Subject: SMML VOL 2341 Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 01:31:25 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 Graf Spee 2 Re Graf Spee 3 Trumpter Nimitz 4 Re Conning Towers and cruisers 5 Re Graf Spee 6 Re Hood/Bismark action 7 HMCS Chicoutimi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information 1 IPMS Region 2 Convention on 15th and 16th, Washington DC Area -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 Re Nimitz aftermarket parts? 2 Revell 1/72 U-Boat for sale in Australia ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Paul Konings Subject Graf Spee What I know about the Graf Spee is that she used big MAN diesels for her propulsion. In those days the large diesels needed very pure lubricating oil. And because her lub.oil purifiers where hit and out of commission, she could use only the purified lub.oil and fresh lub.oil that was available. I think that her commanding officer took the only correct conclusion. Regards, Paul Konings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Andy Airlie" Subject Re Graf Spee Just to touch on a few points again, >> From what I've read I don't believe Graf Spee could be regarded as being degraded seriously as a fighting ship, 40% of her 11" shells remaining is still a lot of Firepower. << She could reasonably be expected to have repaired a 2 metre gash with 3 days in port (this would be classed as repairs to improving her seaworthiness) Montevideo is 1200 miles from the Falklands and I believe the timeframe is the Southern Hemisphere Summer period! (Remember the Film....were the Royal Navy personnel not in whites ??) I don't think poor sea states would have been a factor in his decisions. With the benefit of hindsight, I believe (IMH0) that had Langsdorf made repairs as best he could, he had 2 choices, try and slip out of the River plate estuary under cover of darkness and take his chances with what he met (could any significant RN battle unit steam from Gibraltar or West Africa in 3 days ?) or run to Buenos Aires and try rush repairs in a 'friendly' port to improve as best he could any damage to the fighting capability ..the downside being it allowed more time to RN forces to gather in the River Estuary, which at Montevideo is well over 100 miles wide. On the evidence so far my belief is that had he fought his way out, he had a better than 50% chance of escaping to open sea! Just as an aside, Bismarck, Tirpitz and Scharnhorst were all sunk, Gneisenau Bombed out, but Lutzow and Scheer survived to the final days of the war ! Interesting Discussion all the same. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From "The code" Subject Trumpter Nimitz I still hold that they did a nice job on here...There are problems of course, the oversized tie downs.. I dont remember catwalks around the radar mast aft of the Island.. As a side note on aircraft I dont see an EA-6B offered yet..This was an Important aircraft that an airwing would not be without.. I need to get detailed pics of her Island for the 1978 cruise.. I seem to remember alot more deck lights on the Island and they were hooded.. Im hoping that a few drops of Super glue in the tiedowns and a subtle paint job on them will help correct to some extent the tiedown issue.. Looking forward to the PE for her and Aircraft decals for some of the diffrent time frames ..regards BC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "Melvin Burmaster" Subject Re Conning Towers and cruisers Christopher Amano-Langtree The idea of heavily armoured coning towers is a prime example of design choice which bedevils designers and perplexes those critics who fail to discern the various choices such designers are compelled to make. USN designers were quite aware of the fact that an impact of a heavy shell would likely cause severe disruption from the imparted kinetic energy. Even worse than that of course was the result of a shell “getting through” and if not exploding, a plausible scenario given the armour thicknesses, the containment of richoceting debris would likely have a “blender” effect. On the other hand, USN designers would politely suggest that a shell hit able to go through would indicate that battleranges were not indeed optimal for battleline engagements. Furthermore, as designers faced with choosing to hedge their bets, the armour did serve an useful purpose against lighter cruiser/destroyer shells of the enemy. That enemy being most likely making attacks with torpedoes and shell, and in such a case the weight penalty from having such a heavily armoured conning tower would be a prudent hedging of bets for the gun battle which would follow. Cruisers, though, as some do not realize, are not meant to fight in the line of battle. Scouts in USN practice, in spite of their size, likewise do not fight in the line of battle. That is why commanders are given “fighting instructions.” But the designers of the USN battlescouts were clearly hedging their bets with the heavy CT. The RN battlecruisers did develop in a continuum, with adequate armour for the beginning ships and having full fledged armour for Hood and then the G3 ships. Of course the RN had more cause, paradoxically, given the operational doctrine and the less likelihood of a large scale battle in contrast to the USN and IJN, to adopt a heavy CT since there was the greater chance for encountering lighter shells, even if the period of time of encountering such shells would be reduced by manuevering. Christopher Amano-Langtree, in summation it is clerar that the designers in the IJN and USN, and the RN up to 1921, engaged in the cost benefit equations and made their choices accordingly. That choice was to have a heavy CT. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From Sab1156@aol.com Subject Re Graf Spee Dear Allen Stevens, You are indeed right,that the captain of the "Graft Spee" was not one of Hitlers carriere-officers,but one of the good sea officers left from the Kaisers time,who was not willing to waste human life.From all the ships,Graf See sank,not one sailor was killed.When he decided to kill himself in the german Embassy in Buones Aires,he was found on top of the old imperial navy flag,not the sawstika flag! Best Regards Detlef Hartwig ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From patrick galleguillos Subject Re Hood/Bismark action This year I was able to visit London from my home city of San Francisco. On our flight we passed over the Denmark Strait. I was looking out the window and thought about that famous battle and said a prayer to those who lie at the bottom of the sea. I considered it a priviledge to get to do this after reading, studing, and building models of these famous ships. We must always remember. Patrick ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "Jim McNeil" Subject HMCS Chicoutimi HMCS Chicoutimi (the ex HMS Upholder), suffered an electrical fire in the control room and lost all power while submerged heading to her home port, Halifax,Canada. There was an attempt to restore some power that resulted in a second fire. Somewhere in here an officer died , probably of smoke inhalation, and two other ranks, at least one a Petty Officer, were overcome by smoke. An RAF SAR helo airlifted all three to Sligo Ireland for treatment, where the Officer was pronounced dead. The sub was wallowing in rough seas for about 2 days with at least one Royal Navy warship on site and the sub has been taken in tow towed by a tug and is currently heading for Faslane in Scotland at 2-3 knots. She is expected to arrive on Sunday, weather permitting. Jim McNeil at Slackers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Model club & SMMLcon Information ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Hank Lapa" Subject IPMS Region 2 Convention on 15th and 16th, Washington DC Area Just a friendly reminder about the subject event. See www.ipmsdc.org/regionII/ for details. The Civil War Sloop-of-War CONSTELLATION (Baltimore's Inner Harbor) has sponsored the trophies in the sailing-ship category and provided some goodies to go with the trophy for 1st place. Because of that, I hope we can have a good showing in that category. (Also need good showings in Helicopters and vacuforms). Cheers, Hank ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Loren Perry Subject Re 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. << Gold Medal Models has two large sets (GMM Stock Nos. 350-28 and 350-29) of photoetched brass details now in progress designed for detailing Trumpeter's 1/350 scale Nimitz kit. For the latest information on these two sets' progress, see the WHAT'S NEW section of the GMM webpage www.goldmm.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From chris Subject Revell 1/72 U-Boat for sale in Australia Hi All, I have a Revell 1/72 U-Boat for sale in Australia ONLY. Price is $105 which includes postage to anywhere in Australia. Thanks, Chris Evenden ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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