Bundesmarine Zerstörer D166 “Lindemann”, May 1981

[nönöbär]

Bundesmarine Zerstörer D166 "Lindemann", May 1981

The ship

At the end of World War II, several destroyers were still under construction in German shipyards. Completion level was from almost completed to at a quite early phase of construction. All incomplete ships were damaged in some ways, mostly through allied air attacks.

One of those ships was Z45 of the Zerstörer 1936B class. Based on the Z1936 design, the main difference compared to their predecessors was the usage of 12,7 cm guns instead of 15 cm ones.
Of the five ships of this class, three were completed while two of still under construction at the end of the war.

It was initially planned to scrap all ships still in the shipyards form 1946 on, but this changed as the tensions between the western states and the Soviet Union grew quickly after 1945. In 1948 the West German Bundesmarine was founded and several of the Kriegsmarine ships were returned to it.
As Z45 was the ship in best condition of all incomplete ships in the shipyards, it was decided to complete (and slightly modify) it. This also kept the option to provide jobs for shipyard workers and save shipbuilding knowledge.

Therefore, work on the Z45 continued in mid 1946, first at a slow pace, but in October 1947, the ship – with modernized radar and AA equipment was completed so that it could enter the new Bundesmarine in 1948.

From its commissioning on, D166 Lindemann was mainly used as a supporting ship for the carrier Graf Zeppelin and operated together with it.
Until the year 1960, the ship was only slightly upgraded, during this first major update the boilers and turbines were modernized which took about 10 months to be completed.

In 1965 the ship was decommissioned for a major rearmament/modernization. The existing weapons were all removed and replaced by modern equipment:

Two  5"/54 MK 42 guns
Mk16 ASROC
MK13 launcher
Six 324mm torpedo tubes

Sensor equipment was also modernized:
Two SPG-51 directors
SQS-26 sonar

As part of the modernization, the ship was fitted with new masts to mount all the required sensors.

After 18 months the destroyer was recommissioned in 1967 and operated with the Graf Zeppelin again.

In 1979, the Lindemann was again refitted with more modern equipment, this time, the refit was done in 9 months and consisted of

CIWS
Two 2cm machine guns
Mk 141 Harpoon launchers

Also, the sensors were updated as well:
SPS-55 radar
SPS-48 radar
SPS-49 radar
SPQ9
OE-82C satcom

After the decommissioning of the Graf Zeppelin in 1980, the Lindemann was pulled out of operation more and more, as newer ships entered the Bundesmarine. Finally, in 1985 the Lindemann was decommissioned because of its age. It was then given to the Marinemuseum in Wilhlemshaven where it was joined by its long time partner the Graf Zeppelin in 1990.

The model shows the D166 Lindemann in May 1981








Together with the original Z1936 destroyer:


Together with the destroyer "Mölders"



The model:

The model is based on a Skywave German WW2 destroyer kit of which I had most parts in my spare part box. The modern weapons and sensors were mainly taken form additional spare pats (I think it was also Skywave), while some radars and the masts were desiged in 3D and printed with an Anycubic Photon SLA printer.
Additional PE parts were used and then model was painted with Revel Aqua Color.

[Old Wombat]

 

[zenrat]

1/700?  That's amazingly tiny.  I don't know how you can do it.
Well done it's excellent.

[PR19_Kit]

SERIOUSLY impressive there, in ANY scale! 

I have to keep telling myself it's 1/700 scale while looking at the pics. 

[NARSES2]

That is fantastic work, the close up photos are brilliant 

[wacek85]

It's some serious nanotechnology out there Chapeaux Bas!

And I have a problem with 1:480 kit...

[Dizzyfugu]

Amazing!