Subject: SMML VOL 2961 Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 23:56:22 +1000 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 USS Nautilus 2 1/700 scale L'Arsenal Carriers and escorts 3 Award for Flowers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 New 1/700 ship range ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Dennis Getz Subject USS Nautilus Does anyone have photos or know anything about the "MACS" system installed on the Nautilus during the mid 70"s. The superstructure was modified by adding a sponson on each side for the supports. You can still see these on her at the Submarine Museum in Groton, CT. The "A" arms holding her to the pier are connected to these sponsons. The MACS systems was a trial long range wolfpack control system as far as I can find out. When I was in SSSA school one of the tapes they played for us was a recording of the Nautilus broadcasting the William Tell Overture over most of the North Atlantic. They thought it was funny since I was on the Nautilus DECOMM crew at the time. I met a sonar tech who was on board then and he told me the array looked like a large radar array on a mast and that it was trainable. He told me, "now this may be a no-shitter" that on midwatches they used to see how far off from base course they could steer the boat by training the array a few degrees off center before the helmsman or OOW caught it. Dennis Getz SubSafe, Sound Isolated and Drains to the Bilge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Harold Stockton" Subject 1/700 scale L'Arsenal Carriers and escorts This is the latest news from L'Arsenal and their latest releases that will be available for ScaleModel World 2005 at Telford - 1/700 HMS Colossus in her original fit - 1/700 Arromanches ( modified Colossus )as she appeared in 1954 before her major refit Later angle deck versions will be available - 1/700 Escorteur d'escadre T-47B in her original fit Later all the series of this class of ships will be available, the next one to follow will be the Conducteur de flottilles version ( flotilla leaders ) Later in the year, I will restart the 1/700 Jaguar class destroyer that is well under way. Best regards from a still sunny Normandie, Jacques Druel This should come as good news for all those French naval and post-war RN enthusiasts of 1/700 scale subjects. And for those who are not familiar with the Escorteur d'escadre T-47B in her original fit, there were a series of 18 escort ships of a squadron of anti-aircraft escort ships of this squadron during the 1950s, and they served up into the 1980s. I hope that I may not be speaking out of turn or ignorance, but the T-47 class would be a French version of the Darings. At the beginning of the Sixties, three escort ships of squadron of the T47 type were transformed into ship of command (drivers of flotillas, Leaders) Surcouf , Cassard and Chevalier Paul. They entered into service after their rebuilds; the first in November 1961, the second during the first half of 1962 and the last during the second six-month period of the same year. The goal of this transformation was to equip these ships with the installations necessary to make them ships for the command of flotillas, able to embark an admiral and his staff and to place at their disposal the work and transmission resources allowing control of the action. The realization of this transformation related mainly to an enlarging of the block footbridge to which a massive roof was added; a turret of 57mm was unloaded as well as the 2 triple mountings of torpedo tubes. And they were handsome ships indeed. Harold Stockton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Subject Award for Flowers I have to disagree with Jon Holford's assessment of the Flower class as irrelevant to the discussion of the best escorts because it was A) built before the lessons of war and B) not ocean going (or at least not designed to be) The Flower was built with lessons from the First World War and in particular recognised the need to mass produce in yards which would not be needed for other, more complex, ship building. The design was based on a Smiths Whaling boat, the Southern Pride and Southern Gem, their name reflects the intended operational area of these craft the South Atlantic; hardly coastal! In fact both craft were converted as submarine chasers and served in that theatre. Tactically the Flower Class were used as coastal escorts at the start of the war, but at that time there was no perceived need for cross Atlantic escorts, and not enough to do the job anyway. They were switched to Ocean work as the U Boats gained better access to the Atlantic and more Flowers became available. The need to extend the bow was recognised mainly to allow the boats to maintain seaway in heavy weather with their larger escortees. I am not saying the Flowers were ideal for ocean work, or that they were ideal escorts, but they were tough, dependable and did the job. Any role call of escorts in WW2 has to take them very seriously. I think in the Academy Award for escorts at the very least it deserves an honoury Oscar for containing a lot of brown smelly stuff hitting a very big, fast fan. At the height of the cold war the RN looked back to the Flower and produced the Blackwood Class Second Rate Frigate along similar designs and specifications, and it faced the same criticisms and draw backs, but had we actually had to fight the Soviet submarine armada the Blackwood would, like it's predecessor, have been rolled out in small yards all over the UK to plug the desperate escort gap. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Sab1156@aol.com Subject New 1/700 ship range Greetings to all of you, I am planing a new range of 1/700 resin kits the first types will be the german light cruisers Q/R (different to the "M" design),the light diesel cruiser 1938,also several destoyers likeZ-46,Z-51,Z-52 and T-61. Anybody interested drop me a line on my e-mail adress! Best regards Detlef ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Reviews, Articles, Backissues, Member's models & Reference Pictures at http//smmlonline.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume