The Ship Model Forum

Back in April 2018, I discussed a possible way to introduce autonomous surface escorts into the fleet. See viewtopic.php?f=67&t=167112 This new scratch-built project is to show an idea of what such a ship might look like.I'm calling it USS FEARLESS. I selected 1/192 scale to match my FFG-63 model, shown being built here. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=166867
I picked a trimaran for its visual appeal. The main hull would be 340 feet overall with a beam of 34 feet, giving it the size of a Benson/Gleaves class destroyer of World War II. That should give the endurance and payload to accompany a task force. It has conventional propellers instead of pumpjets as the excess speed of an LCS isn't needed.
This is my first multi-hull project and I've had trouble visualizing how to integrate the parts without looking clunky. To keep it simple, I'm building the main hull first up to the cross-deck. Then I'll set the full-width superstructure on top of that, finish the upper hull, then add the outrigger hulls. The drawing in the first photo shows I have not yet designed the radar mast or stack.
I'm using a sharp-bilge hull similar to the trimaran USS Independence class LCS. To avoid laying hull plating around such a tight radius, I've used a 1/4-inch thick plate as the bottom of the hull like a prefabricated double bottom. I'll sand off the bottom corners for the desired radius. I cut the double bottom in two pieces to allow it to slope up to the stern. Then 1/16-inch plating will cover the sides and top of the main hull. This was a very simple structure to assemble.

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Mike Perry

Can some one please tell me how to make the two attempted links in the first paragraph work? Thanks.

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Mike Perry

Links fixed. You need the rest of the URL (the http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/ section) for the forum to understand what you're posting and turn it into a link. There also no need for the tags unless you plan on embedding the link in a word like this.

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Thanks Timmy!

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Mike Perry

David, I'm related to neither Commodore, though I did work with a descendent of O. H. Perry some years ago. He shared the first two names. The top and side profile views were a bit rough when I drew them. It should be clearer to both of us as the superstructure goes together.

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Mike Perry

Here are a few more photos of this weekend's work. Most of the hull is plated-in, the turn of the bilge has been partially sanded down, and the bulbous bow is roughed out.The superstructure frame is just sitting on the hull and not glued down yet.

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Mike Perry

A couple more photos of progress, showing the start of the upper hull. The bridging superstructure is still just sitting on the hull for the photo. It's not glued down yet. I did add two quarter-inch pieces across the bridge to strengthen it. The stem will be a solid laminated piece that I shape and glue to the front of the first bulkhead shown in the photo.

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Mike Perry

The last couple of days have been spent working on the bow. Here I've built it up to the level of the main deck and laminated the chunk that will go in front of the first frame. Time to charge up the Drumel sander. Once the bow is in place, I'll glue on the bridge deck and continue the main deck into the superstructure, both forward and aft.

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Mike Perry

The bow is finished and I'm starting to integrate the hull with the superstructure.

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Mike Perry

I've been using cut-outs to plan the arrangement of weapons, sensors and engine intakes & exhaust. From aft to forward (left to right in the photo), armament will be a 21-round RAM launcher, two quad-cannisters for the Naval Strike Missile, four 8-cell VLS modules, plus a gun. I haven't decided whether to use a 57mm or 76mm gun mount.

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Mike Perry

David,
The intakes and exhaust will be raised 7 or 8 feet. And I'm leaning toward the OTO 76 super rapid gun.

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Mike Perry

Really depends on the expected role of the gun - if you're planning on sinking larger vessels or providing longer range fire support, sure, a 76 makes sense. But if it's intended to be a close-in defensive weapon for anti-missile/drone or anti-small boat where higher damage isn't necessary, then the 57's much higher rate of fire would be a better fit.

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Some very unusual hull shapes to craft. Guess this gives a new dimension to the term "ASW".

I've been working on the forward starboard superstructure. I need to put more time into drawing the outrigger hulls.

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Mike Perry

About a year ago, I was a long way from what kind of model to next invest my time in but needed to make something. So I sketched out a sleek star ship and made it from my usual sheet basswood. It's 10.5 inches long but could represent any scale as there is no detail to cue the eye. The warp foils were a lot of trouble keeping the right curvature, as every time I sealed or painted them, they would curve away from the moisture. In the end, I painted both sides together while fixed in a jig and kept them there for about a week. I used Krylon spray paint that's very close to haze gray. I'll use the same paint for the autonomous surface warship.

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Mike Perry

This week I closed in the aft end of the superstructure. The first effort didn't quite reach the aft bulkhead so I glued on a second sheet of wood that carried the quarter-panel to where I wanted it. With the roof on, filler and sanding the woops is hidden for all time.

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Mike Perry

Progress has been slow on this project. Now I'm working on the outrigger hulls, which are symetrical fore and aft. The two photos show work on the inboard sides of each. The middle section is framed and plated while the ends are sanded down from 3/8 inch blocks.

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Mike Perry

More progress on the outrigger hulls. The first photo is one hull with the inboard side completed. The next three photos show construction of one of the outrigger's outboard sides. This work seems very slow since it involves a lot of sanding solid blocks of wood. I have to be careful to not track sawdust upstairs.

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Mike Perry

I've finished the outrigger hulls and painted the boot topping. The outriggers are just sitting loose in the second photo here. I want to do some more painting on the underside and between the main and outrigger hulls before glueing the pieces together.

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Mike Perry

I've glued the outriggers to the superstructure and faired the joint. The third photo highlightes the problems I had in laying out the boottopping on the outriggers. As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, "it's always something."

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Mike Perry