Subject: SMML VOL 2177 Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 08:08:41 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: USS Inchon LPH 12 2: Great Eastern 3: Sub question & Magazine review 4: Re: USS Parche (SSN-683) 5: RMS Mauretania 6: Re: Mikasa Colors 7: Re: Parche 8: SEASICK ANIMALS 9: Ex-USSR Warships' Deck Color 10: Re: Puget Sound Subs 11: Sub Models and Big E 12: Re: IFOS 2003 13: 1/350th "Models" 14: VAN RYPER MODELS 15: SSBN 941 Akula "Typhoon" 16: Re: Aurora and Potempkin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information 1: Buffalo SMMLcon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: recognition models ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS Welcome to the ANZAC Day Edition of SMML 88 years ago today, ANZAC (Australian & New Zealand Army Corps) troops landed in Gallipoli. Today we honour all our servicemen past & present. "They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn; At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them" "LEST WE FORGET" Shane & Lorna Jenkins ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: JVT7532 Subject: USS Inchon LPH 12 >> I had the opportunity to visit my old home of 3.5 years last Friday. First time I been aboard in two months shy of 20 years << Hi Keith, I have been watching the old gal sitting there now for many months, she looks so sad what with all her masts down and lying on her deck and such. Nice to know someone will be giving her a revival. Do you know when & where they plan on sinking her and how did you manage to get aboard? I used to be able to see lots of the ships when my Grandfather who worked at the Navy yard for almost 40 years was there but now it's difficult since he passed away. I'm happy to see her sunk rather than to suffer the scrappers torches, Hopefully she will make a great place to fish around of the New Jersey or Delaware coast line. Best regards, Jon ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: JANICE LEONTI Subject: Great Eastern The "rock" was named Great Eastern Rock AFTER she hit bottom there. What was the draft of the Great Eastern? This area is a boulder strewn bottom with NO exposed rocks or structure and ranges in depth from 28-34 feet. She must have been deep drafted. Capt. Bob Leonti ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: andrew jones Subject: Sub question & Magazine review Re: U-60 & the midget Subs.... Thanks to those that helped... thanks to the gentleman that wanted me to contact him ... i just about finished the kit last night (as i need it ready for Saturday as well as finishing off 3 other items for a comp on Saturday - WSGS ) .. just did the guard rails around the gun as i needed the wire from the main rails on another part of the kit..so again thanks!.. Magazine Review: Warship - International Naval News Vol 17 * Good photo of a real weather beaten HMAS Dechaineux..almost looks like it has been sitting on the ocean floor for about 20 years, lol Outlook by the Editor * Media reports of the sailors as troops heading off to the war in Iraq, also many letters of readers agreeing that sailors are sailors not troops * Valuable ships: the Kanimbla & the Manoora & the Tobruk * Commisioning of the HMAS Yarra AROUND & ABOUT: The RAN & RNZN * Forward deloyment to the Gulf ( this was wriiten before the war started) * From 2010 the RAN hopes to have new ships to replace the Kanimbla, Manoora, Tobruk, Success & Westralia) by 3 large landing platform dock/helicopter (LPD/H) Ships * The RNZN Frigate Te Mana off to the gulf * Nowra's helo on a pole that was overlooking the gateway to Nowra , an old Iroquis was removed in early 2002 after vandals severly damaged it & is now cleaned up & is now loacated at the southern end of the Shoalhaven River Bridge at the Nowra Gateway Park *The is a photo of the old HMAS COOK now called the Maria Cosnas. * HMAS Stuart was used as trail ship fo rthe Fire Scout UAV * HMAS Anzac fired the ESSM missile * Patrol Boat Gladstone "steamed" the 500,000 nautical mile mark. Stories: * HMAS Supply's First Commissioning * The Canadian Navy of the Future * No VC for Rankin * Armidale Class patrol boats * Australian Navy turns 102 * Australia's Battle Class Destroyers * British Warship Builders - John Brown & Co. Clydebank * HMAS Burra Bra * HMS Bristol * Krait - 60th Anniversary * News updates etc (one story the last of the Landing Ship Tank Mk 3 from WW2 the ex HMS STalker is to be saved ..currently at Pounds Shipyard in Portsmouth Harbour) Royal Navy Report: *The MoD has chartered 27 Ro-Ro ships *HMS Severn has left the sheds @ VT group's Southampton shipyard in Dec * The RFA has taken delivery of the 2 Fleet Tankers.. Wave Knight & Wave Ruler * Chile has announced they intend to go ahead with the purchase of the HMS Sheffield * 6 Sea King HAS ^ are currently undergoing conversions to commando versions (MK6c) * Of the RN's original fleet of 46 Sea KIngs HAS 6 , 7 of the older frames are marked for disposal, 22 as ground instructional aiframes & the rest to commando versions Photo File: Warships in Japanese Waters World of Warship Models.. Task force 72! Seahawks above Uluru American Colour: Photos of various USN ships Readers Album - SUrveying 1924 - 1927 * Good photos of the TSV-1X Theatre support Vessel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: MHOFFSS454 Subject: Re: USS Parche (SSN-683) USS PARCHE (SSN 683) is the second United States ship to bear the name of the beautiful French butterfly fish. The first Parche (SS 384) was built in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and commissioned in 1943. One of the most highly decorated ships of the famous World War II Pacific Submarine Force (SUBPAC), she made six war patrols, earning five battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) awards. USS PARCHE (SS 384) was decommissioned in December 1948 and its proud name stricken from the naval records. The boat's conning tower and superstructure remain enshrined at Naval Submarine base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. USS PARCHE (SSN 683) continued the famous heritage of its namesake. The keel of the second PARCHE was laid in December 1970 at Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi. PARCHE was commissioned in August of 1974 and served as a unit of Atlantic Submarine Force until 1976 before transferring to SUBPAC. Once arriving at its new homeport at Mare Island, California, Parche received ocean engineering modifications. From 1987 to 1991, PARCHE began the extended overhaul at Mare Island Shipyard. The boat was refueled and modified for research and development, adding a one hundred foot extension to its hull, and began a new mission as part of Submarine Development Squadron 5. PARCHE resumed Pacific Fleet operations in 1992 and was transferred to its new homeport at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Washington in November 1994. Mark Hoffman Port Orchard, Washington State, US ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Michael D'Silva" Subject: RMS Mauretania I'd like to thank those who replied to my message for information on RMS Mauretania's colour scheme. Randy Ward and Don Stolenberg have been most helpful in providing me with scans of completed models. These are going to be a big help in also determining other little details that should or shouldnt be there. So far I have found the odd inconsistency between the original Mauretania plans (Distinguished Liners from The Shipbuilder 1906-1914 Vol. 1) and the Airfix kit. But then again, as modelers, we are all too aware that 99.999996% of kits are inaccurate in some way or the other J. It's one of the joys of our hobby; finding these little mistakes and correcting them. By and large, the kit isn't bad at all. In the preassembly stage, it looks like it has the potential to build-up into a fine model without too much effort from the modeler. Right, I think it's time I stopped. This wasn't meant to be a review of any sort, but a thank-you to those who kindly responded to my "distress call". If there are other modelers out there who've built the Airfix Mauretania, I would welcome your comments about the accuracy of the kit as it depicts her in her early (pre-WW1) years. Perhaps, if I get enough information, I could put it all together as a mini guide to modeling the Mauretania. This might help those who plan to build her as a future project. Thanks again, Michael D'Silva Scoresby, Victoria, Australia * Sources: Distinguished Liners from The Shipbuilder 1906-1914, Volume 1 - Compiled and Edited by Mark D. Warren The Cunard Turbine-Driven Quadruple Screw Atlantic Liner Mauretania - Edited by Mark D. Warren ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: PAUL TOSCANO Subject: Re: Mikasa Colors Hi Falk, I have a question concerning the painting of Japanese warships in WWII. WEM and Gunze make colors for the 4 major yards, Kure, Sasebo, Yokosuka, and Maizuru. Would you know how it was decided to apply which colors to which ships. Even if a ship were built at one of these yards, it seems hard to imagine it would continue to use the color from the yard thoughout its life. Also, there were ships not built at any of these yards. Were the ships perhaps painted with these colors if they were sent to these yards for maintenance? Were they perhaps assigned to a yard officially for maintenance purposes and alloted the color of the yard? Any ideas on this? Thanks, Paul ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Ives100 Subject: Re: Parche >> I too live in the Seattle area, and had until recently been on a quest to identify a sub a friend who lives in Keystone took a picture of. Just found out it is the Parche. A comparison of the photo does not look much like anything in the class in Jane's American Fighting ships. Have no doubt that the identity was a correct one as the source was literally dockside. He too made oblique comments about the boat's mission. Could or would you care to expand a bit on what she does? << OK, Parche... A good place to start as to her missions is the book "Blind Man's Bluff". She started out life as a late model Sturgeon class submarine, a so-called long hull version. Her mission was Special Operations. With the retirement of the previous Spec Ops sub, USS Halibut, Parche was fitted with the (allegedly) DSRV simulator from Halibut near her stern. This was revealed in 1993 to actually be a saturation diving chamber in which divers would acclimate themselves to a helium-oxygen-hydrogen high pressure atmosphere. This allowed them to exit the submarine at extreme depths (up to 600 feet) in elaborate diving gear. These divers tapped undersea Soviet Navy undersea cables in both the Sea of Ohkotsk and up near Murmansk. While submerged, she can also deploy ROVs to great depths to inspect and recover "items of interest" from the ocean floor. That much is described in the book; I'm sure there is much more. In 1989, Parche underwent a major overhaul in which the "DSRV Simulator" was removed, and she emerged from the overhaul 100 feet longer (at the bow) than she was prior to the overhaul. There appear to be lateral thrusters installed, and the forward lengthened section has a "spine" along the top. I understand that her underside is real interesting, but there are no photographs of her in drydock. Thus, you can find two sets of Parhce pictures, pre and post overhaul. These look quite different and distinctive. She is due to be retired shortly, and her replacement is rumored to be the third Seawolf, The USS Jimmy Carter. The Carter's hull has been lengthened from that of the original 2 Seawolf class submarines. That's about all we know.... Tom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "DUCKMAN" Subject: SEASICK ANIMALS HOWDY YA'LL, Animals get seasick---o.k., I'll take your word for it. Please answer this, how did Noah put up with it? DAVID IN DIXIE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Peter Subject: Ex-USSR Warships' Deck Color Can anyone suggest a color mix for the orange-brown decks of Ex-USSR Warships? If possible, Tamiya color mix would be most helpful. Thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: Dave Shirlaw Subject: Re: Puget Sound Subs Parche is the special operations submarine whose work is highly secret. Based at Bangor for security reasons. She will be replaced at Bangor around 2005 by the new USS Jimmy Carter SSN 23. Dave Shirlaw Editor, SeaWaves Magazine www.seawaves.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Olafur Sigurdsson" Subject: Sub Models and Big E Hi all, I recently enjoyed building the Dragon Typhoon, Ohio and Hampton. I was wondering if someone knows where I could find an ALPHA. 1/350 Also When was the "Hat" removed from Big E and replaced by a conventional antenna arrangement. Thanks Oli ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: "George Peat" Subject: Re: IFOS 2003 Bob Lockie, or any one else interested in attending IFOS 2003 would like to get in touch with me off group I can scan and send you a copy of the brochure being distributed for this event. Also there will be a large model boat contingent attending the show including the Matchstick Fleet which has been on display at other events through out the UK. I will be there representing both SWA and TF72/UK. Any SMML's that are attending and would make themselves known at the stand are welcome to stop for a chat. George Peat BEM [Secretary TF72/UK] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Phil Gollin" Subject: 1/350th "Models" I saw an advert from Skytrex for a Black Swan class Sloop (THE BEST !!!) in this month's Navy News and looked at their website at; http://www.skytrex.com/acatalog/shop.html There I found that they had a 1/350th scale section, containing a Flower class corvette, a Black Swan Class Sloop, River class Frigate and variations on the V-W class Destroyers. They may not be wonderfully accurate, but they are available. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: Jimmyjb Subject: VAN RYPER MODELS I have seen models by Van Ryper's workshop on Martha's Vineyard going for $500-$1000+ on e-bay lately. I wonder about the appeal of these models, which seem kind of rudimentary. I realize they were intended as "travel souvenirs" and were thus supposed to be economical, easily portable and storeable. IMHO, they seem rather rudimentary and clunky. They probably replicate the view from the deck of a passing ship, or from shore, at maybe a mile or so from the vessel. IIRC Van Ryper produced some of the warship recognition ID models for the Navy in WWII and maybe it's this tradition that he represents. However, there is hardly any deck detail, booms, masts and davits are represented by straight wire, dowels or nails and the decks are flush. I suppose the appeal is similar to the "folk art" tin warships by Tucher and similar firms. I was wondering whether any modeler had some insights on the demand for the Van Rypers. Thanks, Jim Bloom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "Olafur Sigurdsson" Subject: SSBN 941 Akula "Typhoon" I have been searching the Internet in order to find more info on the largest Sub ever built. On thing I have been searching for were the Ship names. This proved extremely hard, if not to say impossible. I found only the following names TK-208 Dimitriy Donskoy TK-202 Severstal No names for TK-12,-13,-17,-20,-210 On my quest I found some interesting pictures of the propellers and rudders of a Typhoon in try-dock. This one has the two propellers in round casings, horizontal rudders behind the propellers and the lower rudder much wider then the upper one. This is very different from the dragon model. Is this a modified Typhoon? Oli ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: VONJERSEY Subject: Re: Aurora and Potempkin I bought both kist a couple of years ago from Squadron, they were both available from them a couple of months ago - they are both full hull the accuracy and fit and finish leave much to be desired - even when the kits were new but especially when compared to today's offerings. so the kits are a bit of a challenge i finished the Aurora, with out modification, and was not too picky as to the details - she is a beautiful ship, and the model with all its flaws, cannot hide the beautiful lines - esxpecially for someone who appreicates pre ww1 steamers My Potempkin is only finished up to the hull which was very warped, but with a little care and much glue did go together well ken auslander ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "James Kloek" Subject: Buffalo SMMLcon Only one week to go! Arrangements with the Naval Park are complete. We will arrive there at 1:00 PM for our own guided tour of the ships. We will get a discount rate of $3.50 each which will have to be paid at the door. After the tour, we will have use of the Admiral's Room on the Little Rock, and Darren has promised to bring Canadian beverages to slake our thirst after the tour. Stay in touch, and see you there. Jim ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: ED LARYEH Subject: recognition models During "spring cleaning" I came across some old 1:1200 / 1:1500 wartime warship recognition models that are surplus to my collection. If there are any SMMLies interested contact me via e-mail - elisha6@bezeqint.net and i will provide details on condition of the models etc and you can make an offer. The models are bogue, essex, and furious class carriers and german e-boats. The castings were produced either during the war or shortly after (I originally acquired them in the 1950's) Aryeh Wetherhorn Elazar, Israel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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