The Type VII U-Boat; Anatomy of the Ship

Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1986. Reprint. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Format is approximately 10.25 inches by 9.75 inches. 95, [1] pages. Bibliography. Photographs. Drawings. The Anatomy of the Ship series of books are comprehensive treatments of the design and construction of individual ships. They have been published by Conway Maritime Press (now Conway Publishing) since the 1980s, and republished in the US by the Naval Institute Press. Each volume begins with a general history of the vessel, as preface to a set of detailed scale drawings showing every part of the interior and exterior, from keel to masthead. Black-and-white photographs and engravings, including of ship models for older types, round out the description. The 'Anatomy of the Ship' series aims to provide the finest documentation of individual ships and ship types ever published. What makes the series unique is a complete set of superbly executed line drawings, both the conventional type of plan as well as explanatory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are supported by technical details and a record of the ship's service.' The ships chosen are a mix of famous vessels, such as HMS Victory and Yamato, and less-famous ships that are well-documented representatives of their class (HMS Bellona, Lawhill). The Type VII U-boat was the backbone of the fighting strength of Nazi Germany's U-boats at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The first submarine sinking of the war was by a Type VII boat, and some of the most dramatic events of the first year of the war involved a Type VII - the sinking of HMS Courageous by U29 in the Atlantic in September 1939 and the sinking of HMS Royal Oak by U47 in Scapa Flow a few weeks later.