Subject: SMML VOL 3043 Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 01:24:11 +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 Bomb oops 2 Re Regulus missile discussion and lost nuclear weapons 3 Re HMS Ajax and the battle of Crete 4 ORP Warszawa/Kotline class destroyer 5 Re Renwal Polaris 6 Re Deck Planks on USN BB's -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1 RAF Reference Materials 2 USS Pampanito CD available ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Subject Bomb oops >> What was the first thought that went through the mind of the pilot or armament chief when the bomb went through the bomb-bay doors << Probably - "Damn, there goes my weekend pass." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From beyondsun@mindspring.com Subject Re Regulus missile discussion and lost nuclear weapons Harold, What carrier were you on in the Med during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and what kind of piston-engined attack planes were they keeping on ready-alert to deliver nuclear weapons on Cuba - especially from all the way over there? (I would've thought they'd be using the [jet-engined] A3 Skywarrior for that, back then.) Clarification, please! LOL Cheers, Matty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From "Dan or Connie Black" Subject Re HMS Ajax and the battle of Crete HMS Kimberley was one of the destroyers to survive the actions in the Med during 1941. She participated, along with Ajax, in the fighting off Crete. Since the photograph I referenced in an earlier post shows Ajax and Kimberley together at Alexandria, the photo must pre-date Kimberley's serious damage (stern blown off) of February, 1942. That photo also shows Ajax in her "dazzle" camouflage, with no catapult and a quad pom-pom visible in its place. Both ships went to Alexandria after the Crete actions, and this supports the evidence that Ajax had, indeed lost her catapult by the time of both Matapan and Crete naval actions. It is also known that Ajax underwent refit in 1940, emerging with radar and new masts. No other refits are indicated in my sources, until Ajax went to the USA, well after 1941. It seems reasonable that the refit would have included landing the catapult, as well. While this does not establish firm proof, it would seem to support, based on the photograph evidence and the known time frames of both Crete (May 1941) and Kimberley's damage of the following February, that Ajax lost her catapult sometime before this nine-month period. Further support for Ajax having no catapult can be derived by the Admiralty's policies governing warships involving Mediterranean convoys and sorties east of Gibraltar. It was realized that the presence of land-based air attacks were becoming very real dangers to RN ships, and Admiralty policies were beginning to influence which ships were excluded from these activities, based on their AA capability. Certainly the presence of the pom-pom was a great improvement over a useless catapult for HMS Ajax, and may possibly help account for the ship being present in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the first place. This is weak, I realize, but taken together with the photograph, known time-frames, and the lack of hard information to the contrary, I would be comfortable modelling Ajax in both dazzle paint and without her catapult. RNFD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From david@dhathaway.freeserve.co.uk Subject ORP Warszawa/Kotline class destroyer People I have just acquired a very basic 1200 card model of the ORP Warszawa - the Polish Kotlin-SAM class destroyer. The model is very simple and I would like to add a bit of detail to it as I build it (it doesn't even have bollard positions marked on the decks!). I don't want to end up completely re-drawing the model and making it hyper accurate - just make it a bit less "bare". A trawl through the archives generated a reference to the March 1972 issue of Scale Model magazine having a drawing of this class of vessel. Could some kind SMML-er throw a scan of the drawing my way? Any other pointers to drawings of this class or the radars, weapons, missiles etc mounted on them would be very much received. I have found some photos on line but any good pictures would also be useful. Any help much appreciated David ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From beyondsun@mindspring.com Subject Re Renwal Polaris Tom, Dave and Rick (and everybody) I'm looking at the nose of my Renwal boomer. I am familiar with the "nose taper problem"; I've seen the more accurate resin kits, not to mention pics of the real thing. (And it only makes sense, as the original George Washington conversion was based on a Skipjack-class SSN; having a substantially pointier nose than what's on the Renwal SSBN kit). I'm looking at the Renwal kit and I think a very good correction can be made starting only as far back as the aft bulkhead of the (kit's) Forward Torpedo Room. This is doable; we "have the technology". "We can make him better..." LOL The correction set would only be 2-3 pieces (including new nosecone) - and none of them longer than 3", maximum dimension. OK, so now wish me luck - I'm going in...! Cheers, Matty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From SteveWiper@aol.com Subject Re Deck Planks on USN BB's >> The Decks were planked with Teak, 6" wide on the main deck. The Iowa's had 6" wide by 2 1/2" thick planking from just in front of the capstans back to where the supestructure angles inboard just forward of turret #3, at this point there is a margin plank running transversely that seperates whee the planks are 5" wide. I will have to do some further research into why they changed the plank width here. << All the fast USN "Fast Battleships" were re-planked after WWII, even the museum ships. Looking at my book, Warship Pictorial 16, on the New Jersey, page 43, you can see a crewman's shoe spanning almost three planks. There no chance he is wearing a size 18 shoe, and his shoe looks about the same size as the other crewmen in that photograph, so I really doubt they are all wearing size 18s. That image is from May 1951. >> The Planks were 5" wide on the superstructure decks. Margin planks would vary in width depending on the required application. << This is correct about margin planks. They take up the "Extra" space to make the planks fit the area better >> I am replanking the deck of my 196 scale USS New Jersey BB-62 using the decking drawings as a guide. The Arizona and California both had 6" wide planks. << The dimensions that I stated for wood decking on USN BBs, came from a document that I found in the US National Archives for decking of ships. Having read what Lee Upshaw stated, I looked in my book on the Arizona. In pictures where a crewman is standing on deck, you can see that less than half his foot straddles the planking, and he was a short guy compared to the rest of the crew in the image! That being said, a short guy back then was about 5'-8", or shorter and the approximate shoe size for someone that height is about an 8 to 10, which upon measuring my size 13 shoe is 13 in. in length. Measuring a size 10 came out to 10.5 in. in length. Now I know this may seem a strange way to try to figure out the size of something, but when definitive information is not available, sometimes you have to resort to these types of estimations. In this image of the crewman on the Arizona, his shoe straddles 2.25 board widths, so there is no way that this is a 6 in. plank, but more like a 4 in. By the way he is standing on the main deck. Other images in that book confirm my supposition. >> I have copies of the decking drawings for the North Carolina and she had 6" wide planks as well. << I was not able to find a period photo of the North Carolina with a crewman on deck to gauge plank size, but it does not look, to me, that these are 6 in. planks. >> I never found any mention of ships having their deck replanked with differant width planks. There are places where planks were replaced with a 1" thick teak plank laminated on a 1 1/2" thick piece of Douglas Fir, this was a cost cutting measure that was not repeated during the 1980's on the reactivated BB's. There was an unfortunate decision at LBNSY to replace any planking that required it with only Douglas Fir on the New Jersey due to a belief that Teak was not available in the quantities required, this was not repeated on the other 3 ships. This decision was later regretted as Douglas Fir does not hold up to the rigors of service and swells too much when it gets wet. << Again, the dimentions that I stated for wood decking on USN BBs, came from a document that I found in the US National Archives for decking of ships. I respect what Lee has stated and will do further investigation as time permits. Steve Wiper ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Steve Norton Subject RAF Reference Materials Have a number of the excellent RAF yearbooks currently occupying valuable space, and require a new home. Free to anyone willing to collect or pay the postage. Years covered are 1975,1977,1979-1986,1998,1990,1991,1993,1994 and the Air War in the Gulf Special. Excellent article, beautiful diagrams and photos, just don't want to pitch them ou if anyone can use them. Steve Baltimore, MD, USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From seaphoto@aol.com Subject USS Pampanito CD available Hello Everyone, I am proud to announce my latest photo CD. In it you get In this CD, you get Over 220 Pictures, most high resolution (approx 2000 pixels wide), over 280MB of files. Organized into files documenting specific areas of the ship - armament, hull, various compartments, etc. Find what you are looking for easily! The heart of the CD is an extensive photo tour of the Pampanito. In addition to this, there are also - 12 photos of the submarine from overhead, shot while she was being towed under the Golden Gate Bridge while filming the movie Down Periscope 25 photos shot while the Pampanito was in drydock in 1999 The price for the CD is $ 14.99 plus $ 2 shipping in the US, $ 3 elsewhere. As a special offer to my SMML'ies, order this CD and any other(s) at the same time, and pay one flat rate shipping for any number of CD's. Kurt Greiner Warship Models Underway www.warshipmodelsunderway.com SeaPhoto Maritime Photography www.warshipphotos.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Reviews, Articles, Backissues, Member's models & Reference Pictures at http//smmlonline.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume