F7 was comissioned in 1937 and was one of two Flottenbegleiter built by Blohm & Voss. Characteristically for
F7 and
F8 were the four evenly spaced portholes on the superstructure.
Like most of the ships of this class,
F7 was rebuilt into a torpedo retrieval craft, but unlike
F2 and
F4, she retained her old hullform and the refits were less drastic.
With the war going on, it was a good time to make some propaganda movies. In "U-Boote westwärts!" (U-boats westward)
F7 portraited a British destroyer. For that, her appearance was altered: Fake guns and torpedo tubes were installed and superstructure and funnels modified.
With the end of the war approaching,
F7 returned to the frontlines as an escort vessel once again. The main guns returned and the main mast made room for an elevated platfrom with 20mm quad.
She survived the war and was one of the ships given to the Soviet Union. The Soviets renamed her
Buran and assigned her to the Baltic Fleet in 1946. Her career was relatively short and after a few years, in 1951, she was renamed
Dubna and used as a target ship. She was finally stricken in 1956 and scrapped in 1957-1958.
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