Subject: SMML VOL 3045 Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 00:07:58 +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 CG Commissioning pennant 2 Re Age of Sail and other questions 3 Re US Coast Guard Commissioning Pennant 4 Re US Coast Guard Commissioning Pennant 5 Stars at night 6 HMS TIGER/BLAKE Helicopter/Cruisers conversion 7 "Otokotachi no Yamato" Movie 8 U.S. Coast Guard Comissioning Pennant 9 Uss Oriskany ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From Subject CG Commissioning pennant In answer to Mr. Brown’s question The U S Coast Guard has its own commissioning pennant. It has a white hoist with 13 blue stars horizontal with 16 red and white vertical strips with a red swallow tailed fly(1/5 the overall length of the pennant.) And it is flown for the life of the ship and struck the day of decommissioning. Now a question for the fans of the US Navy. When (and why) is the Coast Guard ensign flown from a U S naval vessel? Regards Mike Maynard USCG(ret) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From Ken Subject Re Age of Sail and other questions Matt As a sticks and string guy, I would say that the Caldercraft kits in the Nelson's Navy line represent a superbly detailed look at a specific era. The quality of the kits and materials are very high, the plans are very good, but to me they assume a good deal of wooden modelling experience. But, you won't find a better line of product if you are taken by that period. I think the Model Shipways kits from Model Expo are, in most cases, of clearly equal quality and have better plans and instructions, drawing on renowned experts like Lankford and Ronnberg. See especially the Armed Virginia Sloop (now being detailed in a series in Ships in Scale), the New Bedford Whaleboat (a real killer disguised as a simple kit) and the C.W. Morgan as examples. They are, perhaps, a better value. Many equally good things are said about the line from Blue Jacket Ship Crafters; a solid hull can certainly speed you to a quality completion. Dr. Al Ross is closely involved with Blue Jacket. Unfortunately, my stash is so full of Model Shipways and Caldercraft boxes waiting their turn that I have not been able to partake of Blue Jacket's offerings Ken Youngstrom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From Bill Michaels Subject Re US Coast Guard Commissioning Pennant From Fkbrown90@aol.com >> Here's one for fans of the US Coast Guard. We know that all US Navy commissioned vessels at all times fly a long Commissioning Pennant from a pigstick attached to the highest mast. Is this true of Coast Guard vessels as well? << Absolutely-- all commisioned USCG vessels have a commissioning pennant. Check out my list of USCG subjects in model kit form home.earthlink.net\~billkaja\kitlist.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From "M. M. Jackson" Subject Re US Coast Guard Commissioning Pennant Franklyn, Yes they do-at least, all the ones I served in did. V/R, Mike ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From Subject Stars at night >> I had another thought that combined my other interest of Astronomy, at sea in a dead calm at night with no clouds, how far down to the horizon would the stars go? In a dead calm the stars will reflect off th sky? And if the stars can reach down to the horizon (I am assuming no land mass in sight) then would the impression lead you to feel like you're in outer space? << Hum, oddly enough I shared an interest in astronomy with my 17 years Naval service, which may partly account for my nickname (Zanussi) Normally you lose the stars close to the "event horizon" of the sea due to haze, the vapour rich atmosphere layer over the sea, it causes a gradual fading similar to that of light pollution on land, but not as bad. However in cold waters such as the Barents Sea you can get a very sharp cutoff between land and sky that gives the startling impression of being in the middle of a snow globe floating in space, the closest experience I have had to that is being in a Planetarium laser show. I have to say that even in the calmest deep waters I have never seen the starfield reflected other than as a vague shimmer. However my Sea Daddy claimed if you can see stars in the sea then you are about to smack into an iceberg, don't know, never been that close to one. One thing about being at sea at night no one can forget who has seen it is the Northern (or southern) Lights, which can hang like vast coloured sheets of silk billowing slowly in the solar winds, it makes you wish you were a painter and could capture it. But generally astronomy and sea life do not go together, unless you can rush to a gyro stabilised telescope and a really big and stable ship to sit it on. I tried strapping mine to various weapon directors on the frigates I served on, which was usually good enough for general sighting and hand plotting, but I never managed to get any photo work, too much lag in the mechanical gears, I usually ended up lugging it up the nearest mountain whenever we put into port, dockyards and harbours have to be the worst for light pollution, and all those blasted cranes! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From "Gary Mansfield" Subject HMS TIGER/BLAKE Helicopter/Cruisers conversion Hi to the SMML Think Tank. Having ordered the Airfix HMS Tiger/Daring cruiser kit from WEM and their PE, does anybody known of any mods out there in SMML land to convert the Cruiser to Helicopter/Command version. I am obtaining plans and good photographs. I remember the Airfix magazine did a article on HMS Tiger but I cannot remember if it was this version. Pity they got scrapped they would have been a great help in the Falklands! Kind regards Gary Mansfield ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From "Mitsuaki Kubota" Subject "Otokotachi no Yamato" Movie Hi fellow modellers, I went to see the movie "Otokotachi no YAMATO" recently. I felt that's good movie. The movie is starting from the encounter of old fisherman (as young sailor, he was loader of 25 mm AA magazine onboard of YAMATO) and daughter of another YAMATO survivor (she wants to bury bone ash of her father to the water where YAMATO sunk). Coincidentally, her father was gunner of 25 mm AA and the senior petty officer of that fisherman 60 years ago. The fisherman and the petty officer didn't know both surviving each other. The movie is mainly focusing on young teenager ratings and petty officers directing these young sailors. Like many other war stories, many killed in the action. After the war, the fisherman spending 60 years of loneliness -his mother, brother, comrades and lover were all gone in the war, he always mourning that he couldn't protect any of his intimate persons. But encounter with daughter gave fisherman chance to know how the petty officer spending his life after the war. He brought up eleven orphan instead of his comrades killed in the war, indeed the daughter was also orphan. Daughter knew unknown aspects of her father as well to hear fisherman's recollection. Finally fisherman found the meaning of his survive from YAMATO. I've heard that movie producer was wanting to praise "suicide attack spirit" and director and staff weren't want it. Actually, the movie is showing preparedness of going to jaws of death are different from crew to crew. One officer is speaking that Japan could only revive by loosing the war, and men of YAMATO are pillar of revival of Japan by their death. OTOH, one of petty officer (he is the leader of ratings' galley, and good friend of another petty officer -the gunner of 25 mm AA) is suggesting young sailors to leave the ship when ordered to abandon their ship. (The galley leader helped the young gun loader when YAMATO sunk, but he himself died. At the beginning parts of the movie, there is a scene of old fisherman visiting to the grave of galley leader who saved his life.) In these ways, the movie is showing some disunity about meaning of sacrificing life. But I feel the movie is good starting point to think these matter. Although the movie is essentially drama of humanity, "action scene" is also another climax. Many of list members would know 1/1 set of YAMATO which is mainly reproducing port AA areas. These areas are just battle fields for young sailors in the movie. In this movie, JMSDF officer is working as advisor of AA warfare action. So you can see very realistic scenery how IJN AA guns operated. From the viewpoint of warship enthusiast, there are some disappointments. For example, YAMATO AA arrangement is showing no change between 1944 and 1945. Also Yamatoholic can easily find many difference with actual YAMATO. Escort ships of YAMATO can't be scarcely seen. But I think they are tolerable error. I'm sorry I don't have enough information this movie is going to theater of your country or not. But I hope many of you can enjoy this movie in near future. Also above comments are only how I feel about the movie. It is appreciated that you enjoy the movie from your point of view when you have a chance to see it. Kind regards, Mitsuaki ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From "John Fail" Subject U.S. Coast Guard Comissioning Pennant Absolutely! The pennant is a little different than the Navy one. John Fail QMC U.S.C.G. (Retired) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From Subject Uss Oriskany Will the ship be returning to Pensacola to become a fishing reef? If so when? Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Reviews, Articles, Backissues, Member's models & Reference Pictures at http//smmlonline.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume