by G-Opt » Thu May 09, 2024 4:39 pm
OK, some mistaken info being inserted now.
Re those directors:
These cruisers had their secondary directors upgraded in the 1939-41 period, with the revamped MK19 shielded mounts used. Sky Forward atop the bridge and Sky Aft atop Secondary Conn.
But they did not all get identical upgrades. (No line drawings are entirely accurate, I'm afraid.) The placement of Sky Aft was particularly troubling & was usually re-sited atop the cut-down mainmast. CA-30 was lost before they could do that, however.
The Main Battery Director (a MK24 IIRC) for the 8" guns on CA-30 and CA-31 still atop the foremast as always. Spot 1/Director 1. The Gunnery Officer (Al Maher) position was just below that.
Spot 2 (Bruce Nelson) was the auxiliary director scope in Secondary Conn, almost useless as it turned out.
Since Augie had not yet rec'd. her upgrades--she still had only 4 5"/25cal guns--she had no need for two new MK19s yet...And had no degaussing coil then, etc.
I knew the officer in CA-30's Sky Fwd (Leon W. Rogers) pretty well, as well as some of his crew in there with him, so there's no question about that. He had responsibility for the 5" battery.
The officer (Bruce Skidmore) in the 8" MB director on the foretop did not survive.
I'm just speculating that they chucked that CA-30 RF or whatever it is atop the after SL Control & Main Radio since they had it...but they removed the shielding.
Of interest to this evolution, I have a pic of CA-30 leaving LaHaina in late '39 or early '40 with her new MK19 directors in place, but no 1.1" guns/tubs yet, and not all of her expanded 5" battery either. So, pressumably that work was completed at her Mare Island refit late Summer/early Fall 1940 before she went back out to the P.I. to relieve Augusta.
What this tells us is that the upgrades were done over a long(ish) period of time, bit by bit, and at least in CA-30's case, never fully completed before she went to war. It seems this was due to difficulty in scheduling yard time, getting the funding, and transporting the right parts to the right place.
Hope this is helpful.
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OK, some mistaken info being inserted now.
Re those directors:
These cruisers had their secondary directors upgraded in the 1939-41 period, with the revamped MK19 shielded mounts used. Sky Forward atop the bridge and Sky Aft atop Secondary Conn.
But they did not all get identical upgrades. (No line drawings are entirely accurate, I'm afraid.) The placement of Sky Aft was particularly troubling & was usually re-sited atop the cut-down mainmast. [b]CA-30[/b] was lost before they could do that, however.
The Main Battery Director (a MK24 IIRC) for the 8" guns on [b]CA-30[/b] and [b]CA-31[/b] still atop the foremast as always. Spot 1/Director 1. The Gunnery Officer (Al Maher) position was just below that.
Spot 2 (Bruce Nelson) was the auxiliary director scope in Secondary Conn, almost useless as it turned out.
Since [b]Augie[/b] had not yet rec'd. her upgrades--she still had only 4 5"/25cal guns--she had no need for two new MK19s yet...And had no degaussing coil then, etc.
I knew the officer in [b]CA-30[/b]'s Sky Fwd (Leon W. Rogers) pretty well, as well as some of his crew in there with him, so there's no question about that. He had responsibility for the 5" battery.
The officer (Bruce Skidmore) in the 8" MB director on the foretop did not survive.
I'm just speculating that they chucked that [b]CA-30[/b] RF or whatever it is atop the after SL Control & Main Radio since they had it...but they removed the shielding.
Of interest to this evolution, I have a pic of [b]CA-30[/b] leaving LaHaina in late '39 or early '40 with her new MK19 directors in place, but no 1.1" guns/tubs yet, and not all of her expanded 5" battery either. So, pressumably that work was completed at her Mare Island refit late Summer/early Fall 1940 before she went back out to the P.I. to relieve [b]Augusta[/b].
What this tells us is that the upgrades were done over a long(ish) period of time, bit by bit, and at least in [b]CA-30[/b]'s case, never fully completed before she went to war. It seems this was due to difficulty in scheduling yard time, getting the funding, and transporting the right parts to the right place.
Hope this is helpful.