Subject SMML1/12/98VOL380 Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 20:27:51 +1100 (EST) shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Campbeltown and the DDs classes 2: Re: Campbeltown 3: Anatomy of the TITANIC 4: Re: BB Fuso: Anatomy of a ship book 5: Warped Superstructure 6: A tale of two Savannahs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: A WW2 Souvenir -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: RCClem@aol.com Subject: Re: Campbeltown and the DDs classes >> The fifty Wickes class destroyers sent to the UK as part of the lend-lease deal were all given the names of British towns that share their names with towns in the States << Just for the record: Not all of the 4 pipers leased to Great Britain were Wickes Class DDs. For a short while directly after WW1, my grandfather served on the USS Laub, DD263. She was one of the Clemson Class (DDs 186 - 347). Prior to our entry into WW2, she was turned over on October 8, 1940 and became HMS Burwell H94. I do not know if the name Burwell fits the "Town" criteria discussed so much. She was never returned following the war and was scrapped over there. The USS Ward DD-139 was a Wickes class, as was the Buchanan DD-131. Comment: Can we all agree on how to spell Campeltown. I've seen Campelltown, Campletown, etc. Which is correct? Next: I've been reading about an interesting class of RN ships. The Dido class. No problems arise when I read to myself. But if I were to speak to someone, how would I pronounce Dido? D'eye'Doe, DeeDoe, etc. I found in a mythology resource that Dido was a Tyrian princess and a founder and queen of Carthage, who 'entertained' AEneas, a Trojan prince, on his wanderings from Troy. She later killed herself when he was ordered by the gods to leave. But no help in how to pronounce her name. Roger Clemens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: Campbeltown It was named after the two towns of Campbeltown, and the one in Pennsylvania is the American one. Untill recently the ship's bell was kept at Campbeltown, PA and it seems to me that it was returned to the UK withinn the past two years. to CaptainOD, if you have trouble finding a copy of the "Anatomy of a Ship" books, Campbeltown, you can look at mine, I am not far from you, I live in Lower Paxton Township, about half way between Harrisburg and Hershey. My wife's family used to have a reunion in Campbeltown every year. I also have a Bluejacket kit of a four stacker you might be interested in. Contact me off list. Cheers, Bob Santos O'Donovan, you old jail-bird, I wrote the above before I figured out who CaptainOD was but I knew it was a familiar call-sign. Next time you get up to PA you know exactly where I live! Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Duane Fowler Subject: Anatomy of the TITANIC While the book "Anatomy of the TITANIC" does have many very good photos, let the buyer beware. It has many very glaring errors. It confuses the Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic in many places (even going as far as to call the Olympic the Titanic when the name is clearly evident on the bow. The deck plans reproduced as well as the deck naming scheme used in the book are of the Olympic in the twenties. There are even a few photos printed in the wrong orientation (upside down, backwards, etc.). It's a decent book for the price, but don't use it as a true reference. Regards, Duane Fowler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: James Corley Subject: Re: BB Fuso: Anatomy of a ship book >> I just received a card from the US Naval Institute about the Fuso book. They state that it has been delayed by production problems in Europe and the expected release date has slipped to 30 Jan. 99. I guess we will just have to wait a while longer for our favorite "Sea-going Skyscraper" << Got the same note, but wasnt the Jap Cruiser book worth waiting for!! What a book, and I have heard it is possibly the first in a series! I hope "USN Cruisers" is the next volume. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Marc Flake Subject: Warped Superstructure I've been putting together the old Lindberg USS Olympia. It's not going to win any contests, but it should look good in my study. That is, it would if I could do something with the warped superstructure. the aft end snug down fine, but the forward end is a full quarter inch of the deck. Super glue isn't strong enough. Liquid cement isn't strong enough. Any suggestions? I mean instead of telling me to go find a Revell Olympia (as if). Marc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: TANewell@aol.com Subject: A tale of two Savannahs I'm not sure if this has been pointed out before, but I've discovered that there's more than one kit out there of the N.S. Savannah. Let me start at the beginning...about a year ago, when I heard that Glencoe was reissuing the Savannah kit, I decided to get one, remembering that I had built one as a kid. But before I had a chance to buy one, I was at a model show and saw old kit of the Savannah by "Ringo Authentic Models," a company that I've never heard of. The kit was complete, and since it was cheaper than the Glencoe kit, I went ahead and bought it, and put it in my ever-growing "to build" pile. I've noticed postings about the Savannah on SMML from time to time, most of them talking about how inaccurate the Glencoe kit was...which caused me to push my Ringo kit further down in the pile. Then yesterday my son was up in my parents' attic getting down the Christmas decorations when he came across a pile of my old built-up models from my childhood days. One of the models was the Savannah....it's a Revell kit since it's marked "Revell, Inc. 1959" in raised lettering right on the deck. We brought this kit home and dug out the Ringo kit to compare the two and immediately discovered that they are two completely different kits! The Ringo kit is a larger scale...the hull is over an inch longer than the Revell kit. The Ringo kit was obviously originally built to be motorized, with supports for a battery box and motor housing molded into the hull and huge openings for the prop shaft and the rudder, along with a 1/4 inch hole in the stern deck above the rudder so that the operator could make the ship turn. The decks were designed so that the center section could be removed for battery replacement. The odd thing is, though, that the Ringo kit does not include any motorizing equipment and the instructions do not address the issue, even to the extent of ignoring the big hole in the stern deck, although they do inexplicably tell you to not cement the center deck section to the hull. All this leads me to believe that the Ringo kit was a reissue of an earlier motorized kit. The kit is not dated, but from the graphic design of the box I would guess that it is from the mid-60's. Perhaps the original motorized kit was an ITC from the late 50's early 60's? From what I've read about the Glencoe kit, I think that it is the same as my Ringo kit, especially since Glencoe has reissued other old ITC kits. Now, what about the "other" Savannah, the Revell kit? I would say that it looks more "authentic" than the Ringo kit, with more detailing...the Ringo kit is much more toy-like. At least the propeller and rudder look realistic, although the Revell kit does have a gimmick...there's a hokey-looking "nuclear reactor" in the hull. The Revell kit indicates steel decks - the decks on the Ringo kit has raised line planking. I was aboard the Savannah at Patriot's Point several years ago and I remember that the decks were not wood. The major difference between the two kits is the shape of the bridge superstructure...the Ringo one is much taller and thinner...it looks more like the conning tower of a submarine. So...does anyone know if the Revell kit is more accurate? It certainly looks like it might be a better starting point..... Tim Newell -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Mark Krywienko Subject: A WW2 Souvenir Dear Modellers, The following message is not directly involved with modelling, so please feel free to scroll past. I have just returned from a farm stay holiday here in Sydney. While on the farm I noticed that they had some interesting souvenirs from WW2 for sale that I thought were quite unique. They are a genuine Coca-Cola bottle from WW2. These have been dredged from the waters of the Solomon Islands (I think), commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Bismarck Sea. Allthough all war items are a prohibitive export, apparently dispensation has been granted to these bottles because it is a project of a local (Australian) Rotary club. Consequently all monies raised by the sale of these genuine bottles (all scrubbed clean and well packaged) are put back into the local Island communities (schools hospitals) etc. Many of you as I have read, enjoy the era of the South Pacific Theatre, and this could be a unique way to secure a souvenir of the time. I post this message as interest only to you and I am not involved in any way with any of these organisations. The email address if you want to make your own enquiries is mawbray@mania.com.au Regards, Mark Krywienko -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume