Subject: SMML VOL 2768 Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2005 01:07:02 +1100 The Ship Modelling Mailing List (SMML) is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http//sandlehobbies.com For infomation on how to Post to SMML and Unsubscribe from SMML http//smmlonline.com/aboutsmml/rules.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1 Austin hobby shops 2 Re Contacting Cottage Industry Models re 1/96 USS Keokuk 3 USS Hartford... 4 Re Degausing cable 5 Re Degausing cable 6 Re KEARSARGE 7 OLD IRONSIDES 8 Re Degausing cable 9 Re Degaussing cable 10 Re Austin TX hobby shops? 11 RE KEARSARGE kit vs. ALABAMA kit, yesterday and today 12 Re Degausing cable 13 Re Degausing cable 14 Boot Topping 15 Re Austin TX hobby shops? 16 Re ULCC Tankers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Michael Smith" Subject Austin hobby shops Add my two cents for Kings and Village - I have never found another hobby shop in Texas that's as good as either (although M-A-L in Irving is a landmark and it astonishes me how much they have in a tiny space. I used to live literallly acros the street from Village and spent a lot of good time there (when they were in the back of the shopping center, not the middle). I do my best to hit both whenever I'm in Austin. The descriptions already posted of the differences between the two are very accurate - they don't overlap a whole lot. They also both carry extensive collections of books, which Village having, in addition to the current titles, older hardbacks on military and naval subjects. Michael Smith Marshall, Texas ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Devin J. Poore" Subject Re Contacting Cottage Industry Models re 1/96 USS Keokuk >> I'd like to take one more try at getting the new piece from CIM before contriving/fabricating something of my own. Any lead appreciated. << I just exchanged emails with Cottage Industry last week, and have some parts and new instructions for the Keokuk on the way from them. I used the email robo612@earthlink.net which I found on their website http//cottage-industry-models.com/ Devin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Richard Sweeney Subject USS Hartford... Hi, I didn't even know this kit existed, nice to know. Only problem is that the Hartford was A screw steamer, she had no Side wheels. The kit is most likely either the Imai Susquahana or the Pyro/lindberg Harriet Lane/ Civil War Blockade runner. Rich Sweeney ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "George Peat" Subject Re Degausing cable This was a method introduce the counter Magnetic Mines. A source of power was run over the hull via this cable to reduce the magnetic signature of the ship and so counter magnetic mines which relied on a variation of the earths magnetic field to detonate the mine. As each ship with a steel hull has a magnetic field this was enough to set the mine off George Peat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From SantMin@aol.com Subject Re Degausing cable >> Researching the Queen Mary while a troop transport, one source mentioned a degausing (sp?)cable on the hull of the QM. One photo of the QM shows, what looks like to me, a pipe or conduit running down the length of the hull. Could this be the cable, and if so, what was the function? << Yes, that is the degausing cable. It's purpose is to try to cancel out the magnetic field around the ship to foil magnetic mines. Bob Santos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From ALROSS2@aol.com Subject Re KEARSARGE Years ago, BlueJacket offered a wood kit of KEARSARGE in, IIRC, 1/96 scale. I'm at home at the moment and don't have immediate access to them, but the plans and fittings are still available (though not in the catalog). I don't remember the date or drafsman, but can find out if anyone is interested. Al Ross ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From Richard Sweeney Subject OLD IRONSIDES Hi John, Well, the US Navy say's On May 5th, 1798 she was ordered by Secretary William McHenry made ready for sea for her first voyage. Under Captain Samuel Nicholson on July 22, 1798 she was underway and out to sea for the first time. 1798 to 1801 She cruised the West Indies, in the "Quasi-war" With France. Protecting U.S. Merchant shipping from FRENCH Privateers. Never engaged a warship, but captured several Privateers. So we were at war with France, not England. Actually, Nicholson was famous for avoiding battle anywhere he could while commanding her. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From URUDOFSKY@aol.com Subject Re Degausing cable I think there are two types of reasons and methods for degaussing. One has to do with magnetic compass and radio and electrical static problems, the other with defense against magnetic mines and torpedoes. The half-round tubular bulge surrounding almost the entire ship above the waterline is the latter. Bismarck and Prinz Eugen had it, too. The German navy called M.E.S. = Magnetischer Eigenschutz = magnetic self-protection. The photos of Prinz Eugen after a torpedo had ripped off his stern shows this installation very well. See The Story of Prince Eugen, Fritz Otto Busch; however, the German version of this book Schwerer Kreuzer Prinz Eugen, has much clearer and more comprehensive photos of the M.E.S.. http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/steve_lawther/degauss.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From "Mark Micucci" Subject Re Degaussing cable Hello Dave What you are describing could be a degaussing coil, some ships did have them fitted on the outside of the hull. The reason for degaussing coils is simple. To make the ship have less a magnetic signature in the water. Basically, when a ship is built, X amount of tons of steel and the direction to true magnetic north the ship is built to, the ship will acquire a magnetic field around the ship and this magnetic field extends into the water around the ship. This lead to magnetic mines and torpedoes that have a detonator that goes off when a large magnetic field is sensed. By putting electrical current through a coil around the ship the magnetic field can be reduced and there by protect the ship. For more information, the Queen Mary is tied up in Long Beach, California and has a very nice museum on board her. The war time displays are very nice. The only place in Southern California where you can find a naval quad 40mm AA mount that you can take pictures to your hearts content. Hope this helps you. If you have any more questions, drop me a line. Best regards, Mark Micucci ex USN Minesweeper Electrician Mate Thousand Oaks, CA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From AAA Hobby Supply Subject Re Austin TX hobby shops? >> I'll be in Austin, TX in a few weeks, and anticipate having a car for a day. Are there any good shops in the Austin area, especially dealing with ships? << When in Austin, the only model shop I know of with any selection of ships at all is Village Hobby. George has a wide selection from Waveline to resin kits. 2700 W Anderson Ln, #402 512-452-6401 James Corley AAA Hobby Supply www.aaahobby.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From "MW Models" Subject RE KEARSARGE kit vs. ALABAMA kit, yesterday and today Yes we did, my dad has both kits now and there are a lot of differences between the two kits. They are in the hull, foredeck and there were a couple of other ones. So I can say for sure that it is not the same kit as the Alabama. I can not say if it is the same kit as the 1960 edition but perhaps some one else can tell. I know only one person in the Netherlands who has the old kit and it is not in the direction to drop in and have a look. Greetings, Michiel Woort The Netherlands ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From "bert" Subject Re Degausing cable Dave , the purpose of the degaussing cable was to nullify the magnetic mine developed by Germany at the beginning of WW2, K.G.5 had a very prominent one around the hull, P.O.W. launched later had it fitted internally. like the majority of ships at that time. Yours Aye (TaT). ---- Original ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From Reynold.Oh@defence.gov.au Subject Re Degausing cable 1. G'day, Dave. George Oh from Sydney, Australia, here. 2. When Germany started laying mines in shallow waters (= on the sea floor) around the British Isles, they proved devastatingly effective against ships that passed over them - physical contact between the ship and the mine was not necessary. Then, a mine was dropped onto a mud flat, and it was exposed at low tide. Two officers looked at the new German mine and managed to defuse it (= remove the detonators) so that it could be examined in detail. The two officers were eventually awarded bravery decorations. 3. Examination of the mine revealed a dial with the word "Gauss" - German for magnetism. The way the mine worked was that it waited till a large lump of steel (like a ship) passed close to or over it. A large lump of steel causes a localised disruption in the Earth's Magnetic Field. This disruption can be measured. When the disruption in the vicinity of the mine was large enough (= the ship was close enough) the mine exploded, and damaged the ship to some degree. 4. Naturally, the Gemans could fiddle with the sensitivity of the mine(s) so that a sensitive mine would be triggered by a small ship that was close, or by a large ship that was some distance away. Whereas a not-so-sensitive mine would only detonate when a large ship passed close by, yet it would allow small ships to pass overhead. 5. The counter to the German Magnetic Mine was to neutralise the disruption caused by the ship by having an electrical cable on the outside of the ship, and passing an electrical current through it. I dunno how it worked, because the physics is beyond me. This cable was the De-gaussing Cable. When it was seen on the Queen Mary, it was widely reported in the Anerican newspapers - a MAJOR security breech. 6. Later, it was discovered that the cable didn't have to be on the outside of the ship - it could be on the deck, inside the railing. And still later, it was furher discovered that the ship didn't need the cable. Instead, the ship went to a dock where an activated De-gausing Cable was dragged up the sides of the ship (fron keel to gunnells). This had to be done every month or so. This was termed "wiping the ship". 7. Initially, De-gaussing Cables were fitted to all large valuable British ships - like aircraft cariers and battleships. The cables contained a lot of copper, and so were VERY expensive to the British war effort. The German Magnetic Mines could also be swept by means of an electro-magnet (I believe) inside of a large ring attached to an aircraft - Vickers Wellingtons were used. The aircraft had to fly a low level over the water with a generator in the aircraft powering the EM. And the passing of the EM activated the mines. George, out. TX ends.............................. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From Paul OReilly Subject Boot Topping My understanding is that boot topping came into use with the advent of oil fuelled boilers, circa WW I. With oil seepage from ships in harbour continually fouling the water lines of warships and the ensuing cleanup of these fouled hulls, it was decided to just paint the waterline black, or some other similar colour. The top of the boot topping represented the deep draught while the bottom of the boot topping was to correlate with the light load displacement. This is from recollection from a discussion and not from a written or hard-copy reference. Paul O'Reilly ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From Randy Ward Subject Re Austin TX hobby shops? Thanks to John and Mark! I'm looking forward to the trip! As for the best in the country, when I was in Palo Alto, CA some years ago, I took several trips down to Mountain View. San Antonio Hobby Shop was quite a treat, despite the humongous sales tax. (We don't have a general sales tax here in New Hampshire, but the closest hobby shop is in Mass., so they make up for it!) 8-) Randy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From George H Levine Subject Re ULCC Tankers Not true! Reversing is required. There may be a mis-interpretation of what was said on TV. Low speed (refers to engine RPM) diesel engines are directly coupled to the propulsion shaft because they run at the same rotational speed as needed for the propeller. They are started by compressed air and reversed by setting the starting air distribution can to provide the air on the correct side of Top Dead Center for the rotation desired. This is true for any ship using low speed diesels. It is certainly true that stopping and turning massive ships require large distances, which must be anticipated. George Levine At anchor in Edgewater Florida ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Reviews, Articles, Backissues, Member's models & Reference Pictures at http//smmlonline.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume