. It has a tapered shank perfect for this, I place in a pinvise tool & carefully by hand gently ream out the brass on each stanchion. Then I placed the parts into the pre drilled holes I made earlier. Important s to get the radius of the curve bends right. The resut seems 'scale' & are remarkably very strong when CA glued in place.

Shapeways 3 D printed the brass nae plates for HMS Meteorite for placement on the fairwater sides. The parts are printed with the curve in place so the glue flush to fairwater sides. I will liquid mask the raised parts frame and letters and glue on and spray the name plates and pel off the mask. I designed these parts & shapeways saves the programs on line in my account file for printing new or replacements. The plates are solid brass! At least in feel and wegt they seem to be...amazing. Ill add the rear navigation light and add the hinged bridge wind spray shield today. The the fairwater is done, and on to the dreaded limber holes...lol.

Steve