Subject: SMML VOL 3029 Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2005 01:13:14 +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 Re Museum Ships 2 Happy Holidays 3 Re littoral battleships 4 Merry Christmas 5 Re Iowa Turrets on a short hull proposal 6 Re Museum ship's 7 "Museum Ships" 8 Museum Ships 9 Merry Christmas ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS The holidays are here again and we both hope that you have a wonderful time, surrounded by your family and friends (all of whom have brought you more goodies for the kit stash). Shane and Mistress Lorna ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From "Mark Micucci" Subject Re Museum Ships Hello all Just a note about Museum ships Yes, we did loose the Enterprise and Cabot and too many others but when all is said and done it comes down to Money. Money to refurbish the ships, to berth them, staff them and maintain them by not only taking care of the exposed hull and decks but dry docking them and taking care of the hull. The Intrepid Space, Air, and Sea Museum returned to the Navy the destroyer USS Edson because they were not making enough money off of her tours. They want a bigger ship to draw more people and thus make more Money. But, before the Navy could take the Edson back, she had to be dry docked to patch several holes in her hull. It does not always work out that a bigger ship is the answer. The USS Hornet is having money trouble, so sometimes a bigger ship is not the answer. The government is not the answer, just do to the fact that they are the government. The USS Berry at the Washington DC Naval Yard looks beautiful from the water line up but her hull is in poor enough shape that the Navy is thinking of replacing her with a newer decommissioned ship. Guess it all comes down to the volunteers and the organization that is created to keep our heritage afloat. So, support them by visiting the ships in your area and keep building the models for they too keep the ships alive. Just my two cents worth Keep the Faith Mark Micucci Ex-EN3 USN ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From "Mark Micucci" Subject Happy Holidays Happy holidays everyone Just a wish that your holidays are filled with joy and laughter. So, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Wish you a great Kwanzaa and Boxing Day. In other words, enjoy the holidays. Hope Santa leaves you the model ship you want under the tree. Thanks to the SMML staff for all their hard work, this site is just great. Keep the Faith Mark Micucci ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Ned Barnett Subject Re littoral battleships Bradford said >> As to preserving the big guns, I go back and forth on this one. I suspect that the term for what you propose is Littoral Battleship or Littoral gunship. There have been many suggestions centering around rehabing the Iowa and Wisconsin and turning them over to the Marines as shore bombardment platforms. The problem as always is the cost of both manning, running and maintaining these ships. The big guns are certainly effective in the bombardment role, but the cost may well be prohibitive. << Flagship Models (Rusty White) has a great CD/ROM out (I got it at Floating Drydock) on modeling a 1982 proposal to turn the New Jersey into an updated version of one of those Japanese Hermaphrodite battleship/carriers - leaving two turrets forward and converting the aft to a helicopter/Harrier carrier deck and using the whole thing as a one-ship invasion force. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "roger pearson" Subject Merry Christmas Hi Lorna & Shane, Greetings to all -- I hope you and your Loved Ones have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year. Deb & Roger Pearson. Bendigo, Australia ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From "Jeffry Fontaine" Subject Re Iowa Turrets on a short hull proposal In response to the comments provided regarding the scrapping of the existing Iowa class Battleships and placing the equipment and ordnance on new construction hulls. I recall read an article in the Naval Institute Proceedings about a Naval Gunfire Support Ship proposal. The proposed gun boat was similar in appearance to the Iowa hull and superstructure except it was significantly shorter and was fitted with (from what I remember of the drawing) a superstructure/citadel of the Iowa class and one smoke stack and either one or two turrets mounted fore and aft of the superstructure. Anyone else remember this drawing and article? It would be appreciated by myself in particular if you have the ability to scan said image and article to the SMML web page to share or could you provide it to me electronically? Thanks, Jeffry Fontaine Bremerton, Washington ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From "DUANE A CURTIS" Subject Re Museum ship's Let's don't forget a ship called USS Laffey DD 724. You say that no ship is made into a museum that has a lot of history to it, well I say that you are wrong, The USS Laffey fought off 22 Kamikaze aircraft on April 16, 1945 in which the ship was hit by five aircraft directly and a sixth one that took off part of her mast, and also hit by four bombs as well. The ship was servly damaged, buit was able to return to Saipan to make some repairs and then go to Pearl for additional repairs and then onwards to Seattle for complete repairs to the ship. In all the ship did a fine job, even when electrical power was lost the gun crew then went to local control and contiued firing their guns until the skies were cleared of all aircraft. 32 men died in this engagement with the Kamikaze's, also during this time the ship had also lost her steering control as well. So I would have to say that some ship's that do become museums do have some very good histories to go with them, along with the men that sailed them into harms way. Even all of the Iowa's have some history to them as well, maybe not as hard of times as that of the Laffey, but they also did their job for the war efforts. Duane ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "John Lambert" Subject "Museum Ships" Hi you All On the topic of Museum Ships, its a little known fact that there is in existence, a genuine up and running, wooden built 72 Ft HDML. No ML 1387 here in the UK. Built in November 1943 at Poole in Dorset, she was serving 4 miles off the occupied French Coast for the D Day invasion. Laying a radio location buoy (which sank). She remained in the area to give pin point navigation for the troops landing on Omaha beach. She then returned to her duties escorting convoys from Portsmouth to Occupied Europe. She remained in service until the 1960's, being used by the University RNVRs, was sold to Iran (which fell through) and was then converted to inshore survey duties. Just before she was put into reserve she had her two main engines replaced by reconditioned units. (and had a fire in the for'd messdeck)! She was purchased by a group of five in Portland, Dorset and was used for a number of years to visit France and Belgium. After this she became poorly, needing major reconstruction due to rot, and spent about 13 years being restored and rebuilt. She was then restored to as she was when built in 1943 (but with the addition of radar on her mast). In the late 1980's I was made aware of her by a mate that I had served with aboard HMS Albion. An ex-Chief Mech he was one of the team at Gosport helping to restore her to running condition. She was used to take members of the CFVA (Coastal Forces Veterans Association) for day trips to sea. After the Falklands, she acquired two 20mm (deactivated) Oerlikons and I was able to provide drawings for the gun mountings. The guns were stowed away in the for'd messdeck and appeared when she went to sea, now in her pussers grey suit and numbers painted up. When she was 50 years old she celebrated this by returning to Poole where she was built. They had managed to find her 80 year old wartime CO Maurice who was invited to come on the trip. Unfortunately she blew a hole in the starboard exhaust which filled the engine room with smoke and swearing, but she appeared on the local BBC News. (I have a copy of the video). In 1994 she was part of the "D" Day commemoration along the south coast, and sailed to Cherbourg and was off Omaha Beach in a force 6 to commemorate that event. (I was 3rd engineer). She sailed over 600 miles during that 14 day tour, crewed by unpaid volunteers. We even clubbed together to help pay for the fuel used. ML 1387 (Medusa) is now feeling her age. You can see daylight through her side planking but she has recently received a lottery Grant to be refitted and restored. Long may she reign. May I take this opportunity to wish all SMMLs the complements of the Season (whatever their religion) and a better 2006. Yours "Aye" John ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From PBerghs Subject Museum Ships I really like visiting museum ships and feel they are of great value in presenting history to the masses but I sometimes think that more effort and money should be devoted to preserving the "soft" stuff of history and making it more accessible. For the cost of preserving a ship how many archives containing plans, photographs, manuals, correspondence could be placed on the web? I volunteer at a Naval museum and the amount of photographs on file is amazing, too bad only a handful of staff know what's there. PB ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From Donsrcships@wmconnect.com Subject Merry Christmas Wishing all of you a merry Christmas from your Portland Rustbucket. I have not gone back into ship building as of yet still letting my thumb recover from tricker finger surgery. IT went well. Just takes time to get all of the feeling back. I do plan on doing some pond testing with my last ship sometime during the week depending on weather The USS Laffy that I did the conversion on a wile back. by useing the lindburg Flecher DD . DON That Portland Rustbucket ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Reviews, Articles, Backissues, Member's models & Reference Pictures at http//smmlonline.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume