Subject: SMML VOL 2508 Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 05:38:49 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 Re Thornycroft second class torpedo boats 2 Chasers 3 Re jd productions 4 Re Only one Krivak left in the box? 5 Re Naval Terminology 6 IJN Yukikaze 7 Re JD Productions 8 Naval terminology ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "George Peat" Subject Re Thornycroft second class torpedo boats Contact me direct I have a copy here of the book first destroyers by David Lyons and let me know what you want and I do what ever I can for you George Peat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject Chasers Recently my electronic files experienced an irregularity, and I just came across a hard copy of an article you posted on SMML, dated 25MARCH, copy to me. You had asked about black bow numbers in some photos, etc. Whereas I am not sure that I responded, I will do so now, hoping you will forgive me if I am redundant. There were three structured anomalies. First, black alphanumeric designations were applied to the bows of the 100 chasers that were made for the French navy. All American boats had white characters. Second, the three chasers that were part of the Northern Russia Detachment in post war 1919 had only very large two-letter (no digits) code characters in white on the bows and on the stern transoms. The full alphanumeric designations were painted on the bridge wing spray canvases. Thirdly, the twenty-four chasers that were detained in post war 1919 to sweep the mines laid across the North Sea were part of an international sweeping force. To make the bow numbers easier to read, the letters SC were eliminated, and the digits were quite a bit larger, white in color, with a thin black edging to each digit individually. Beyond that the "style" of the characters varied greatly, as you have so astutely observed. When the chasers left the builders' yards the designations were reasonably "regulation". But the chasermen were not too overly burdened by adherence to Navy Regulations, and when it came time for re-painting etc., few people concerned themselves with doing it "by the book". Expediency prevailed. I am of the opinion that the varying shades of gray was similarly considered. "Hey, gray is gray, just do it, dammit." I came to the same conclusion as you, that no two chasers were alike, and if you wanted to portray a specific boat, you would need to have specific photos, and these would vary depending on when they were taken, Thus photos of the same vessel might be different. I chose to make my model representative of the genre as a whole and affix features I had seen on different boats. I had to have a hull number, however, and I have chosen 95, as it was the one chaser that went everyplace and did everything that other chasers did, even though the accessories and appurtenances are not quite authentic for the 95. Chasers were not armed in the builders' yards. They were fitted with weaponry at naval installations after commissioning. The earliest American boats received different deck guns, including the "recoilless" Davis gun that fired a wad of gelatin and buckshot out the breech while the projectile went out the muzzle !!!!!!! These were soon replaced by the more conventional and shorter 3" Poole deck gun, both here and overseas. Also the early chasers had a second deck gun amidships, which was replaced by a Y-gun depth charge launcher. The two bridge wing machine guns were either Colt or Lewis, depending on availability. Roll-off depth charge racks were installed later, and varied greatly, even to the extent of being simply wooden ramps in some cases. The forward deck guns were retained, but rarely used for a variety of reasons. You may see photos with no forward deck guns, for another variety of reasons. But the chief one was that weaponry was frequently removed just prior to embarking for home after the Armistice. This lowered the center of gravity and improved the sea keeping qualities of the chasers. The weaponry was cargoed by the mother ships. Now here is a mission for you. Find a photograph of a chaser using a sail. Sails were issued for emergency use after a French chaser became lost and ran out of fuel in mid-Atlantic and had to make a jury-rigged sail from blankets and tarpaulins. It took over forty days to complete the journey, with no power, as even the auxiliary generator for the radio was gasoline powered. I have such a picture, but they are indeed very rare. Heh, heh, heh !!! Franklyn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Randy Ward Subject Re jd productions >> HEy has any body have any information about JD productions. Were trying to get some parts and have tryed to make contact have not had any responce for a wile, << As I recall, they are a partnership between two gentlemen in Annapolis. One of them spoke at the Nautical Research Guild, some time back (Oct., 2001), and has connections with the museum at the Naval Academy. He seems like a nice guy, and does good work, but I have no experience with doing business with him/them. Cap'n Randy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From David Wells Subject Re Only one Krivak left in the box? "Baumbach, Werner" wrote >> Has anyone purchased a Skywave/Pitroad Krivak I/II lately. Have they switched to providing just one ship instead of two or is my retailer tricking me? On Rajendra's list it made me hope I get two in a box. << I have not bought one recently, but all the ones I've ever seen have had two in a box. If there's only one in a box now, it's a change that I haven't heard of. Perhaps the kit number might provide a clue. The older kits were "Orange 30" and SW-31. Skywave has been known to change the number of ships in their boxes, though. You used to get two Fletcher class DDs in a box, and now you only get one. At least with the Fletchers, the newer single ship kits come with lots of post-WW2 extras. I don't know if Skywave could do something comparable with their Krivaks, unless they have started including parts for a Krivak III conversion...... "There seems to be something wrong | David R. Wells with our bloody ships today" | Adm. D. Beatty, May 31, 1916 | http//home.att.net/~WellsBrothers/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From "Allen Stevens" Subject Re Naval Terminology Bert I stand partially corrected ! The town itself picked up the tag after the ship and to a lot of us older naval types (when I say old I am talking 37! ) it will always be called 'aggie on horseback' even in these PC days. Where I now work (the Royal national lifeboat Institution) you still occasionally see movement sheets with the words 'going to aggie' written on, mystifes some of the younger staff. Not sure if they will ever make the RN fully PC compliant - thank god! Regards Allen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From DD Subject IJN Yukikaze Hello, I have started build a card model of IJN Yukikaze. I'm looking for drawings showing her hull and especially how were divided steel plates on it - I'm goind to show it on my model. Anyone can help? Best regards Damian Pliszka Slupsk, Poland (temporary Trento, Italy) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "Mccullough, Vincent (Mission Systems)" Subject Re JD Productions J&D productions are, in fact, very much alive and operating. Jeanne and Don were at the Western Ship Model Conference and Exposition in Long Beach a couple of weeks ago, and I've ben over there several times in the past few months. Try contacting them again .... Vince McCullough ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From Ransford Subject Naval terminology AGGIE WESTON'S!! How well I remember that esteemed establishment!! There must be many a sailor who, having stopped by for a "cuppa char and a wad" after an afternoon visiting the local hostelries, was connived into signing "Aggies" infamous abstinence pledge. Later to find that this had been registered with his ship and his tot had been stopped!!! Not me I hasten to add! It took an act of Parliament in 1970 to remove me from my "bubbly!" Happy days!! Ransford "Taff" Rogers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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