The Ship Model Forum

Interesting it wasn't used in Alaska.

Anyone have any idea when the new warships book will be out on Alaska?

Cheers: Tom

Brought the 1:192 FDD Plans to my Summer abode, though not the model. Will start working up many of the detail items such as making new masters for bitts, chocks, hatches etc and beginning on the aircraft cranes and so forth.

Some interesting and conflicting items about the development of the ships. The huge tactical diameter was predicted from testing at the David Taylor Model basin. In service the tactical diameter was almost exactly the same as both the Iowa's and the Fletcher Class Destroyers, something slightly over 800 yds at 30 knots. The big driver of WWII crew size was the multiplicity of Light and medium AA, even some CA's were pushing crews of 2000 for exactly this reason. Without this factor HMS Hood had a crew of only about 1400. HMS Vanguard had a tactical diameter of over 1000 yds!

The Iowa's were modified significantly in detail as a result of shakedown of the lead ship, I almost think that just a bit later in the war when the Alaska's appeared it was a matter of it floats doesn't it? A bit as with Prince O' Whales, "When needs must, the Devil drives". They were given a Battleships fire control suite. As to the lack of abeam Mk 37's, a controversial subject, as dividing of the AA effort amongst too many directors could often reduce the effective fire below a level ensuring success. Late war thought went to fewer rather than more.

Several things worked against them, too late an arrival, the 12" main battery was an oddball in the supply train may have been a big factor! By late war they were probably as good a carrier escort as an Iowa, note that the number of 5" twin mounts were two less than an Iowa, but the two centerline mounts and generally better and more open sky arcs than either an Iowa or a Baltimore probably increased their effectiveness.

Single rudders? A seemingly standard cruiser practice, some surmise to retain speed, though effective rudders placed in the propeller race do have a lot of drag. Cruisers are supposed to be greyhounds!

A beautiful set of warships, almost in the category of the little used F8F Bearcat and F7F Tigercat which were great planes but too late to do much, as with the Pershing Tank.

Looking fwd to putzing away on my long laid up model!

Thanks in advance for any photos, info or suggestions that may come along!

Regards: Tom

Making a little progress on the cranes, a starting point that seems to be popular. The lattice work for the crane arm weighs in at less than 0.001 oz without it's end piece, which will probably be constructed of more solid material. The towers for the cranes are actually not cylindrical (I was going to turn them on a lathe) so are constructed of a plexiglass/styrene sandwich (for proper thickness) sanded to proper rounded contour.

Cheers: Tom

Time permitting working on superstructure items for Alaska. Doing things such as turning Pelorous and target designators on the lathe, adjusting (ad infinitum) areas around the fire control tower. Working with the FDD 1:192 drawings in lieu of a plethora of detailed photos. She will be in her combat 1945 configuration with the later bridgeworks etc.

Photos sometime, maybe here or maybe in WIP, or scratch section.

Cheers: Tom

Tom,

You should post in the Scratchbuild section where folks who don't monitor the Cruiser thread will see it.

Phil

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Really looking forward to this build!

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Any idea when the Warships Pictorial book will be released? I'd love to have a copy, especially if there's new material available. I've basically scoured the internet and archives and found just about everything possible, so new stuff would be great. I assume automatically that Steve Wiper is likely a better researcher than I am.

About a month ago Steve was kind enough to reply promptly to an email. Not a fixed date as I believe that portion of the project is now out of his hands. Perhaps June? He said to keep looking after the website for it's listing. When I started my ship lo many years ago I began with an (I believe) Alan Raven or ABC drawing in Friedman's Cruiser book. Although a basic good drawing it portrays the ship at it's commissioning, the FDD drawings are during it's 1945 deployment, which is what I am building and some modifications are necessary, aside from the usual errors. For my modern Missouri I had many hundreds of photos of detail after detail, I miss that! The most frustrating aspect of what is available is the lack of clarity, with the original glossies and a good magnifier much could be revealed!

Anyway plodding along as my scarce time permits with several superstructure elements at my seasonal abode.

Cheers: Tom

I am building the Alaska as she appeared in 1945, which means she is in the measure 22 camouflage scheme. I'm unsure if the aft end is haze gray at the horizontal line or is it sea blue as the rest of the hull? I have a picture that was taken at her deactivation that seems show it being sea blue, but then there is a site on the web that shows it as haze gray. Can anybody say for sure what the color should be?

Navsource photos:

Late war
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/1201/04020145.jpg

Of course the stern is cropped out
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/1201/04020146.jpg

End of the war
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/1201/04020143.jpg

I would say she was blue to the deck edge.
If it is wrong you can correct it when you have the photo proving otherwise.

Steve Wipers Alaska class should be out soon and he always publishes great new materiel if you can wait.

James

The only photo I have seen that might be interpreted as not to the stern deck edge was in heavy weather and was most likely some lightness exposed as the fantail was rolled slightly toward the camera and probably wet deck and not a paint line.

Also looking forward to Steve's book.

Cheers. Tom

I was under the impression the Measure 22's 5-N or 5-N #7 (the late-war Navy Grey that replaced 5-N Navy Blue) was painted up to the forward most line of sheer, but above that line of sheer to the stern. The photo here shows this well: http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/1201/04020143.jpg (this is labeled as "CB-1 deactivating", which might induce thoughts of it being painted in a postwar scheme, but the Measure 22 stripe on the bow is visible.

This photo almost unmistakeably (at least to my eyes) shows the stern 40mm gun tubs painted with 5-N (vs. the lighter haze grey visible on the upperworks). You can see the usual "stripe" of 5-H Haze Grey on the bow easily.

Just my thinking. I incorporated this into the drawings I did of CB-1 and CB-2 in 1945 here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/161 ... 201945.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/161 ... 201945.png

To be able to go back in time with just the camera on my iPhone 5S...

Nice drawings! At one time I had the jackstaff on the aft 40 mm clipping shack and removed it (when I reworked this structure) as it is not on the FDD plans. However I have seen it in photos and will probably revisit it. A number of unresolved issues with the plans, minor stuff such as the shape of the area underneath the 40 mm tubs abeam the conning tower? Round like the tubs or flat?

Been working 12 plus hours a day lately and little progress on the ship. Been turning such items as pelorous and ventilators on the lathe and working on the target designators, placement of w/t doors etc.

Cheers: Tom

Question on Alaska in Measure 22, 1945 in the Pacific: Was she painted in the neutral gray paints or the blue-purple shades. Apparently sometime in late 1944 the Navy started running out of the blue-purple tints and went to neutral "colors" without changing the designations. The existing B&W photos are of little help...

Any brilliant or otherwise ideas out there?

Cheers: Tom

I often wondered this myself - the plans show it as round (I believe, been a while since I've looked at them), but the various model kits I've seen have them as square - and they're either holding shell catchers, or ventilators - I can't remember which one.



Another excellent question. I have a feeling unless someone is able to find heretofore unseen color photos of the ships in the archives (for instance), we will likely never know. I prefer the look of the blue-purple tints so used that in my illustrations.

Eagerly awaiting Mr. Wiper's book!

Roger Torgerson sent me a fairly high resolution of the ship underway in 1945, it appears that the area under the tubs are rounded following the contour of the tub. It is apparent that despite research their will be errors! The hope is as usual to find the errors before rather than later. There are many areas where there is just not enough information to not be in error! Looking at the models and kits out there I am at least to the point of seeing some areas that are definitely not right.

My ship is currently in neutral gray, more an accident of ignorance than astute research and planning.

Cheers: Tom

Slow progress as info becomes available. Not too many exterior inclined ladders on this ship, just some for the older senior officers I would guess, aft the #2 turret. Some items not added as yet, waiting to find out for example, whether the area below the 40 mm tubs fwd of the coning tower is rounded or square? The area above the 02 level not yet attached as there are several ares not possible to paint after attachment.

Pelorous and target designators turned from either brass or aluminum, radar atop the MK 38 needs to be replaced with the proper unit and a large number of small details such as texture atop the main turrets, fire hose racks and on and on.

Cheers: Tom

Tom,

That is really impressive! Your details & additions are really bringing this build to life!

Hank

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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

All the bare styrene is areas of additions and changes. Some items available in 1:200 such as the rack inside the tubs for 40 mm clips are not available in 1:192 so not sure how to proceed with those and a few other items. I did find the Alaska Cruise Book on line, page by page though not too many useful photos for modelers. I did note an unusual form of measure 22 with the tops of the 12" rifles painted to match the deck.

Mounted the anchor capstans, turned from aluminum rod, and the port side large ventilator just abaft the port catapult base. Information for the Stbd side is a little confusing at the moment.

Cheers. Tom

Really enjoying your build, Tom! GREAT work.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby