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Topic review - Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans
Author Message
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
DickJ

Thank you very much for your thoughtful reply. I must admit I am equally baffled about the new locations for the displaced forward machine guns as there is no space at their original location once the tub is in place and there does not seem to be a visible additional platform added elsewhere in the vicinity.

Maurice
Post Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 3:37 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
maurice de saxe wrote:
Were the 1.1-inch guns in place by the time Tuscaloosa was in Iceland?

It is not clear when the 1.1's were installed. Photos suggest she had 3" guns in the upper bridge tubs into 1942, but the shots are not clear enough to be definitive.

maurice de saxe wrote:
How many 1.1-inch guns was Tuscaloosa to receive?

Eventually, she received 4 mounts. Two on the upper bridge and two on the quarterdeck. But photos of early 1942, in the MS-12 MOD paint scheme seem to indicate that the quarterdeck tubs were empty.

maurice de saxe wrote:
Where were the tubs fitted? Jeff Sharp’s images show that two were on the battle lookout & machine gun platform on the forward superstructure, presumably replacing the four 0.5-inch machine guns previously there.

The two tubs on the forward machinegun platform displaced the .50's rather than replaced them. The 1.1's were additional rather than replacements. The .50's were eventually replaced by 20MM guns.

maurice de saxe wrote:
Tuscaloosa’s other four 0.5-inch guns had been on the after 8-inch director platform. Did a pair of 1.1-inch weapons replace them (it’s not clear from Jeff Sharp’s images)? Photographs of Tuscaloosa four or five months later do show tubs in that position. They also show tubs on the quarterdeck, so were there to be six such weapons?

No 1.1 tubs were ever installed on the after superstructure. Any tubs there were for 20MM guns. When 40MM guns replaced the 1.1's, tubs were installed on the hangar roof. That brought the total number of quad 40MM to 6 mounts. The quad 40MM was heavy enough that the forward mounts on the bridge had to be at a lower level, requiring the bridge wings to be cut back. But there were only 4 1.1 mounts installed before their replacement.

maurice de saxe wrote:
What happened to the 0.5-inch machine guns while Tuscaloosa was waiting for the installation of the 1.1-inch weapons?

The forward .50's were relocated, but I am not sure exactly where. The after .50's remained in place until replaced by 20MM guns.

maurice de saxe wrote:
Assuming the report is accurate, Tuscaloosa did not temporarily fit 3-inch guns in their place.

Photos seem to indicate 3" guns forward. But since the quarterdeck tubs were empty in early 1942, it is unclear if 3" mounts were ever installed there.
Post Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 12:52 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
I've been putting together a list of movements for the heavy ships in the Atlantic from May 41 through Mar 42, and been following this and the New Mexico class thread as BatDiv-3 and CruDiv-7 feature prominently in anything dealing with Iceland during the "shoot on sight" period up to the PHA. I'm sure the poster meant October for Wasp since, for the whole month of November, she was in "Bermuda and vicinity."
Post Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2023 8:53 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
I am working on building a model of Tuscaloosa to go with my Wasp model depicting the carrier in November 1941 at Hvalfjord. The photographs Jeff Sharp posted on page 35 are very helpful but too indistinct to determine some specific details of the light anti-aircraft armament.

From the table Rick Davis posted on page 33 it seems safe to conclude that the tubs for the quadruple 1.1-inch guns were installed by September 1, 1941, but that Tuscaloosa was not scheduled to receive the weapons themselves until a November regular overhaul at New York. This raises several questions:

Were the 1.1-inch guns in place by the time Tuscaloosa was in Iceland?

How many 1.1-inch guns was Tuscaloosa to receive?

Where were the tubs fitted? Jeff Sharp’s images show that two were on the battle lookout & machine gun platform on the forward superstructure, presumably replacing the four 0.5-inch machine guns previously there. Tuscaloosa’s other four 0.5-inch guns had been on the after 8-inch director platform. Did a pair of 1.1-inch weapons replace them (it’s not clear from Jeff Sharp’s images)? Photographs of Tuscaloosa four or five months later do show tubs in that position. They also show tubs on the quarterdeck, so were there to be six such weapons?

What happened to the 0.5-inch machine guns while Tuscaloosa was waiting for the installation of the 1.1-inch weapons? Assuming the report is accurate, Tuscaloosa did not temporarily fit 3-inch guns in their place.

Finally, what and where was the sky lookout whose supports are shown to have been installed by September 1?

I’ve been through all 37 pages of the CASF and could not find the answers there, so I’m hoping the array of experts who have contributed know the answers.

Thank you all in advance.

Maurice
Post Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2023 1:56 pm
  Post subject:  San Francisco Questions  Reply with quote
This is my first trip to this forum. I am attempting Trumpeter's 1/350 San Francisco, planning the build timeframe around Cape Esperance-Battle of Guadalcanal, but likely before the battle damage from the plane. I bought the WEM PE set for New Orleans class based on recommendations I found online, and somehow got a copy of the Abbey New Orleans guide which was all I could find. I would like to use some of the 3D details that are now available, but don't wish to order without more definitive answers to three questions:

1. What ship's boats were carried in mid-1942? The WEM instructions indicate the kit parts are incorrect. My best guess from photos are 2 launches and 4 whale boats, but I can't determine sizes.
2. What size were the Carley floats?
3. Which model were the 20mm Oerlikons? Mk2, Mk4?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Never mind. I found what I needed.
Post Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 11:15 am
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Sorry for not expressing myself clearly. I am trying to find out what that range finder looked like .
Post Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 2:45 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
I agree about the ladders, that would be a logical place. Just cannot find any photo showing them there.
I mean the range finder covered with canvas on this photo. Thanks!


Attachments:
19350000 circa USS Astoria CA-34 aft deck rangefinder platform ussastoria.org.jpg
19350000 circa USS Astoria CA-34 aft deck rangefinder platform ussastoria.org.jpg [ 256.07 KiB | Viewed 9106 times ]
Post Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 1:51 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Thanks - sure, but where did it go while underway?

(I also added a second question above about the range finder a minute ago)
Post Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:51 am
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Ok, I had to use my guess regarding Astoria fwd funnel piping, see my build thread for the outcome if interested.

I´ve been also trying to find out about the placement of Astoria´s accommodation ladders. These were most often deployed between #2 and #3 5in guns in the thirties. Photos of Astoria and New Orleans show it stowed under forwardmost 5in gun, other photos shows Minneapolis hanging her forward ladder in its place, likely only temporarily. Another shorter ladder can be seen less frequently suspended from the well deck.
Attachment:
20230224 NO class accommodation ladders.png
20230224 NO class accommodation ladders.png [ 1.78 MiB | Viewed 9151 times ]

After splinter shields were added to 5in guns shortly before WW2, only a few photos seem to exist of any class member showing accommodation ladder deployed (none of Astoria as far as I am aware). And those few photos that I´ve seen show only the shorter version deployed from the well deck, perhaps the forward ones were landed as weight-saving measure or it would have been more difficult to handle among the splinter shields. A logical place to store them would be along the bulwarks of the well deck but I found no proof for that so far.

And a second question: any photo showing how did the 3.5(?) meter range finder situated aft at this platform extending below the secondary conn?
Attachment:
20230224 Astoria range finder aft.png
20230224 Astoria range finder aft.png [ 544.52 KiB | Viewed 9137 times ]

Any ideas welcome!
Post Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:41 am
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Hello everyone,

while trying to redo the piping on Astoria´s forward smokestack I spotted another minor difference between New Orleans class members. The leftmost photo below shows the pipe leading to the port whistle on Astoria „switching sides“ from starboard to port side of the funnel below the whistle platform (let´s call it the „knot“).
Attachment:
NO class 1st batch whistle piping comparison.png
NO class 1st batch whistle piping comparison.png [ 1.48 MiB | Viewed 9281 times ]

I checked about her sisters and noticed that this pipe went straight on Minneapolis and San Francisco. New Orleans had no whistles/pipes there until her December 1944 refit. Later there was a „knot“, too, but different from Astoria. All cruisers of the second batch (Tuscaloosa, Quincy and Vincennes) had whistles on the aft funnel without any „knot“.

My problem is I just cannot find any photo showing clearly where the pipe would originate from on Astoria´s starboard side. There are plenty of photos showing her starboard side in the thirties but the whistles were installed only shortly before WW2. I asked Dick J to kindly check his collection but he found no answer there either. If no other evidence is found I´d asume the pipe went parallel to the other pipe.

I´d apreciate if you can check your files for a photo of either Astoria or New Orleans (after 12/1944 refit) that would show the starboard side of the face of the forward funnel with at least some clarity in the area of the "knot".

My shared New Orleans class comparison table (as of 1942) was updated accordingly to include this feature across the class.

Thanks :wave_1:
Post Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 6:47 am
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Hey Qwerty123,

Drop me an email at matt@krakenhobbies.com. Think I can help with a couple of your requests.

Matt
Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:34 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Hello everyone,

I got a couple of questions that someone here might have answers to. I shall be most grateful for sharing.
1. Does anyone posess and is willing to share pictures of the aft superstructure of USS Minneapolis taken around the autumn of 1942?
2. Is there anything important one should know about the midship section (funnels, searchlight standes, hangars etc.) of USS Minneapolis to build one with utmost historical accuracy based on the USS San-Francisco 1/350 kit by Trumpeter?
3. Related to no. 1. One of the most problematic spots I have encountered are the 40 mm AA gun mounts added in 1942. Is there any confirmed data/pictures in regard to those dating to autumn of 1942 (considering the possibility of building those from scratch)?
4. If there are in fact things on the CA-36 that are unique to the ship, could anyone 3D print them for a price?

Thank you all in advance.
Post Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:29 am
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Vladi's info sheets are a great start for finding the sometimes subtle differences between the NO class sisters. The Minnie had 8-5/25, 2-Quad 1.1 above the bridge, 2 quad 40mm Bofors(unshielded) on the fantail and 14- 20mm Oerlikons. She had a brief refit at PHNY where the Quad 40's replaced her stern 1.1's and an additional pair of 20mm's were added on the hangar roof prior to Tassafaronga, These are are clearly seen in the post battle images of her in the Classic Warship's Pictorial #2. There is something Canvas covered in the director tub just forward of the 40mm mount in one image, I believe based on it's shape and size to be a MK51 director while up forward above the 1.1 mounts you can see a MK44 still in place. Depending on your level of accuracy and detail desired, the Trumpeter kit's both 1/350 and 1/700 are fairly close to most of the main structures and layout of the Minnie. The 1/700 kit includes enough AA guns to make this fit work again unless you desire a higher grade of detail. The 1/350 would need After Market AA to account for the extra 20mm's and 40mm's plus directors.

HTH

Matt
Post Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2022 4:14 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Good evening to all the NO-class fans.

I've been through navsource multiple times and other resources as well, but can't quite finalize the conclusion on what exactly was the AA armament configuration on USS Minneapolis as of the battle of Tassafaronga?
And if anyone happens to know, how close is the USS San-Francisco (1942) model by Trumpeter to the aforementioned version of the Minneapolis, what are the differences?

Thank you in advance.
Post Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:13 am
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
For the ship to be Minneapolis (not doubting the ID), the photos would have had to have been taken in 1934. The communications bridge below the pilot house is still open. By 1935, the deck had been raised by 1/2 level and it had been semi-enclosed. New Orleans was the only one of the original 5 to not have the comm bridge glassed in.
Post Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 4:31 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
maccrage wrote:
1934 should be correct. Minneapolis transferred to the Pacific in April 1935.

Quote:
After shakedown in European waters from July–September 1934 and alterations in Philadelphia Navy Yard, the new heavy cruiser departed on 4 April 1935 for the Panama Canal and San Diego, arriving on 18 April to join Cruiser Division 7 (CruDiv 7), Scouting Force. She operated along the west coast, aside from a cruise to the Caribbean early in 1939, until arriving at Pearl Harbor in 1940.[4]


Thanks, I didn't realize she sailed straight to Europe after entering the service!
Post Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:51 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
1934 should be correct. Minneapolis transferred to the Pacific in April 1935.

Quote:
After shakedown in European waters from July–September 1934 and alterations in Philadelphia Navy Yard, the new heavy cruiser departed on 4 April 1935 for the Panama Canal and San Diego, arriving on 18 April to join Cruiser Division 7 (CruDiv 7), Scouting Force. She operated along the west coast, aside from a cruise to the Caribbean early in 1939, until arriving at Pearl Harbor in 1940.[4]
Post Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:39 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
She conducted her shake-down cruise "in European waters during July to September 1934", according to her DANFS entry, so I don't see an issue with the 1934 date? https://www.history.navy.mil/research/h ... is-ii.html
Post Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:37 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
I think these pictures of CA-36 in Helsinki Finland have not been published here before. I'm planning to build a diorama of her in the narrow Kustaanmiekka strait. According to the archaive the pictures are from 1934, but this clearly is wrong. Any idea when she has been touring in the Nordics?

Please click on the pictures you find from links below to get full reso (you can download tiff)

https://finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.7D ... 8DEF75DE6E
https://finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.01 ... 70?imgid=1
https://finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.93 ... AA?imgid=1
https://finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.0A ... 9D?imgid=1
https://finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.A3 ... F49F1C8DBB
https://finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.11 ... C327D13935


Attachments:
US CA-36 Helsinki 1 -net.jpg
US CA-36 Helsinki 1 -net.jpg [ 145.75 KiB | Viewed 10296 times ]
CA-36 visitors -net.jpg
CA-36 visitors -net.jpg [ 175.07 KiB | Viewed 10296 times ]
CA-36 planes -net.jpg
CA-36 planes -net.jpg [ 169.25 KiB | Viewed 10296 times ]
CA-36 Plane crane 1 -net.jpg
CA-36 Plane crane 1 -net.jpg [ 262.77 KiB | Viewed 10296 times ]
US CA-36 Kustaanmiekka -net.jpg
US CA-36 Kustaanmiekka -net.jpg [ 140.01 KiB | Viewed 10295 times ]
US CA-36 Kustaanmiekka 2 -net.jpg
US CA-36 Kustaanmiekka 2 -net.jpg [ 145.86 KiB | Viewed 10295 times ]
Post Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:30 pm
  Post subject:  Re: Calling all USS New Orleans class (CA) fans  Reply with quote
Vincennes arrived today.
Image
Post Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2021 1:36 pm

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