Calling all USS Pensacola CA-24 & USS Salt Lake City CA-25 fans

Post a reply

Confirmation code
Enter the code exactly as it appears. All letters are case insensitive.

BBCode is ON
[img] is ON
[url] is ON
Smilies are OFF

Topic review
   

Expand view Topic review: Calling all USS Pensacola CA-24 & USS Salt Lake City CA-25 fans

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Rick_H » Wed Oct 08, 2025 10:18 pm

"two heavy metal balls"
otherwise known as the navigator's balls or quadrantal error compensators.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Timmy C » Mon Oct 06, 2025 5:17 pm

75 is a binnacle - contains a compass and two heavy metal balls to counteract the magnetic effect of the ship's hull: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binnacle

78 is a sky lookout position. It's a seat with a pair of binoculars so a sailor can scan the sky for aircraft.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by TZoli » Mon Oct 06, 2025 8:01 am

I've acquired this book:
Profile Morskie 62- Amerykanski Ciezki Krazownik USS Salt Lake City
In it there are some equipment which I do not know or not sure what are they. Can you guys help ID them?

68 - I'm pretty sure this is the Mark 51 Bofors Director
69 - A Light AA Gun Director which looks very similar to the Mark 51 so Maybe Mark 50 or 52?
38 - Gun Director for the Heavy AA guns but not sure which Mark. Mark 33 maybe?
78 - Dunno what this is, either an early light AA director or Binocular
73 - Probably a Binocular?
75 - Absolutely no Idea what this is!
Unnumbered next to 75 - Most likely the 12ft Mark 35 secondary / aft Gun Director for surface guns?
Unnumbered under 38 - Most likely the Main Mark 18 Gun Director for surface guns?
Attachments
Directors.png

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by taskforce48 » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:36 pm

Dick J wrote:
taskforce48 wrote:I would say post Tassfaronga, looks like MK33's and the Bridge has been modified.

Matt
Definitely 1943 or later, but Tassafaronga has nothing to do with it. This is CA-25, not CA-24. Following her Tassafaronga damage, CA-24 had the after superstructure and aft tripod mast replaced by a new structure because the after fire controls had been burned out. CA-25 retained the tall forward tripod and the shorter after tripod all the way to her end.

Uh,,,yeah,,, I knew that :roll: Brain is just not what it used to be :dead:

Matt

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Jeff Sharp » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:08 pm

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Dick J » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:00 pm

taskforce48 wrote:I would say post Tassfaronga, looks like MK33's and the Bridge has been modified.

Matt
Definitely 1943 or later, but Tassafaronga has nothing to do with it. This is CA-25, not CA-24. Following her Tassafaronga damage, CA-24 had the after superstructure and aft tripod mast replaced by a new structure because the after fire controls had been burned out. CA-25 retained the tall forward tripod and the shorter after tripod all the way to her end.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by taskforce48 » Sun Aug 22, 2021 4:43 pm

I would say post Tassfaronga, looks like MK33's and the Bridge has been modified.

Matt

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Quincy » Sun Aug 22, 2021 4:04 pm

Jeff, what year does she represent? 1942/43??



BobPink :wave_1:

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Jeff Sharp » Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:43 pm

Hi Rick,
It is a still from color footage. I�ll see if I can find it again and post the link.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Rick E Davis » Sun Aug 22, 2021 1:56 pm

Jeff,

Not knowing the source of the image, I suspect this is a colorized image. Look around some features where the "sky" meets ship, particularly the masts, a "white/lighter" margin is apparent.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Jeff Sharp » Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:25 pm

Swayback blue
Image

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Mike C » Tue May 11, 2021 7:52 pm

Looks good. I wish I had plans for what was in the open areas under the gun deck. Looks like torpedo launchers forward, but I have no idea of the rest.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Dan K » Tue May 11, 2021 6:50 pm

Impressively crisp detail for that scale.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Guest » Tue May 11, 2021 2:34 pm

Like the prewar look of these Cruisers so much ...
3DSwaybackMaru_01.jpg

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Captain Morgan » Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:46 pm

Mike C wrote:I just posted this on Steel Navy, so I might as well post it here, too:

I started on a pattern for both the Pensacola and Salt Lake City (the hulls have minor differences), but then heard of someone doing a 3D one, so I set mine aside.

I have decided to go ahead with at least one of each, as soon as I get two other project out of the way that are near completion.

My intent is to do applicable versions for the Battle of the Kormandorky Islands (CA-25),the Battle of Tassafaronga (CA-24) and then go from there. Any suggestions are welcomed, if they include a diagram or description of AA and radar fit. I have the plans from Warship International, the Profile Morskie book, some photos from the Floating Drydock, and some others that I have collected online. I also plan to comb the CASF thread on MW for information, but if you have any drawings or photos you'd like to contribute, you can send them to mikecap07 (AT) gmail (DOT) com and I'll give your contribution credit in the instructions.

My kit will include etch and I'm hoping to include 3D small parts, if I can find a reliable source.

I have seen both the HP, Classic Warships and its updated Midship version and all are inaccurate or crude (hand scribed deck planks on the HP kit?), so I have also felt that there is a hole needing to be filled.

This is a public statement, so I am committed to it now. I'll post updates as they become available.
Mike, I'm looking forward to getting these new Corsair Armada products when they become available.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Mike C » Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:00 pm

I just posted this on Steel Navy, so I might as well post it here, too:

I started on a pattern for both the Pensacola and Salt Lake City (the hulls have minor differences), but then heard of someone doing a 3D one, so I set mine aside.

I have decided to go ahead with at least one of each, as soon as I get two other project out of the way that are near completion.

My intent is to do applicable versions for the Battle of the Kormandorky Islands (CA-25),the Battle of Tassafaronga (CA-24) and then go from there. Any suggestions are welcomed, if they include a diagram or description of AA and radar fit. I have the plans from Warship International, the Profile Morskie book, some photos from the Floating Drydock, and some others that I have collected online. I also plan to comb the CASF thread on MW for information, but if you have any drawings or photos you'd like to contribute, you can send them to mikecap07 (AT) gmail (DOT) com and I'll give your contribution credit in the instructions.

My kit will include etch and I'm hoping to include 3D small parts, if I can find a reliable source.

I have seen both the HP, Classic Warships and its updated Midship version and all are inaccurate or crude (hand scribed deck planks on the HP kit?), so I have also felt that there is a hole needing to be filled.

This is a public statement, so I am committed to it now. I'll post updates as they become available.

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by G-Opt » Wed Feb 10, 2021 2:51 pm

Here's another annoying Wiki error that probably needs to be fixed. This photo (from Australian sources) purports to be HOUSTON escorting the Timor Relief Convoy in Feb. 1942, but it is not...The distinguishing swayback hull line, 2 aft turrets and more pronounced clipper bow all point to PENSY.

The convoy is the famed one named after her. Transport to the R is quite likely CHAUMONT, but the one to L is a mystery to me. Any ideas welcome.
Attachments
Pensacola Convoy.png

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Guba » Sun Dec 22, 2019 5:03 pm

Found this picture while researching destroyer tenders. Salt Lake City after the Battle of the Komandorski Islands.

http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/025/0402545.jpg

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by Mike W » Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:53 am

If anyone is interested, I've got the HP Models 1/700 USS Pensacola (1941), available in the trade section of the forum. Check the post out if interested.

thanks
Mike

Re: Calling all USS Pensacola & USS Salt Lake City fans!

by PetrolGator » Wed May 29, 2019 3:49 pm

Anyone know of and/or have plans for the Pensacola around late 1942?

Top