Subject: SMML VOL 2239 Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 03:42:55 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: QE2 query 2: Re: civil war gunboat uss bombshell 3: Norfolk, Virginia, Hobby Shops 4: USS/CSS Bombshell 5: Re: B17F 6: Re: S. Francisco hobby shops etc 7: Naming USN Ships 8: Re: S. Francisco hobby shops etc 9: Re: S. Francisco hobby shops etc 10: Commissioning the USS Ronald Reagan 11: Re: Queen Elizabeth 12: HMCS Quebec 13: HMS Glorious 14: Interesting Ebay items 15: Re: HMCS Quebec 16: Miniatures Directory 17: Squadron "Schnellboot in Action" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Craig Bennett" Subject: QE2 query Hi Has any one ever heard about this? Back in 1976 the liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departed New York City just before the Bicentennial celebrations and proceeded into the Atlantic Ocean and was going to Bermunda or the Bahamas and after a few days out she was sailing her route and suddenly unexpectly made a sharp 180 degree turn and increased speed to full for 2 hrs without giving a explanation to the surprised passengers at all. I remember hearding it thru a friend who's family made a trip on her at the time. Craig ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: civil war gunboat uss bombshell >> does anybody know where i can get info on the civil war gun boat,[ uss bombshell ]. the only thing i know for sure about it is that it was sunk by a confederate ship in abermarle sound. the confederates raised her & used it for awaile & then the union recaptured her later on. my great grand father, pvt john t mcvey an artilery man, was one of her crew. he survived the episode & returned to fortress monroe in virginia, where he was stationed. << If you do a google search on USS Bombshell, you will uncover a bunch of info including a number of accounts of the battle which resulted in the Destruction of the CSS Albermarle The CSS Bombshell participated and was recaptured by the Union Forces. Maryland Silver Co may have some plans of the Bombshell. Regards, Bradford Chaucer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Michael McMurtrey Subject: Norfolk, Virginia, Hobby Shops I'll be in Norfolk, Virginia, for a week attending a convention. Can anyone suggest some good hobby shops in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area? Michael McMurtrey ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: "Christopher Barttels" Subject: USS/CSS Bombshell See: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/bombshel.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Lorin Hart" Subject: Re: B17F In response to Bradford Chaucer's comments regarding which B-17 to use; he makes a good point, in that 'Revell's' B-17F is more closely configured to the nose armament required for a 1943 era aircraft; however, to again state my opinion only, that is the ONLY advantage to the Revell kit. The interior detail is virtually non-existent, the engines and propellers pathetic, the clear parts marginal at best. I stress IF you have a vacuum device of some sort, the G series aircraft is much easier to back-date, than to bring up-to-speed the detail of the Revell kit. Lorin Hart ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Lorin Hart" Subject: Re: S. Francisco hobby shops etc In regards the request by Enrico Villa, concerning San Francisco area shops & ships; Several! One hobby shop which gets a visit anytime I am in the area is San Antonio Hobby Shop (a strange name for a shop in San Francisco). It is located on San Antonio Ave? Street? in a large shopping complex. The last time I was in there, they had for sale the 'Gato' class submarine model used in the filming of 'War and Remembrance'. Ships: Fisherman's Wharf has a couple of which I am aware; the steel-hulled windjammer 'Balclutha', a Gato-class boat (Pampanito? do not hold me to that). As a side note, the local political powers, living in the heart of "PC", thought an attack submarine was "Too War-Like", and for a time refused to grant access to facilities for the boat. I believe there is also a maritime museum in the same area, but I am not at all sure of that. Lorin Hart ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Katz, Gene S" Subject: Naming USN Ships The USN has been naming ships almost according to whim and Congressional voting. ADM. Rickover said the Navy stopped naming submarines after fish and sea creatures because "fish don't vote". Aegis Cruiser (CG) USS Thomas Gates is right in there with the rest of the CG fleet of battles and victories. Destroyers used to be named for sailors and marines, so why is a CG named after a SecNav? It just doesn't seem right somehow. Naming the supercarriers after living Presidents also doesn't seem right. I'm surprised some overpaid clown in Washington hasn't suggested naming a ship the Robert Strange McNamara, for whatever reason. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: SeaPhoto Subject: Re: S. Francisco hobby shops etc When visiting San Francisco, a lot depends on how far you want to drive, or if you are just going to rely on what passes for public transportation around these parts. Hobby Shops worth going to: Franciscan Hobbies, Ocean Street, San Francisco Best selection of ship models in the city, with a really good selection of larger kits and reference books. Stocks Steve Wiper's excellent Classic Warship series. San Antonio Hobbies, Mountain View (about a 30 mile drive) One of the largest hobby shops in the country, with a good amount of ships and an excellent selection of reference materials. Has some out of production kits, as well as resin ship kits. Stocks Naval Institute Press Books. D and J Hobbies, San Jose (another 20 miles south of San Antonio Hobbies); almost as big, with a deeper selection of models, though the ship selection has been getting weaker over the years, and not many references (though they do stock model magazines from England). If you are into books, you might want to check out Acorn Books on Polk Street, which has a very nice naval section. In Japan Center, on Geary St. there used to be a Japanese Language bookstore which imported naval books and magazines. I have not been there in years, so call before driving there. Attractions: San Francisco - Hyde Street Pier, preserved ships. Next to the Maritime Museum, which has some nice models, including a 1/48 scale model of the USS California (BB-44). Be sure to check out the gift shop, which has a good selection of books. SS Jeremiah O'Brien - museum Liberty ship, open for touring USS Pampanito (SS-383) - museum submarine, open for touring At Lands end (northwest corner of the city), you can see the damaged bridge wings taken off the USS San Francisco (CA-38) after the battle of Savo Island. Across the bay in Alameda, you can visit the USS Hornet (CV/CVS 12), a preserved aircraft carrier. You can also see a presidential yacht, the Potomac, near Jack London Square in Oakland. Some artifacts from the USS Oakland (CLAA-95) are there as well. Have a good time. Kurt Greiner SeaPhoto Maritime Photography - onboard details and overhead views of modern warships www.warshipphotos.com Order via our online catalog...now taking credit cards via Paypal Warship Models Underway - learn about large scale radio control warship models. www.warshipmodelsunderway.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Randy Ward Subject: Re: S. Francisco hobby shops etc >> I will be in S. Francisco for a couple of days at the end of August: could anyone suggest good hobby shops (looking especially for Japanese ship kits and/or second hand/out of production stuff) and other interesting ship-related things to see? << Enrico, I was in the Bay area a couple of times, about 10 years ago. By far, the one place you MUST go is San Antonio Hobby Shop, on El Camino Real, in Mountain View. It was well worth the trip! A very large store, with just about everything you'd want. Randy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Robert Mosher" Subject: Commissioning the USS Ronald Reagan According to the Cspan schedule, they will be providing live coverage at 11am EST on Saturday July 12 of the USS Ronald Reagan. Robert A. Mosher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Ron Wild" Subject: Re: Queen Elizabeth When I saw the Q.E. in 1942 atEsquimalt BC Canada, she was painted grey overall. At least that is my recollection. from Ron Wild, Summerland BC Canada ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: George Colleen Hargreaves Subject: HMCS Quebec Hello Rolie, The structure you refer to are the radar director towers for the two US pattern quad 40 mm BOFORS Mk 2 that were positioned on the former catapult deck. This from page 154 of Cruisers In Camera by Roger Hayward. The radar on top of the director appears to be AR.RDF: type 282 which is supported by page 130 of British Cruisers by HT Lenton. Cheers, George Hargreaves Calgary Alberta ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Chris and Kayo Amano-Langtree" Subject: HMS Glorious Hi Steve Try National Maritime Museum in the UK- they have an excellent collection of Inter war Royal Navy photos showing great detail. Christopher Amano-Langtree ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: PaulShip37 Subject: Interesting Ebay items I saw two interesting Ebay items today. "Japanese Naval Auxiliaries"-Book, Ebay item #3137804528 "Renwal Huge Working Panama Canal model and box", Ebay item #3138129516 (Now where is that unbuilt "Loveboat " kit ...) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: David Ian Moore Subject: Re: HMCS Quebec Re Rollies question and Freds reply about the Tub object adjacent the cutters and aft of the 40 mm quad midship mounts on HMCS Uganda/Quebec they appear to be pedestal mount gun directors. There is a photo from the hangar top that appeared in the history of Quebec and an old Canadian Geographic vol? that shows the directors manned and in action off Sakishima in late 45. They are not fitted atop removed crane mounts as Uganda had only a single crane mounted amidships fwd of the aft funnel As the 4X 4" aft of these directors were no doubt centrally directed I presume the tubs are for the secondary quad 40s just forward of them and behind the hangar. The Uganda was a modified Fiji class with improved AA fit and had the quad 40s as part of the better design. The quads and director are one of the distinguishing features between Quebec(Uganda Class) and Ontario (Minotaur/Tiger Class) Can provide a scan to Fred and Rollie if needed. Ian ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: John Kutina Subject: Miniatures Directory http://theminiaturespage.com/lib/index.mv?period=ww2nav ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: David Gregory Subject: Squadron "Schnellboot in Action" Tim, you have out done yourself!!!!! Not to be over enthusiastic, but this little book is the best picture book I have seen on S-boats and the best of T. Garth Connelley's three coastal books for Squadron. It covers German S-boats from 1918 (and where did you find the picture of the German LM Motor Gunboat????)to post war, with lots of NEW mid and late war shots (not a whole book of early boats with open foredecks)and the text.... SWOOON...lots and lots of detailed text that gives all kinds of little tidbits that are just as helpful for the wargamer (like me) as the modeller. So don't walk, RUN, and get this. For $9, it is a real steal! Dave The PT Dockyard (Where I will soon need to add a 3rd shift) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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