Subject SMML07/12/98VOL387 Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 23:40:22 shipmodels@tac.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: carrier deck names 2: Re: Deck Letters 3: Inclining Experiments 4: Re: CV deck markings 5: Re: Inclining tests 6: Depth charges 7: MS 32/14D 8: Re: Don't Shoot We're Republicans 9: 1/72 scale Yamato photo on line. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: 1/35 Close In Weapon System kit 2: Major WEM Web page update for 1/700 Scale kits 3: Vacuform ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: carrier deck names RANGER was RNGR. Al Ross ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: PulligS@aol.com Subject: Re: Deck Letters RANGER should be RNGR , WASP was WASP. HORNET had HNT. All the above per Fahey ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: DaveRiley1@aol.com Subject: Inclining Experiments John Sheridan wrote: >> Can someone describe exactly what "Inclining" is? << While I am not certain of all the details, an inclining test was to determine displacement. When a known weight is placed a certain distance from the ship's centerline and the degree of inclination (also known as list) is determined, the true displacement can then be calculated. These tests were usually done after major refits that added topweight. Dave Riley Portsmouth, RI ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: b29@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: CV deck markings Re: CV deck markings RANGER was RNGR. I don't know if WASP or HORNET ever had letters painted on. WASP was commissioned in April 1940, at a time when US CV's still had the markings. It seems probable and logical that she might have had them, however I have never seen any photos showing them. If she had, it most likely would have been all four letters of her name. HORNET was commissioned in Oct 1941. By that time we had begun to remove those kinds of identifications, and she probably never had letters painted. If she had, they most likely would have been HRNT. This brings up another subject of recent inquiry: the color of CV decks pre-war. US CV decks were painted reddish-brown or "maroon." The letters and deck striping were all yellow. Had the decks been nautural wood, as some folks have suggested, the yellow markings would not have been visible. Paul Jacobs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: tomkremer Subject: Re: Inclining tests John asks: >> I keep seeing photographs of ships at dock during their inclining test. Can someone describe exactly what "Inclining" is? << Inclining tests measure how much weight or force is required to make the ship heel over to certain moderate angles. They would collect enough data points at different angles to create a graph. Basicly it tells you how how much initial stability the ship has. With that data and some calculations using beam and weight the reserve stability can also be determined. Reserve stability tells you at what more extreme angle the ship has heeled so far that it will not come back. Reserve stability is not something that you would actually want to test at the dock! :-) Of course the naval architects would have estimated all of this long before the ship was built but sometimes they were wrong. As an example in WWII as extra AA armament was added to some US cruisers and destroyers they got overly top heavy and reserve stability decreased to unsafe levels. Some ships had to have torpedo armament, gun turrets, etc removed. Several classes of Japanese ships had to have hull bulges added/topweight removed because they were discovered to lack reserve stability during trials, one destroyer actually capsized. Another related test is to take a stopwatch and measure how long it takes the ship to rock back and forth sideways. This "time to roll" was important... gunnery officers wanted it to be slow to enhance accuracy but a lot of destroyers and cruisers were described as having a "vicious" quick roll. Unfortunately the only way to give a narrow beamed ship a slow roll is to raise the center of gravity which also decreases reserve stability. As you can see, a tough compromise. For a short layman's primer to the exact definitions and algebra involved in all of this I would recommend naval architect Dave Gerr's book "The Nature of Boats". He explains it all a lot better than I can and does it so well you can even follow the math! Best regards, Tom Kremer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Alan Lindstrom" Subject: depth charges Here's a dumb question. What color were depth charges painted on US DDs during WW2. Were they just gray (or what?), or were they painted to match the camo? Alan Lindstrom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Jens H. Brandal" Subject: MS 32/14D According to Jeff Herne's Fletcher, Gearing & Sumner Class Destroyers of WWII, The William D. Porter DD 579 wore MS 32/14D. What does this mean to a layman? I have a Tamiya Fletcher in the clsoet, and thanks to Bob I'll most likely finish it as the WDP. Do I need to make any modifications to the kit? Jens ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: ECammeron@aol.com Subject: Re: Don't Shoot We're Republicans At least three other Fletchers did brief stints in the Atlantic - JENKINS was in Operation Torch in Nov 42,CAPPS escorted RANGER during her strikes against Norway in Oct 43, and PRINGLE did a Convoy Escort to Casablanca on her shakedown cruise with the floatplane and catapult. When PRINGLE returned to the States, the cataput was removed. Eugene Cammeron ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Michael Kear Subject: 1/72 scale Yamato photo on line. Some members of this list might be interested in the photo of the 1/72 scale Yamato just loaded on the Task Force 72 web site. It was taken at the Task Force 72 annual Fleet Exercise. This mammoth model has about 200 pounds of water in the forward half of the hull as ballast. It's pumped in using a car windscreen washer motor mounted in the ballast tank. Ballast in the after half is a car battery and a couple of nice size lumps of lead. The model isn't finished yet. While the motors turn over under radio control, at the Fleet Exercise, the speed contols burned out so only a few people got to see the model in action. The hull is GRP (fibreglass), with ply decks and major superstructure components. The decks are planked with individual planks. Took months to complete that part! The builder says he doesn't have any problem taking the model on the roof of his Toyota Corolla. He has a pair of roof racks and fixes the hull on there. After all it's only about the size of an average kayak. The superstructure and detail parts go in a case in the boot (trunk) of the car. He can load it on the roof of the car by himself. The little Corolla causes quite a stir driving along the road with a battleship on the roof. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait about another 12 months to see this leviathan in operation. I can't wait. Oh yes, and the picture can be found at: http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/taskforce72.html - click on the photo gallery button and go to page 2. Fair winds and following seas, Mike Kear, Webmaster, Task Force 72 Australia 1/72 Scale warship modellers, Australia http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/taskforce72.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: 1/35 Close In Weapon System kit Dan Joplin built up a test kit of the CIWS to make sure all the parts fit. It builds into really an impressive model. The retail price for the kit will $59.95 plus shipping. If you wish to see photos of the built up (but not painted) kit, send me an email and I'll download them to you. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. http://www.okclive.com/flagship/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Caroline Carter" Subject: Major WEM Web page update for 1/700 Scale kits Hi Guys, Well, sad git that I am, I've spent the entire weekend creating the following: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/xdt22/kits700.htm When you get down there you'll find links to webpages on a load of WEM 1/700 kits, with history, kit parts, builds etc... hope you like the new format.. please let me know! I will be try to do the same next weekend with the 1/350 Scale stuff. BTW we just got patterns for the 1/350 Royal Navy Hunt Class minehunter from Peter Hall, and it looks gorgeous.. watch out for a 1999 release... it will be around 38.25 pounds inc. a cartload of etched brass details. Cheers! Caroline White Ensign Models, Ledbury, U.K. http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/index.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Minadmiral@aol.com Subject: Vacuform Hi; Does anyone know of a model company that does vacuforming that might like ideas for a new product to produce? Contact me. Chuck ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume