Subject: SMML VOL 2340 Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 01:47:07 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 NAVAL BOOKS FOR SALE - CANDAIAN SUB IN TROUBLE NEWS - HMS Hood 2 Re Speaking of the Graff Spee 3 A question 4 Re Graf Spee 5 Nimitz aftermarket parts? 6 Re HMS Hood 7 Hood 8 Re HMCS Chicoutami 9 Re Graf Spee 10 Re Graf Spee 11 queen mary II 12 Graf Spee -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 KBismarck.com news! 2 German landing crafts on E-bay 3 NAVAL BOOKS FOR SALE - POSTAGE!! - SMALL PACKET RATE UNDER 2KG 4 Submarine Kits for Sale ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Gary Mansfield" Subject NAVAL BOOKS FOR SALE - CANDAIAN SUB IN TROUBLE NEWS - HMS Hood Hi All, First, book sale is going well, sorry I can not use PayPal does not seem to work well for people in U.K. International Money Oder for USA/CANADA, personal cheques U.K. I still need your full address for postage (I am o.k. ask Caroline at White Ensign Models)! I will let people known their postage when I get back from post office! Please get back to me soon with details - loads of E-MAILS every day. Thank you. Second, An Officer has died from that Sub, just heard on my radio in the office. I am very sorry for his family and friends, I hope the Goverment's fly him home soon. Finally, Although I like all the discussion about HMS Hood Bismark sinkings etc please no not forget the young men that died in the Service of their Country. Yours sincerely, GARY MANSFIELD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From Albert Choy Subject Re Speaking of the Graff Spee >> Here's a 30ft model to dream for. http//www.bismarck-class.dk/shipmodels/german_models/admiralgrafspeeterra.html << THANKS for the link! Happily ogling and drooling ... Albert ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Richard Sweeney Subject A question Can anyone tell me if HMS Graph (Formerly U-570) was used by the Royal Navy still in her Kreigsmarine Colors or if she was repainted using Royal Navy colors... and what the scheme may have been? Also does anyone know if she carried markings on her conning tower? Thanks, Rich Sweeney ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From Subject Re Graf Spee I was under the impression that a major reason for her scuttling was a shortage of ammunition, a commodity she was not likely to get in a neutral port. As a sideline to this episode I had dinner many years ago with a gentleman who had served in the WW 2 "Pathfinder" squadrons of the RAF. "You had an exciting time of it ", I remarked. "Not as exciting as my uncle" he replied, he was a Q Ship commander in WW 1 and volunteered his services in WW 2. He was absolutely disgusted when given the job of Naval Attache at the 'obscure' port of Montevideo". He was, of course, to play a key role in the drama of December 1940. Michael London ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From "\"Honest Bob\" LaBouy" Subject Nimitz aftermarket parts? I know I am often in the dark about "what's out there" to support a model and though I should ask for some feedback from the many more knowledgeable members out there in cyber model land. Does anyone know of any aftermarket parts for the 1/350th scale Trumpeter USS Nimitz kit? I've had mine for a couple of days and while deciding where to "go next" I am interested in learning about aftermarket parts available. Initially, I am very impressed, though I wish they had not molded the with inscribed lines indicating the many deck surface markings. The tie-downs are definitely out of scale, probably producing a deck hold of about 10-12 inches in scale. I'll have to await painting a section to see how both of these aspects play out on the completed model. Any help/feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, Bob ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From "Chuck Messer" Subject Re HMS Hood Fascinating discussion of the Hood. I remember from the book, HOOD AND BISMARCK, by David Mearns and Rob White that the wreck showed the sides of the aft section (what was left of it) buckled outward, and one of the aft turrets had the floor buckled upward and the sides outward. That would seem to indicate a magazine explosion. The wreck is well and truly smashed. 70 meters of the midship section completely disintegrated. The forward section is twisted like a dishrag, with the aft end resting upside-down, and the bow on its port side. It also seems the forward magazine also brewed up, sending flames out the gun muzzles. The steel plating of the hull is twisted, but very little cracking or splitting is evident, indicating the Hood was made out of high-quality, resilient steel. One proposed theory in the book is that one of the Bismarck's 15" shells penetrated the 9" section of the aft belt passing above or below the narrow 12" thick section, then plunged into or near the aft magazine. The detonation ruptured the transverse bulkhead, and blew through the mid section, gutting her like a fish. The blast was contained within the hull, muffling the sound of the explosion until the hot gasses erupted through the upper deck. The blast continued forward as Hood broke up, partially igniting the forward magazine. That seems to make sense to me. It's unfortunate such a famous ship was dogged by such bad luck that day. But then, that was an unlucky week for the Bismarck, too. Chuck Messer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "Chris and Kayo Amano-Langtree" Subject Hood Hi Melvin The armoured conning tower I am afraid was a waste of armour protection. The concept that command functions should be protected was a good one but the execution brought unfortunate problems. If the conning tower was hit by a shell it detonated as the armour was thick enough to set off the shell's fuse. If the shell penetrated then the occupants were finished and most of the command and control functions of the ship were as well. If the shell didn't penetrate the shock waves from the explosion would incapacitate the occupants and knock out the communication facilities given that they were concentrated in a confined space. One or the other is supposed to have happened to the Bismarck early in the battle with exactly one of the above results. Protection from detonations was illusory in this case. For reference my surname is AMANO-LANGTREE. I would appreciate it if you could get it right. Christopher Amano-Langtree ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From Subject Re HMCS Chicoutami >> "Everybody on board is safe," Bonin said in an interview with the Canadian Press. "There was a small fire on board. It was quickly put out. The sub has surfaced, and is awaiting a tug to take it back to somewhere along the European coast." << Latest reports state that, sadly, the fire aboard has already claimed one life and at least one other serious injury. It has only emergency electrical power and is rolling about in heavy seas. Michael London ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From Randy Ward Subject Re Graf Spee >> In order to theoretically make bunker fuel oil into diesel you would need a catalytic cracker and some other very sophisticated refining techniques just not amenable to installing in a ship, then or now. << My dad worked at a "teakettle", a tiny 6,000 bbl/day refinery in Indiana. Their "cat cracker" was about 100 feet high. You could see it for quite a ways! They also had some fractionating towers, storage tanks, condensers, and miles of piping. The basic refineryand storage tanks took up a good part of a square mile. Cap'n Randy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From M Brown Subject Re Graf Spee Back in June I went around the museum in HMS Collingwood. In there they had parts of the radar "acquired" by the RN from the wreck just after she blew herself up. They also had photos on display taken by one of her officers. The RN got hold of the photos very easily. The shop in Montevideo that the officer took the film to be developed was owned by an Englishman who happily took some extra copies & handed them over to the Naval Attache there. She did not look in these on board photos like a superficially damaged ship. Michael Brown ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From MPMenache@aol.com Subject queen mary II Hello, Revell of Germany has posted on their web-site the preliminary photos of the upcoming model of the 1/400 scale Queen Mary II. This is a very detailed and large kit. They have done a superb job on this kit and the photos give you an idea of the quality and thought that has gone into this anticipted model! Enjoy. michael ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From "Denis James" Subject Graf Spee My understanding is that she was down to about 40% of her 28cm ammo,had lost the galley and its supplies plus the drinking water,that her desalination plant was u/s,the oil purification plant had been destroyed, at least one major rangefinder wrecked and that there was structural damage to the bow (2mtr gash) which would present a serious seaworthiness problem in other than a mild sea way... One reference suggested she was 3' down at the bow and shipping water. Hence a run to the North to meet a supply ship to get the materials she needed to repair herself was going to present real problems. Even if she could use full power i.e. the seas around the Falklands were calm(!) her max speed because of her time at sea would have been something less then her theoretical max of 28.5knots...prob 25 knots or less (would the lack oil purification have influenced her speed?) in fact, she couldn't outrun the Brit cruisers . And if they spotted the supply ship??!! I don't have the book "Prince of Honour" but I have read a quote from it that is interesting. It says in part 'During a lull in the action .....when he arrived at the Ships Hospital Langsdorff waded into a section flooded with seawater...after completing damage inspection Langsdorff said "Our damage cannot be repaired with the means on board--we must run into Port for repairs" ' Of-course repairs were denied to him. Its a matter of history that the Brits ruse about heavy units joining the Cruisers was accepted by Captain Langsdorff tho the German Naval Command had serious doubts that that assessment was correct. However they left it up to the man on the spot with out passing on their knowledge of the whereabouts of the British fleet , a fact that has always bemused me. On being presented with Langsdorffs tactical appreciation quoted in part.. "In addition to Cruisers and Destroyers Ark Royal and Renown (why hasn't there been a 1/350 kit of her!?) "Close blockade at night. A breakout into the open sea and a break through for home hopeless. Propose taking out ship as far as limit of neutral waters. If possible to fight way through to Buenos Aires will attempt it. In case breakthrough involves certain destruction of Graff Spee with out chance of inflicting damage on enemy request decision whether ship should be scuttled in mouth of River Plate in spite of insufficient depth of water or whether internment preferred. Adm Raeder decided internment not an option but otherwise left it to Langsdorff. Hitler merely concurred with Raeders decicision. So with his (perceived) options curtailed Langsdorff decided in favour of his crews survival. Would a Brit skipper in the same position have behaved similarly. IMHO probably not.What did ABC say "it would take 3yrs to rebuild a fleet, 300 years to rebuild tradition" I prob got that wrong but the essence of it is there. WOP rgds denis james ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "José M. Rico" Subject KBismarck.com news! Dear friends, This is to inform you that we finally finished transcribing and translating the whole War Diary of the battleship Bismarck covering the period from 24 August 1940 to 27 May 1941. This document is now available in PDF format and can be downloaded from http//www.kbismarck.com/archives/bs-ktb.zip Best regards, José M. Rico http//www.kbismarck.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Erhardtsen" Subject German landing crafts on E-bay I do cast a lot of scale 1/700 W.W.II resin models fore my own collections. Now a local friend has put a couple of them on E-bay again. This time it is German Landing craft type D and the specially artillery variation. http//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5925483625&category=2590&ssPageName=ADMEBEFUS1 Regards Erik Erhardtsen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From "Gary Mansfield" Subject NAVAL BOOKS FOR SALE - POSTAGE!! - SMALL PACKET RATE UNDER 2KG Dear All, I have solved this postage - using the above rate is a lot cheaper £7 against £30! So please inquire again. All those that have ordered, I am just sorting out your postage... Please note in USA/Canada International Money Oreder no Pay/Pal! Many thanks GARY MANSFIELD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "Mirko Zerbini" Subject Submarine Kits for Sale Hi everybody! I have 4 submarine kits for sale. They are Seawolf/Torpedo 1/350 SS 573 YUSHIO (modern JMSDF) U-Boot Type VIIC Gulfstream Models 1/350 U-Boot Type VIIC U-Boot Type IX Each is EURO 20/USD 25 plus shipping, or all 4 at EURO 60/USD 75 plus shipping Sincerely Mirko Zerbini ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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