Subject: SMML VOL 1417 Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 08:39:09 +1100 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: HMS EDINBURGH and AJAX questions 2: Re: Legos 3: Re: Zerstörer 4: Re: Cutting PE 5: Re: Zertorers 6: German deck gun 7: Graf Zeppelin 8: Re: KIT Idea 9: Re: cutting PE and other phenomina 10: M. Ainsworth's New 1/1200 ship modeling book 11: U.S.-built R.N. Colony Class frigates. John Lambert's query 12: Raven & Roberts British Battleships of WWII in e-bay 13: Re: Hog Islanders 14: E-Boat 1/50 scale model & a browser tip -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Infomation 1: ABC TV segment on Australian Battle Group -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: model kit for sale -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: JOHN CURRIE Subject: HMS EDINBURGH and AJAX questions Hi Shane, Lorna, Hi all, 1, Can anybody please tell me where the WW2 Cruiser HMS EDINBURGH had her 20mm positioned, i am happy with the two on top of B Turret, but there are another two that i cannot place. 2, Was HMS AJAX given tripod masts during repairs after the battle of river plate, if not does someone have the date that these where fitted. Many Thanks John Currie Away for another Xmas in the RN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Re: Legos Vince, Thanks for the tip using the LEGOs for mold boxes! Great tip! I'll give it a try. Gotta go. Wal Mart closes soon. Rusty White 2003 IPMS/USA National Convention Chairman OKC IN 2003! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: URUDOFSKY@aol.com Subject: Re: Zerstörer The (Mob) after the year means Mobilmachung or Mobilmachungsbefehl and that means "putting on active duty" or mobilization order. Ulrich Rudofsky -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Shipguy59@aol.com Subject: Re: Cutting PE >> I've been reading a lot of nonsense lately about ways of securing PE pieces while they are being cut. This is a wasted effort. What actually happens is that the severing of the piece from the PE sheet creates a tiny, but incredibly dense, burst of energy. This high energy "micro-burst" creates a "window" into an alternate universe which sucks the PE part out of our space-time continuum. Under the proper conditions of planetary alignment, cell-phone radiation and relative humidity, this window MAY re-open, depositing the part back in our universe. I believe this adequately explains why the section of railing I searched fruitlessly for for more than 45 minutes, reappeared on top of the carpet (slightly mangled) two weeks later. << This is just like what happens in the washing machine with socks and my favorite sweat pants..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Filipe Costa Ramires" Subject: Re: Zertorers Hello Peter and List The Z-23 is in fact the first unit of the Class/Type 1936A. Built: Deschimag, Bremen; Launched: 15-11-1936; Completed: 15-12-1939; Commissioned: 15-09-1940. However it is quite possible that the this destroyer was converted to the Project 1936A Mod. At least I have a dry-dock photo of the ship (late 1944) and it shows a twin 5.9' gun turret forward. These conversions were done circa 1942. What does Mob or Mod stands for: I guess it's a Modified version of the original project...at least it looks like that. There's an excellent book about this class of Maciej S. Sobanski: "Narvik class Destroyers" from Warships of the World, volume 11; unfortunately (for me) all the text is in polish. Hope this helps. Regards. Filipe C. Ramires Lisboa, PORTUGAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: Douglas Subject: German deck gun I've been looking everywhere for info on a WW2 German deck gun : 3.7cm SKC30U in Ubts. LC/30. This is the weapon shown on p.90 of "Anatomy of the Ship - the Type VII U-Boat"...unfortunately, the two line drawings don't give much spatial info (natuarally), and I'd like to get an idea of how the gun was mounted. It looks like it's a mount similar to the 2cm MG C30 on LC30/37 (p. 89), sort of a "Y" cradle, with a buffer "stem". Anyone with any info on this will be greatly appreciated. Doug Bauer Poway, CA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Richard Sweeney Subject: Graf Zeppelin Hello, Well, all this speculation on The effects of the Graf Zeppelin on World War II had Hitler not been so dedicated to the use of U-Boats, Has been very fun. But Hitler was dedicated to U-boats and put the Graf Zeppelin aside to build more U-boats. Leaving the Graf Zeppelin unfinished right through the War. So she could never have helped the Bismark. I would wish to provide some thoughts that occur to me. 1.)Were I a carrier pilot, I would not have wanted to fly ME 109's off of the pitching deck of the carrier in bad weather in the North Atlantic. The ME 109's main landing gear were very close together and would have been pretty tipsy on a pitching deck. Not having Carrier experience the Germans might not have realized that, Their experience with shipboard aircraft was mostly with float planes and flying boats. 2.) It only took one Swordfish to disable Bismarks rudders, Would the ME-109T's if they could get off the deck in those waters have been able to shoot down the right Swordfish? Being frame and fabric, a swordfish could take a fair number of hits without notable damage, as long as the bullets did not hit control wires or surfaces. 3.) The British did eventually use American carrier aircraft, though many of the most recognizable American carrier aircraft were not operation at the time of the Bismark sortee. Aircraft like the Douglas Dauntless was first put into operational service in mid 1940. The Curtis SBC-4 Helldiver was still in service with the Marines into WW II it was a bi-plane divebomber, The French had also been using them. Our Navy was using Vought Vindicators and Douglas Devastators as Dive bombers and Torpedo planes, but they proved unequal to the war. 4.) The Navalized JU-87 would have run into the same problems that her land based cousin was running into by the time of the Bismark's sortee. The JU-87 was already obsolete, British and French Aircraft had already proved that in combat, it was too slow to do the job. Though I must admit the landing gear was much better spaced for carrier ops that those of the ME-109. Just some thoughts, Richard Sweeney -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: KIT Idea Whilst typing this, i am watching a Great Ships program on History Channel, which may also explain my typing, on Amphibious Assault ships. It occurs that with all the LSTs LCT, LCUs LCIs et al, no one has done an LCAC in decent scale. Come on Kit meisters, get with the program Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: cutting PE and other phenomina >> I've been reading a lot of nonsense lately about ways of securing PE pieces while they are being cut. This is a wasted effort. What actually happens is that the severing of the piece from the PE sheet creates a tiny, but incredibly dense, burst of energy. This high energy "micro-burst" creates a "window" into an alternate universe which sucks the PE part out of our space-time continuum. Under the proper conditions of planetary alignment, cell-phone radiation and relative humidity, this window MAY re-open, depositing the part back in our universe. I believe this adequately explains why the section of railing I searched fruitlessly for for more than 45 minutes, reappeared on top of the carpet (slightly mangled) two weeks later. << Actually Edd, there is a way around this. It is well known that when a small resin part being grasped in tweezers for the purpose of applying glue and sticking it in place flies out of the tweezers, a mini-black hole opens under the bench and swallows it. The black hole is the obverse of the microburst described above, so If simultaneously with cutting the PE, you arrange to shoot a small resin part out of your tweezers the micro burst and black hole will open in conjunction with each other and the resin will pass through and exit the micro-burst while the PE is swallowed up and then is ejected out of the black hole. You must however time everything simultaneously to the precise nanosecond! Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Richard Simpson Subject: M. Ainsworth's New 1/1200 ship modeling book A quick question on this book if I may, are the plans for a full hull or just to the waterline ? i.e. Using the plans can I actually produce a reasonably accurate full hull for the vessels Thanks and Regards Richard Simpson www.ausbg.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Tony Ireland" Subject: U.S.-built R.N. Colony Class frigates. John Lambert's query This takes me back 55 years, to a freezing late afternoon in early February 1946 in mid-river at Londonderry when a boat disembarked about 50 of us on to the snow-covered steel deck of the frigate HMS Cayman. Designated a D.E. by the U.S.N., she had been laid up at a buoy for several months, not far from a group of Type 21 and 26 U-Boats destined to be sunk in deep water. Now our skeleton crew had to take her to Norfolk Navy Yard in Chesapeake Bay, in company with our sister ships St.Helena and Dominica. Inauspiciously, every steel door giving access into the ship was locked. We had no keys to the big padlocks, so we warmed ourselves by smashing them with scavenged chunks of metal. Although we began raising steam in one of the two boilers, that was still the coldest night in my life... I was a 19-year-old acting Sub Lieut. RNR, appointed as navigating officer. My closest associate was Sub Lieut. Peter Richardson, D.S.C., RNVR - who was our gunnery officer. He'd been decorated for having sunk three U-Boats in 24 hours, as Asdic control officer in a sloop of a hunter-killer A/S group, employing the ahead-firing Hedgehog mortar projectiles. One of the pattern of 24 bombs, sinking at 10 feet per second, had taken 80 seconds to strike its target - instantly detonating the other 23 of the 85-pound bombs nearby. Gruesome... Anyway, John, I have one photo of a flotilla of four of our Colony Class frigates moored at a jetty, and can send it as a jpeg image if you, or anyone, would like it. They were about 1,600 tons displacement, I think, all-welded. Twin screws driven by two reciprocating engines gave her under 20 knots speed, I imagine, although we used only one boiler on the trip and it gave us about 14 knots - at anyrate, until the Force 10 gale in mid-Atlantic. Three single-mount 4-inch guns showed above an untidily cluttered deck, low single funnel, and a very tall foremast with its dizzily high crow's-nest. We reached the attractive little Portuguese port of Ponta Delgado, on San Miguel Island in the Azores, after an uneventful voyage in reasonable weather for that season. Disaster struck just after we sailed early on a fine morning, leading the three ships out into the bay and waiting offshore for them after lowering the pilot into his boat. Suddenly the main sea-water intake pipe broke away from the hull, deep under water, with the torrent narrowly missing a main switchboard in the engine room. With the captain below, having a bath, I took the ship at full speed back into the port, sliding past the St.Helena as she emerged with the astonished senior officer of our flotilla on her bridge, and hastily tied up at a spare berth, where we lowered a collision mat over the fairly large hole in our hull. Luckily a U.S.N. repair ship was in port and her team of under-water welders repaired the intake pipe while our pumps coped with the flood. But our faith in our all-welded hull had been shaken. Next day we sailed again in fine weather for Chesapeake Bay. The weather grew worse the following few days, when we were in about 40 West longitude. But the increasing wind and sea was from dead ahead, so we were making 12 knots while pitching violently, crashing down to bury our bow under. I took photos of our sister ships as their bows lifted, revealing their keels aft to under the bridge, as they climbed and toppled over the hills of the giant swells. Exhilarating stuff! But events were to show that our little squadron ought to have reduced speed to 8 or 9 knots. Back in the wardroom down aft, soon after coming off watch at 4.0 p.m., I was taking a mouthful of tea when the propeller vibration suddenly ceased. Rushing out on to the starboard side deck and forward to the bridge access ladders, I saw that we were turning to starboard, without power but using our remaining momentum, while a roaring cloud of steam poured from the funnel. As I reached the lower ladder the ship began to roll to starboard and slide sickeningly down the back of a hill of water. Then it swayed violently over to port, plastering me against the side of the bridge. I managed a few more steps on to the upper ladder before we toppled over again to starboard. My feet slipped and I found myself clinging desperately to the hand rail at a 45-degree angle. Below me I saw we were skidding down a steep wall of foaming sea with the ship about to roll over on to me. Over the scream of the wind I heard crashing sounds and yells from within the ship. Then, mercifully, the ship staggered upright and I leapt up into the aft end of the compass platform. Peter Richardson was clinging to the magnetic compass binnacle, staring at the inclinometer, yelling "Fifty-one degrees, Tony!" His quick thinking had saved our lives. He knew that our high, long bow would prevent us from heaving-to facing the gale, so we had to present our lower profile stern to the seas as soon as possible while we still had some steerage way. But we had first been forced to come around broadside to the huge seas. We learned that the violent shocks as the ship dug into the huge swells had finally cracked and burst the water tubes in the boiler. Our fresh water supply had drained into the furnace. Thus we could not commission our second boiler. It took an agonizing 36 hours to produce enough fresh boiler water by using our small drinking-water still. HMS St Helena and Dominica spent that time circling us, training their searchlights on us at night, realising that in those seas they could have done almost nothing to save us if we'd gone down. On the fore-deck, most of the ammunition lockers welded to the deck were washed away, and a lot of masthead radio and radar antennas vanished. The spooky thing was the way the welded flange of the main sea-cock had inexplicably but luckily cracked on that calm morning as we circled slowly just outside Ponta Delgado. Would like to contact Peter Richardson, who lived in the Southampton-Isle of Wight area, and was a keen yachtsman. Likely belonged to an R.N.V.R. Association, if there is such a thing. Now aged about 77, I suppose. Have several photos he'd enjoy seeing. Any suggestions will be gratefully received. Excuse this inordinate length. Cheers, Tony -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Richard Simpson Subject: Raven & Roberts British Battleships of WWII in e-bay Here we go again. Will ship to the US only, if anyone want one. This one is apparently in not as good a condition http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1486871705 Regards Richard Simpson www.ausbg.org p.s. Please let me know if these posts are useful. If so I will keep dropping the list a line when I come across one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: Hog Islanders While it doesn't contain plans suitable for your purpose, you may want to look for the following book: Goldberg, Mark H. "The 'Hog Islanders': The Story of 122 American Ships". Kings Point, NY: American Merchant Marine Museum, 1991. This was volume 1 of a series on US merchant ships. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: JKrakow@aol.com Subject: E-Boat 1/50 scale model & a browser tip Hi I added the Schnellboot model gallery to www.PrinzEugen.com, with detail photos of a very nice 1/50 scale model of an E-Boat at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. I corrected the problem in the E-Boat Plans section of my website that prevented some drawings from being viewed. Also some general information for people using AOL to surf the net: I noted that AOL degrades the quality of images in order to speed the download time. For best results in viewing pictures online go with a different browser like Internet Explorer (most PC's seem to come pre-loaded with this). This is especially helpful if you are browsing online auctions because you might see scratches, stains, broken bits and other damage that the seller "forgot" to mention. Dave -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Infomation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Richard Simpson Subject: ABC TV segment on Australian Battle Group The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have let us know that their program "Dimensions: On the move" will be showing a segment on the Australian Battle Group this Thursday at 6:30pm (22nd of November). I have not seen a preview so I have no idea how good it will be or which parts of the two meetings they filmed will be shown. What I do know is they filled some spectacular sinks and we will just have to see if they have used any of them. Hope you enjoy it. Note: The Australian Battle Group sails purpose built, fiberglass framed and basla skinned 1/144th scale WWI and WWII warships armed with Co2 propelled cannon shooting steel ball bearings. These vessels battle and sink each on in regular meetings in Sydney, Newcastle & Canberra, with meetings soon to start in Brisbane and Armidale. More information can be found at www.ausbg.org. The next meeting in Canberra is on the 25th of November, in Newcastle on the 1st of December and in Sydney on the 2nd of December. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Randall.O'Malley@clarica.com Subject: model kit for sale For Sale Wooden Model Sailing Ship Kit Captain Cook's Endeavour by Corel approximately 1/50 scale $210 Canadian plus shipping contact off-list randall.j.o'malley@clarica.com (905) 790-2105 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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://apma.org.au/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume