Subject: SMML VOL 1287 Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 20:07:12 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Making Pennsylvania from Arizona 2: Ghostly Card Players in USN Carriers 3: Bower and sheet anchors 4: Re: mastering 5: RAF Air Sea Rescue Launches 6: Carrier Langley 7: Deans Marine kits? Z-37? 8: Re: Flag Bags 9: Balls & other stuff 10: Re: Navy Log 11: Re: flag Bags 12: WW2 Naval Art Prints 13: Bookshops In The London Area 14: Re: Mastering 15: Re: Finishing wood hulls 16: Captain (Evarts/Buckley) Class Frigates 17: Argentine Cruiser Belgrano 18: Dido 19: New Kits 1/700 From LCP 20: Re: wood finishing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Infomation 1: NRG 2001 Conference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Steven P. Allen" Subject: Making Pennsylvania from Arizona To anyone contemplating making a late Pennsylvania from Arizona: Brother, could you spare a 5" (or two)? The parts-Arizona I'm going to use for my diorama is nearly complete but lacks 5"/25s (the ones on the upper deck) for the project. Would anyone who might have some to spare please contact me so that we might discuss trade/purchase? Thanks, Steve Allen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Joel Labow Subject: Ghostly Card Players in USN Carriers >> a carrier was sinking and there were men trapped inside and all they could do was pass the time playing cards until the ship sank. Then it moved to the present namesake of the ship where men could hear the sound of card playing in a compartment but no one was there - anyone remember what ship it was supposed to be. << I did my youngster midshipman cruise in USS Lexington (CVS-16). Part of the ship's lore was that the "trapped card players" rode the WWII Lexington to the bottom of the Coral Sea, and their ghosts could be heard from time to time in remote compartments of her namesake. Of course, we were also being sent in search of relative bearing grease and the keys to the steam chest, as well as standing mail buoy watch, etc...so a largish grain of salt is in order! Joel Labow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "J. London" Subject: Bower and sheet anchors Can anyone explain why the German Navy carried the sheet anchor on the port side, opposite to the practice in other navies which carried it on the starboard? The principal anchors are, of course, the bower anchors while the sheet anchor was usually found, as a spare, just aft of the bower usually deployed. Was it German practice to always use the port bower except in an emergency or did they use the starboard bower as common practice? Michael London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Randall.J.O'malley@clarica.com Subject: Re: mastering Basswood (a.ka. lime and linden) has long been the carver's choice since it easily worked and has no grain. Boxwood is also a good choice since it is close-grained and holds crisp detail better than any other wood; it is very hard, however, and requires sharp tools and experience. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "sell4853" Subject: RAF Air Sea Rescue Launches A very interesting small booklet prepared and published by the Royal Air Force Museum Hendon fot the Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club was entitled "Royal Air Force 1936 - 45 Air Sea Rescue Launches" by John Pritchard (£1) This gives an account of the history of such launches. This includes mention of the work done by Aircraftsman T.E. SHAW ( name taken by Col T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) during his service under his assumed name at the RAF Marine Base Cattewater (Plymouth). He there developed and tested the first 37 1/2 ft Sea Plane tender (No RAF 200) and the subsequent development of the Crash Tender later to become known as the High Speed Launch (photo of SHAW (Lawrence at the controls of the craft at speed. The booklet gives all the pennant numbers, details and history of the various craft of all types built both in the UK and abroad for service by the RAF in the role of Air Sea Rescue along with a few photographs. Obviously the best place to obtain further information is the RAF Museum Hendon, However try looking at the below listed sites http://www.cix.co.uk/~chateaux/asr/ http://www.aviationmuseum.net/ais-sea%20resue.htm http://british-forces.com/cig/ground_units/marine_branch.html http://www.asrmcs-club.com/menu.htm Good Hunting Norman Tenterden Kent UK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Robert Fish" Subject: Carrier Langley Now up until now, I;ve not said anything, about the Carrier U.S.S. Langley,{thread} and after some years back, in the 1970s, and after talking, to a very hard to find crew member & son, he told me, that at no time did the Langley ever have more than 34 aircraft on Board, so after all those years plus 10 more, and a great deal of research, I found no proof of that many P-40s ever, been crated or shipped or other-wise placed on board the Carrier Langley during her Assignment in the Asiatic Fleet, The Langley was under the Command, and Allied coordination, Designated, ABDACOM, {American-British-Dutch-Australian Command} also {ABDAFLOAT}, by Admiral Thomas C. Hart, USN. all land forces were commanded by a Dutch Lieutenant general,& air forces by a British Air Marshal, P-40Es, and only 32 where on board, at the time of the crossing to Darwin Au. in Feb.1942 First off the Langley could Never hold 90 planes no matter how they got there, with a Flight deck of only 65ft wide, & the hanger Bay even smaller, links, or read the Book "Paws of War" The loss of the Langley and the USS Pecos Naval Institute Press. I have the Completed Bibliography List, on this Carrier, and its History. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/0203.htm http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-l/cv1.htm http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/us_sea1.htm#av3 http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AV/AV-3_Langley.html Bruce. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Thomas Janes" Subject: Deans Marine kits? Z-37? I would be interested to hear if anyone on this list has built the Z-37 kit or seen it up close to comment on the quality of the kit and how well it goes together. I would also like to hear people's overall impressions of Deans kits in general. Thanks, Tom -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Chris Preston" Subject: Re: Flag Bags Hi Everyone, Art Nicholson was asking about how signal flags were stowed onboard RN ships, during the Second World War. Signal Flags used by RN and Commonwealth ships were stowed in metal flag lockers on the Signal Bridge, with a canvas cover or "Dodger" covering the front. The interior of the locker was organized in a series of "Pigeon Holes", enough for each locker to accommodate flags for each letter of the alphabet, numbers 0 through 9, and the special flags and pennants used only by the Navy. Excellent examples of flag lockers can be found in any of "The Anatomy of the Ship" series of books on RN ships. I have AOTS books on HOOD, WARSPITE, BELFAST, VICTORIOUS, AGASSIZ, and the Fairmile MTB/MGB (with Flag Locker drawings). If you need a drawing, let me know which ship best suites your needs, and I'll scan it and e-mail it to you. Happy Modelling. Chris Preston, Victoria, B.C. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Peter Samolinski" Subject: Balls & other stuff Let's see..."painting your balls white"..."bestial murder and torture"..."naked Harley girls"...this ship modelling stuff is FUN! (Just don't spell Dido wrong.) Pete -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Dizzydismal@cs.com Subject: Re: Navy Log To: Mike Donegan RE: Navy Log I remember the Navy Log episode. I thought that it was pertaining to one of the battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor, perhaps West Virginia? Dennis Disbrow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "graham and melanie" Subject: Re: flag Bags Ok I will more than most likely be shot down on this one, but in the RN they had Flag lockers, a structure which had compartments to store the flags in. I have seen a pic of this but where I do not know but will try to find it for you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Jim Warsher Subject: WW2 Naval Art Prints Was wondering if any of the readers might like to share a link for a source of WW2 naval art prints. Looked at TheHistoryWeb [as advertised in USNI Proceedings] but their stuff is pretty pricey. I've just recently moved into new office space and, working for a railway company, everyone seems to have trains on the wall. I'd like to have a couple of ships, preferably USN or RN. Don't want to spend pots of money. T.I.A. Jim -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: JOHNHWER@cs.com Subject: Bookshops In The London Area I just wanted to thank all those who responded to my earlier query about bookshops in the London area for naval books. I just returned from a 10 day vacation to the UK and had a fantastic time. The weather was beautiful (as opposed to what we have experienced here in Houston lately) and the people were as courteous and helpful as ever. I was able to visit several of the shops mentioned by others and went home with considerably more baggage (and considerably less money) than I came with. Below are some general comments on the bookshops and other "ship places" that I was able to drag my family through. Foyles Books - Appeared to be as big and entertaining as ever. There is now a large Borders Books across the street which also has a nice naval section. Motor Books - Wouldn't have found it except for the helpful directions provided by SMML members. I did a little damage to the wallet there. Great Place. A J Simmonds - Nice shop with good selection devoted to both new and used maritime books. Picked up "American Battleships 1886-1923" by Reilly / Scheina (1980). Apparently just missed several of the British Battleship books by R. A. Burt (I'm still kicking myself for not buying these during their brief publication life). Shop is apparently about to be connected into the "ABE" book search services. Maritime Museum (Greenwich) - Enjoyed some nice exhibits which appeared to be relatively new. However, I was generally disappointed in the very reduced size of the bookshop and number of warship models on exhibit compared to what I remembered from previous visits. I was informed that over 95% of ship models in the museum's possession are in storage and only a small number are rotated into exhibits (Oh, I would dearly love to browse through their storage areas). They also did not allow photographs to be taken of the exhibits - something new on this visit. Portsmouth Naval Museum - In addition to the HMS Victory which I had visited on past trips, I thoroughly enjoyed for the first time the HMS Warrior - beautifully restored and very impressive. I also saw the M33 monitor undergoing restoration and had some fun in their well-stocked museum bookstore. SS Great Britain (Bristol) - Hard for me to locate but well worth the effort! Still undergoing restoration but very well done and extremely interesting. Due to time constraints I wasn't able to visit the Imperial War Museum or the HMS Belfast on this visit. However, I could see the Belfast in the Thames and she looked mighty nice in her new camouflage. I have often wondered what HMS Warspite would have looked like near by had she also been saved from the torch. What a sight that would have made! The UK has always been a fun place to visit, especially when you're a ship enthusiast. This trip was no exception - GREAT! John Werler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: SolidStump@aol.com Subject: Re: Mastering >> Your first thin coat will soak into the wood, while the second gives you the desired layer to finish sand. Let it cure for 24 hours before sanding on it. << Wipe down the first coat with alcohol to remove that wax Steve likes. It surfaces during the curing. The second coat will then adhere better. Wet sand the last coat. Be careful not to go to the wood. Simon Scheuer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: Finishing wood hulls >> What would you recommend as the best method for eliminating grain from a wood hull, basswood for instance? Al Ross mentioned lacquer auto primer a few postings ago...I'd be interested in more detail on finishing wood hulls from Steve, Al or anyone, as I'm getting started on the Bluejacket 80' Elco PT kit (which Al designed). << Many thin coats of shellac or lacquer, with careful fine sanding out in between each coat. Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "Bob Pearson" Subject: Captain (Evarts/Buckley) Class Frigates Are there any books on the Captain Class? I am looking for photos of HMS Fitzroy in particular. Bob -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: GrafSpee34@aol.com Subject: Argentine Cruiser Belgrano I suppose I could look this up but ... a) what was the original name of the US Navy Cruiser sold to the Argentine navy that became the "General Belgrano"? b) what HMS submarine sank it during the Falklands war? Thanks! Dave Hi Dave, The General Belgrano was the USS Phoenix - a Brooklyn class cruiser. The British sub that sunk her was HMS Conqueror - a Churchill class SSN (modified Valient class SSN). Shane -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: George Colleen Ian Hargreaves Subject: Dido David, Hey, don't feel silly. I was under the same impression that Dido had not been camouflaged and was very uncertain when I looked at the photo. Chris Langtree gave me half a dozen references at the Imperial War Museum which I am asking for copies on. By serendipity I have a copy of Al Raven book being sent to me. Your descriptions make this a got-to-have and a got-to-do project. (Sorry John I had my order in before I thought of you at White Ensign.) I remain amazed by the knowledge and generosity of this list. My Thanks to you all, George -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: "BRAD BARKER" Subject: New Kits 1/700 From LCP June 11, 2001 I would Like to share some good news with my fellow ship modelers. I have just received two new pre-productions 1/700 kits that Loose Cannon Productions have in the works. I was asked to review them. First let me say that these are not kits they are a set of kits. The first set are of the Admirable class minesweepers and the different versions that were born of this class. In the set you get four different ships. There appears to be one minesweeper, one PCE, one PCE(C) and a PCR(R). As with all of LCP's kits they are on scale. The versions that I have are cast in a light gray resin and have very little flash to clean up. Each individual ship comes complete with guns,life rafts.masts and a boat etc. The superstructure comes in three levels and the hull is nicely done with the appropriate deck detail such as gun tubs,depth charge racks etc. I for one am impressed with the funnel. On the real ships the funnel has a notch to stow the boat boom. On the kit version this is included. Some kits don't add the little things that stand out on a particular class so for me it is nice to see things like this. Also some of these ships did not have a funnel they carried a smoke pipe. This too is represented on two of the hulls in the set. I have not built these ships yet but dry fitting the parts shows a nice fit. The sets also come with a photo-etch sprue with enough parts to complete all four ships. At this time though all I have is a photo copy of the sprue. When the set was sent to me the PE was not ready nor were the instruction sheets. But from what I see of the PE set it is the same great quality that LCP has always given us. Again Loose Cannon has come through. Their usual quality is present and David Angelo is not afraid to tackle unusual subjects for his kits. Even though the queens of the seas are important I find it refreshing to get the little guys too. For me this set fills another gap in my collection. Without the tenders and tugs and patrol ships the fleet could find themselves stretched thin. This is a set that everyone should add to their collection. I say well done LCP. From the information given to me these ships should be available after July 1st, 2001. They will also be available from Pacific Front Hobbies for $39.00. Just remember that if its new Pcific Front Hobbies will have it. I will review the other set in the next day or so. This is a nice set too. Brad Barker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: wood finishing >> Al Ross mentioned lacquer auto primer a few postings ago... << Don, Lacquer-based primer/surfacer generally comes in pint or quart cans and is usually quite thick. I generally thin it by at least 50% and spray it on with an airbrush, but it can also be brushed on. Whether you spray or brush, the initial coat should be thinner than succeeding coats, as this allows it to penetrate the wood a tiny bit and harden it up. After it dries (about 15 minutes for the brand I use), sand with 220 grit, remove the sanding dust with a tack rag, then apply a couple more coats, sanding/tack ragging between each. I use 400 grit wet or dry paper for the final sanding. By this point, because the lacquer-based primer/surfacer is quite hard and you've built up several coats, you can generally use the 400 grit wet and not worry about sanding down to the wood (unless you get a bit over-enthusiastic... :-} ). You really should wear respiratory protection when applying or sanding this stuff. Basswood dust is very fine, almost like flour, and can do a number on your sinuses very quickly. Same goes for the primer/surfacer. Make sure your painting area is well-ventilated. Lacquer thinner is extremely volatile, so you also want to ensure there are no ignition sources around your painting area. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Infomation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Vincent Mccullough" Subject: NRG 2001 Conference Brochures for the NRG 2001 conference were mailed out to members of the Nautical Research Guild last week. The conference, which will be held October 5-7 in Rockville, MD, promises to be a great session, with technical presentations by a series of well know speakers, many of whom frequent these lists. If you are a member and do not receive a brochure, or are not a member and would like more information, check the Guild's website after the first of next week at http://www.naut-res-guild.org, or contact me OFF-LIST for more information. Vince McCullough NRG Webmaster 2001 Conference Co-Chair -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://smmlonline.com 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