The Ship Model Forum

In my never-ending search for Truth, Justice, and the American Way regarding the IOWA Class Equipment Details, etc. I've been researching the Stern Air Craft Crane/Control Console and not finding very much about it, at least any photos or plans. I do have the following plans:
1) BuShips #BB61-51701-326189 - Airplane Crane Boom & Shock Absorber
2) C & R # 320326F - USS MASSACHUSETTS Aircraft Crane (similar, but no cigar!)
3) USS MISSOURI Plan Book, pg. 107
But these plans are vintage WWII and not representative of the crane as replaced in the Korean War era recommissioning of the IOWA class, esp. NEW JERSEY. While not specifically stated, although there are notes regarding this, my suspicions are that these cranes were developed to aircraft weight loads as the original cranes had less reinforcing than the ones that replaced them - the 1950's era cranes had steel webbing between all the cross members that to an extent closed up the open look of the 1940's era crane. Whether this was a modification or an entirely new crane I don't know. Without a further visit to NARA, this information is hard to obtain. So, I am currently working on 3D design of the crane based mainly on the TFD BB-63 Plan Book's drawings of the original crane, with webbing added. The crane itself is still under design.

When it comes to the crane control console, that also is an item with very little available as to plans/details, etc. My research has found that this was not constructed as shown in the TFD Plan book and looks very little like the ones I do have photos of, that being the unit aboard USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) in 1968 (recommissioning) and 1969 (decommissioning). I have created a design based on the Plan Book drawing and then copied this to a new design based on my photos from NEW JERSEY -



As you can see, there are differences in the equipment due to removal of electrical components/wiring for mothballing the ship.

Here is my design of the original Plan Book drawing of the 1945 crane control -


As you can see, the 1945 design (Plan Book) is not like the actual equipment as constructed. Where they got this from, I can't say, only that my 3D design reflects the size & basic layout of the Plan Book item but with the addition of as built components, etc. Here is my design for the control console (1968-69) -


I am currently printing this part in 1:48 scale. I plan to also print the air craft crane in 1:48 once I have the design completed. Having recently upgraded my DSM software to the current version, it is taking longer to design as this newer software, regardless of the software publisher's touting, does not perform as efficiently or as quickly as the older version.

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Here's a shot of the revised part ready for printing:


Due to catastrophic failure of the LCD in the printer, printing will be delayed while the yardbirds access the damage and spare parts are received and replaced

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

That's pretty cool. I admire your pursuit of the little details! They bring so much to a model.

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Thanks, Martin - always nice to have positive feedback!!! Yes, these items don't get the interest or respect most of the time - modelers assume that what the kit provides is correct. And, many times they are either simplified or left out entirely.

Of course, research is sometimes frustrating as information regarding many things from years ago (+/-) is often hard to find.

Whether or not this makes it on the model or not is probably unlikely - 1/200 is pretty tiny to make it worthwhile. But, one never knows....!

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Hank:

I suspect that this may come out better than you think, with perhaps a few parts beefed up. I learned this with my 1:512 Whitehurst that with a few mods, decent parts could still be printed, with limitations of course. Certainly your model is not a cookie cutter version with many unique parts. I could see replacing some of the model parts, even at this stage, simply because you have made them!

Best regards: Tom

Tom,

That may possibly be true - at the moment however, I will attempt a new 1:48 print of the part and see if everything comes out this time. I just found another view of the control from a different (off ship) reference point which leads me now to believe that one further modification was needed - the six objects on the right panel board appear to be rocker switches, not hex head nuts. Still, vague but that's what I'm going with -


So, once the printer has been rebuilt (again... ) I'll see what hatches.!

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Hank,

AT 1:200 the wheels would be really small. However, I'll bet you could print them using very thin vertical stepping layers.

I have printed some of the USS Oklahoma City CLG-5 parts at 1:96. The control wheels for the capstan and wildcat on the bow look just like the wheels in the photo of the crane controls. They are 0.23" diameter and have very good detail. At 1:200 they would be about 0.125" diameter.

The 7 1/2" valve wheels on the fire mains/strainers printed at 0.079" diameter with good detail - even the hex nut at the center! I have to use a magnifier to see the tiny detail. The entire strainer is only about 3/16" long!

After you get your crane and controls printed at 1:48 you should also do a run at 1:200 for comparison. It would be interesting to see just how much detail you can carry over into the 1:200 part.

Phil

PS: Maybe you should build a 1:48 ship! That would be impressive!! I know a fellow who started one, building it in steel.

He also thought of building a R/C model of the Iowa at 1:32 scale - it would be a bit under 30 feet long. At that scale the 16" guns would be 50 caliber and he knew a fellow who could build him some 50 cal semi-auto guns that were small enough to fit three into a turret. He asked me about designing a fire control system that would allow him to track a target and aim the guns remotely. Seriously!

I told him that the thing surely would violate every gun control law in the state (California).

_________________
A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Phil,

Hey, thanks for reviewing and comments! I may actually do that - I hope to have the replacement LCD sometime this coming week so I hope to be able to print after that. I have a file already set up for a couple 1:48 scale control consoles AND.... a 1:200 scale Foam Suppression Shed (the old movie projection booth aft of Turret 3) as well. I worked on that Fri/Sat. and have it ready for a trial print -


IF this prints, I'll be very surprised - at 1:48 scale it more than likely wouldn't fit on the build platform. However, I'll keep your suggestions in mind for possibly setting up a different Settings File for 1:200 scale parts and see what happens.

Re. the larger scale models - Yes, I've heard a couple 1:48 or 1:24 scale models here and there that were certainly attention getters. On the weapons end of that thought, it would be completely possible to have a set of working 16" and maybe 5"-gun mounts. As you say, that would invite most certainly a visit from ATF in the very least. Personally, I think it would be Fed. overreach in any case. But, technically speaking today, one could imagine having an extreme scale ship model with actual working guns that is CPU controlled, R/C, scaled and detailed 100% - and the cost - $$$$$ - certainly not chump change!!

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Finally I have something to show for the crane itself - In going thru 2 of the 3 1968-69 cruise books, I've found a few photos during recommissioning ceremony/decommisssioning ceremony that actually have helped design the correct base and lower crane chassis. Using the TFD MISSOURI Plan Book was a start, but that is not 100% correct - so, these photos are valuable in getting this correct for the 1968-69 time frame. Here is the crane and then below the base unit (both are still in development) -


At 1/48 scale, I can probably rig the crane using black thread rather than relying on my design of the cables in 3D which can be quite complicated to create. For the 1/200 scale item, I would make a new file, add the cables, and then scale correctly.

Once again, an interesting interlude from my other shipyard projects.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Hank,

If you are going to rig the 1:48 model you should look in craft stores (Michaels) in the jewelry section. They have some very small diameter flexible multi-strand twisted wires that are used to string beads. It makes very convincing scale cables.

I found the following 7 strand Beadalon bead stringing wire:
0.012"/0.30mm 10 ft/3.1 M
0.015"/0.38mm 10 ft/3.1 M
0.018"/0.46mm 10 ft/3.1 M

I also found Acculon 3 strand 0.012"/0.30mm 30 ft/9.3 M spools of nylon coated miniature wire cable.

These are all silver colored.

Phil

_________________
A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Phil,

Thanks so much for the info on the wire!!! I'll certainly check that out before moving forward. I appreciate the input immensely.

One note - the various openings in the webbing on the crane are "guesstimate" at best. However, the DMS software does allow for fairly easy modifications by stretching the flat side elements to change the opening size - and as I compare my photos to the model, I'll adjust as needed. Hopefully, the end result will be close to what is shown in photographic evidence.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Yes the "Beadalon" mini cable is very convincing but may not bend around sheaves and blocks very well. Perhaps not helpful but I have a number of photos of Missouri's film booth (current) which from my remembrance of her still in recent post war mode hasn't changed much. Since they were modified in different eras perhaps there is a lot of divergence. As to printing really small stuff you might be at a disadvantage with the early generation printer, but then you results speak fro themselves. If the printer is in a good mood what can be done is amazing. I was able to print sky lookout chairs for Whitehurst's bridge at smaller than 1:500.

You are doing a lot of small projects, but in doing so pushing many limits and adding to your abilities. Plan books aren't always perfect, photos often don't give us enough views but we can by their use get closer to correct than a plan book that may be wrong. It's awfully tempting to go back and replace items on a model as we can produce better ones.

Keep up the good work! Tom

Hank:

I just had the brain fart that the reason the cranes may have been beefed up is the boats, boats are much heavier than aircraft, at least as carried shipboard. Wartime the Iowa's didn't carry much in the way of boats, but peacetime, showing the flag, a 26' MWB just wouldn't cut the mustard at a Med port call.

Tom

Tom,
Thanks so much for your continued support & contributions to my threads. One thing that I'm noticing is that now that there are some various 3D parts makers out there and in some cases designing and printing similar parts, that not all is equal in detail and accuracy. So, at this point, I'm content to rely more on my own abilities to research, draft, and design my own parts that I can confidently say are pretty accurate. But, as we all know, modeling has it's limitations and that has to be accounted for in this facet of the hobby, as well.

Tom wrote: "I just had the brain fart that the reason the cranes may have been beefed up is the boats, boats are much heavier than aircraft, at least as carried shipboard. Wartime the Iowa's didn't carry much in the way of boats, but peacetime, showing the flag, a 26' MWB just wouldn't cut the mustard at a Med port call."

I think that's a VERY valid point to be made - and one I obviously overlooked.

Of course, that reminds me of the 1980s reconstruction aboard NEW JERSEY - when the amidship area of the superstructure was being gutted for the addition of the Tomahawks and their associated support areas (where the old triple 40mm quad mounts used to reside), the yard workers discovered the larger support beams that had been put there in the original build of the ship to support the various ship's boats that would have been there instead of the addition of the 40mm mounts. So, perhaps in the 1950 refit for Korea it was a combination of newer, heavier aircraft AND the additional need for multiple boat handling chores for (as you said) Med. cruises, that facilitated the newer, beefier a/c crane.

I now have my replacement LCD in hand and will hopefully get the printer reassembled tomorrow with successful results pending. So, further design work on the a/c crane base unit tonight.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Hank:

Indeed the Mockup proof of concept models of the Iowa's showed various differences from the as built. One was a similar shelf tab the top of the armor belt as in the SODAK's. Another was a nest of boats midships as was common to earlier battlewagons with large crane. The Alaska's with their midships hangar retained large cranes, though they only had a standard compliment of two 26' MWB's, they often carried boats (on dollys) on the main deck forward of the stack as well as a compliment of four aircraft.

An individual hobbyist can afford to take considerable time to research and even do items perhaps only common to a single ship, whereas a manufacturer with great resources, often doesn't have the luxury of design research in comparable depth. An example you are familiar with is the hull contour errors in the Trumpeter Iowa's. Someone apparently just said draw up a Battleship hull, looking at a waterline photo...

Cheers: Tom

Yes, having time to make all the small details is worth the effort, IMHO.

Tonight I think I've got the lower crane base unit completed -


The key will be mating the crane itself to the base and hope that it fits! May work on that tomorrow as the printer is currently edging towards Hospice.....

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

After consulting with several other 3D modelers who are more astute in "all things 3D wise", it was brought to my attention that possibly the Z axis sensor had failed, thus rendering the printer to fail. After follow up and analysis, this is what the case seems to be, and the printer has been summarily decommissioned, boxed up, and will be put in the recycle bin next week. I can't see spending any further time/money/effort when there are newer, faster, larger printers available at a reasonable price. After a consultation with the 3D Admiralty board, I'll decide which of two machines I am currently looking at as to which one gets the nod!

As of now, the shipyard will take a brief hiatus while the parts department regroups, etc.

Needless to say, the Design Dept. will continue with the work at hand....

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

While the printer solution is still up in the air, I went back tonight and have done more work on the crane design. So, as of now I've pretty much got this wrapped up - the real challenge will be printing it - when, that's a biggie, I've got to make a decision on the printer purchase before The Admiral finds something else around the house that needs replacing, etc. The Dept. of Honey-Do Projects never sleeps - always open 24-7.

Here is the crane assembly as it stands -


The small hook unit hanging in mid air will be rigged with separate thread, etc. On the smaller version of this part (1/200 scale) I would design 3D lines for the rigging in the overall part.

As for the printer replacement, I'm seriously considering the Phrozen Sonic Mighty 8K SLA Printer, but as yet have not made the final decision.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Tonight, I read thru quite a few negative reviews of the Phrozen Mighty 8K - thus, the decision has been made to purchase (and I HAVE done so!) the Any Cubic Photon Mono 6K SLA printer. So, in the meantime, I'm working with the latest Chitubox slicing program and getting a file setup for a test run.

Looking forward to seeing what this new machine will produce!!

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Hank:

Just remember that "Lucky beats good! Any day!"