Subject: SMML VOL 1187 Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 22:55:59 -0800 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Matchbox Indy to Portland 2: Re: Land-locked Subs / Battleship Cove, Massachusetts 3: Re: Nimitz/Reagan Class 4: Why a ship is called 'she' 5: Computer-generated Graf Spee 6: Re: Question about USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) or Lexington (CV-2?) 7: Re: Land-locked subs 8: Scharnhorst photos just posted 9: Re: Destroyer ID 10: Question about USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) 11: Stars for Display 12: Re: Question about USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) 13: Re: REAGAN CVN and the next kit?? 14: Re: Matchbox Indy to Portland 15: CVE 56, Liscome Bay 16: Roosevelt Carrier 17: Re: Question About Long Beach (CGN-9) 18: Re: Reagan CV 19: Re: USS R.R 20: DOH! 21: Model Kit of USS Tortuga LSD26 22: Powder and Paint 23: CONTEST FOR NAMING THE NEW CVNX 24: Hobby shps in Madrid + Submarine open to public -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Timothy Dike Subject: Re: Matchbox Indy to Portland >> Can anyone tell me if this is doable??? Is the Matchbox kit close enough to make the Portland out of it??? << John, Just about anything is do-able, but would you want to. It really depends on what time period you are trying to model. The Portland had a similar refit that changed her appearance much like the Indy later in the war. One thing that will prove invaluable in your conversion is the Classic Warships, Indy and Portland book. There are photo's of both ships taken all during their careers and will give you an idea of the amount of scrathcbuilding may be necessary. A better kit to start with for a late war Portland is the Tamiya Indy kit, but if you already have a matchbox kit around then it can be done. If you are trying to do a 1942 "Sweat Pea", then you should try to get a hold of a Classic Warships 1/700 Portland kit, later rebuilds of the Portland may be more feasible using either the Tamiya or Matchbox kit. The CW book, and all of the kits mentioned have been reviewed recently on ModelWarships.com in the review section http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/reviews.html. Timothy Dike Webmaster and Editor ModelWarships.com http://www.modelwarships.com/index1.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Eugene P. Kessler" Subject: Re: Land-locked Subs / Battleship Cove, Massachusetts Listees, At Battleship Cove are the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD 850, the Battleship Massachusetts, and the USS Lionfish SS298. Housed in a large building are two PT Boats. A visit there is well worth the trip. Gene Kessler, Silver Spring, MD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Jerry Slagle Subject: Re: Nimitz/Reagan Class >> Although I'm sure many here in the US would be more than happy to see Ronald Reagan get an entire class of Carriers named after him. I for one am glad that the USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz class ship.. He caused the military to be greatly expanded during his administration this is true. Many would say that this is enough to justify a class of ships..I disagree, he never served in the military. Never saw combat. We have named many of these carriers after Presidents, I have no problem with Pres. Reagan having one named after him. But I believe class Names should be reserved for naval heroes or traditional ships names. I served aboard Nimitz in the late 1970s as a flight deck troubleshooter during launches at night. So I have rather strong feelings on this subject.. I hope CVX bares a traditional name. << I hate to burst the bubble, but Ronald Reagan did serve in the military, in the Army Air Corps if my memory serves me correctly. I don't know why it is, if they didn't serve in combat, it doesn't count. There are only, I'm guessing, 10% of any force that actually sees combat. The important thing is that he did serve. The opportunity was there for him to face combat, just as it was for the current Commander-in-Chief when he was a ANG fighter pilot. Regards, Jerry Slagle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Mike Bartel mkwb@excite.com Subject: Why a ship is called 'she' Why ships are referred to as 'she': It stems from an ancient Greek practice of naming their ships for goddesses. There are, of course, some exceptions to this practice over the years, notably the Germans and French, using the masculine form. I suppose there are those who could make a case for it either way, depending on your viewpoint, but I prefer 'she'. It has nothing to do with a woman being a 'carrier of children', though for the last 3500 years, we men haven't had much respect for the feminine or for that magical ability they have. Mike Bartel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: URUDOFSKY@aol.com Subject: Computer-generated Graf Spee Here is a 100% computer generated Graf Spee in 3D. Modelers will find this quite interesting. This type of mathematical modeling may someday replace plastic kits and the associated storage problems! Take a look at the Tutorial. http://home.debitel.net/user/thoschmid/Galerie_Frame.html Ulrich H. Rudofsky Delmar NY 12054-3306 USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: mumfordlibrarian@netscape.net Subject: Re: Question about USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) or Lexington (CV-2?) Between the wars the city of Seattle lost its power generation capability when a dam failure lost the hydroelectric reservoir. The Lexington tied up to the dock and provided all electrical power for the entire city for a period of several months. The key to this ability, I believe, was the turbo-electric engines that the Lex and several of the BBs had. There are also several decommissioned destroyer sized vessels that have been striped down to floating auxiliary power sources. I believe that they were tried in California. I wonder if the "Greens" through a fit because of pollution from fossil fuels. In view of the current problems for electrical power in California could not this be a short-term solution for the lack of power plants that the NIMBYs shot down? Paul T. Weaver -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Re: Land-locked subs Again a knowledgeable SMMLer has supplied information for others. This time it was Timothy Connely who has advised us that the vessels in Battleship Cove (Fall River, Mass.), in addition to the U.S.S. MASSACHUSETTS, are the Destroyer JOSEPH P. KENNEDY (John F. Kennedy's brother, and a war hero also), the Submarine U.S.S. Lionfish, and two P.T. boats, the PT617 and the PT796. I believe the P.T. boats are in sheds on dry land, and there are other maritime interests as well. Thanks to you, Mr. Connelly. They say that two things happen to you as you get older. The first is that you tend to become forgetful, and the second is - - - - - - - - - - - -er- - - - - - - -er- - - - - - - . When I remember what it is, I'll let you know. Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: SeaPhoto@aol.com Subject: Scharnhorst photos just posted If you are interested in the World War II battleship Scharnhorst, you will find these photos useful and informative: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/germany/gersh-s/scharn2.htm They include many photos from a former crewmember's album, including some great onboard details. Enjoy! Kurt SeaPhoto Maritime Photography http://warshipphotos.com Warship Models Underway http://warshipmodelsunderway.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Diodor@aol.com Subject: Re: Destroyer ID Regarding the identity of the destroyer in Somerset, if my memory serves me correctly wasn't it a DE, not a DD? Ted Treadwell -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Kevin W. Woodruff" Subject: Question about USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) Roland Regarding the navy ship being used to power a city, the only time I'm familiar with this being done is when the USS Lexington (CV-2) was used to provide power to the city of Tacoma, Washington from December 17, 1929 to January 16, 1930 due to a drought that drained the hydroelectric capacity of the nearby reservoir. She generated an average 12,000 kilowats for 12 hours for thirty days at a cost of 1 cent per kilowatt-hour of delievered power. Kevin W. Woodruff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Poore, Devin" Subject: Stars for Display I have this idea. For military ribbons, they have tiny plastic gold or silver stars that can be affixed to denote commendations, repeats of the same award, etc. I want to use something similar for my display bases to denote the number of battle stars a ship earned during WWII. Problem is, I don't have many of these things left (most are in my ribbon case), and the online sites I can find them at want over $1.00 a piece for them (for the FARENHOLT I just finished, and the SAN FRANCISCO I'm just starting, that'd be over $30 just for stars!). Anyone know of a dirt cheap source for these things (I don't remember them even being reasonable while I was still serving)? I really don't want to resort to casting my own in resin. Devin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Craig R Bennett Subject: Re: Question about USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) Hi Roland I have a copy of the Long Beach's instruction from 1982.They make mention of her history. I'd be happy to photocopy them for you. Drop me a line with your address to send them. Craig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Keith Bender" Subject: Re: REAGAN CVN and the next kit?? Hi SMMLies, I must agree with RD Bean that Monogram will probably release a Reagan CVN with no changes done to the model at all except decals and art work. Remember folks, there in it for the ol' mighty buck and nothing else. If I am wrong I will be the first to admit it on the list and suffer the penalty of building one. KTB -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: Matchbox Indy to Portland >> Can anyone tell me if this is doable??? Is the Matchbox kit close enough to make the Portland out of it??? << John, Why would you use that very outdated kit when there is a very nice new kit of the Indy from Tamiya available? I have put out two good books on the two ships, so converting should not be a problem. Steve Wiper www.classicwarships.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: David_L._Miller@ccmail.wiu.edu Subject: CVE 56, Liscome Bay I am preparing to scratchbuild the escort carrier Liscome Bay for a fellow who survived her sinking. I will probably make it at 1/350 scale. Before I go much further, however, does anyone know of a Casablanca class escort carrier kit (good kit) that could be used as a reference or built for the gift? I located a waterline kit of a the Tamaya CVE9 Bogue, but I would rather have a Casablanka class for reference. Would anyone know where to find plans for a CVE? Dave Miller -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: Ed Grune Subject: Roosevelt Carrier Darren noted ... >> I hate to be picky James, But: >>> The RR is an SCB-102A hull, by navy records, thus making her the sixth Roosevelt sub-class carrier. The Nimitz was a SCB-102. <<< ROOSEVELT is a BURKE class destroyer. << Yes, but the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) isn't. The "Big Stick" is the fourth of the Nimitz class, being preceeded by the Carl Vinson (CVN-70), the Dwight Eisenhower (CVN-69), and the Nimitz (CVN-68). Oh, and by the way -- its the Roosevelts - named for both Franklin and Eleanor. Ed Mansfield, TX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: GKingzett@aol.com Subject: Re: Question About Long Beach (CGN-9) For Roland Mar. The World wasn't all that young in the sixties. Way back in the 30's, Lexington was hooked to the power grid at Tacoma during a drought induced power shortage. I wish I could find the citation for you, but if I remember correctly the Navy used the incident to publicize the benefits of turbo-electric drive. An interesting question presents itself. At what equivalent speed would Lex's turbo generators be turning over to synchronize wth the 60 cycle alternating power of the Tacoma power company? And how many horsepower would that be, 150,000, 180,000, 212,000? Gary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: "Bruce Ross" Subject: Re: Reagan CV Bill Code wrote: >> he never served in the military. Never saw combat << 1937 - Reagan enlisted in the Army Reserve as a Private but was soon promoted to 2nd lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps of the Cavalry. 1942 - The Army Air Force called Reagan to active duty and assigned Lt. Reagan to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California, where he made over 400 training films. July 22, 1943 - The Army honorably discharged Capt. Reagan To be technically correct he did serve in the military, just never served in combat. Not starting a fight, just tweaking the discussion a little :) Bruce -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: USS R.R >> From a software perspective the USS RR is in a new class... ships systems will all run on Windoze (except, of course, for those systems with imbedded OSs). In a related note Bill Gates owns an 8% stake in Newport News shipbuilding through his personal investment company. (no joke) I can see it now... the USS RR careening out of control and piling into a Chesapeake mudbank on its maiden voyage and the Navy accusing the Army of sabotage... "it's all the fault of some bastard named General Protection!" << If you have to re-install a carrier os, does it have to go back to dry-dock?? Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: "John Sutherland" Subject: DOH! Australian Bureau of Statistics... That's Australians for you!!!!! * 3 people die each year testing if a 9V battery works on their tongue. * 142 people were injured in 1998 by not removing all the pins from new shirts. * 58 people are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers. * 31 people have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in. * 19 people have died in the last 3 years by eating Christmas decorations they believed were chocolate. * Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after cracker pulling incidents. * 101 people since 1997 have had to have broken parts of plastic toys pulled out of the soles of their feet. * 18 people had serious burns in 1998 trying on a new jumper with a lit cigarette in their mouth. * A massive 543 people were admitted to casualty in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth or eye socket. * 5 people were injured last year in accidents involving out of control Scalextric cars. AND FINALLY, SURPRISE, SURPRISE; * 8 people cracked their skull in 1997 after falling asleep (passing out) while throwing up into the toilet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: David Galusha Subject: Model Kit of USS Tortuga LSD26 Ahoy mate, Do you have any models of the subject ship? Or any ships in it's class? Would appreciate your help. Smooth sailing, David -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: stillmo@mb.sympatico.ca Subject: Powder and Paint We naval folks up here in Canada, and yes we do have a blue water fleet have coined the reasoning for calling a ship "she". Really its because its costs so much to keep her powder and paint!!!!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: stillmo@mb.sympatico.ca Subject: CONTEST FOR NAMING THE NEW CVNX Just for the fun of it I think we should run a contest (prize to be determined) on name suggestions for the un named new carrier just authorized. Will the name be historical or political????? Question to the learned folks out there....can a ship in building and not yet named be prospectively given the name of a current operational ship? For example, this baby replaces ENTERPRISE. Can this new ship be given the name of ENTERPRISE before the current one is decommed???? My vote for the first new CVNX off the rack if not ENTERPRISE......a new MIDWAY. Unforgettable carrier battle... yours aye, Ray d. Bean -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: "enrico_villa@libero.it" Subject: Hobby shps in Madrid + Submarine open to public Hi everybody! I'm going to spend a week in Madrid for business reasons: does anybody have any suggestions on good hobby shops and book shops there? BTW, for what concerns "landed" submarines, the Italian sub Enrico Toti is going to be placed in the Science & Technology in Milan, after travelling the Adriatic sea, the Po river and also 50 Km on an highway! AFAIK, that will be the first war vessel permanently open to the public in Italy. Not sure about the opening date: I'd guess between September 2001 and beginning of 2002. Thank you very much for the info on Madrid!! Enrico -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://www.smml.org.uk Check out the APMA site for an index of ship articles in the Reference section at: http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/apma.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume