The Ship Model Forum

Just saw this morning that Donald Stratton has passed away. Only two survivors left now...

Rest in Peace!

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... ied-at-97/

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-Nelson
Current Project:
1:200 U.S.S. Arizona
1:350 U.S.S. Chicago SSN-721

Future Projects:
All of them!

He had a good run. Fair winds and following seas shipmate!

Good thing he passed away peacefully in his sleep. He already endured more pain than most of us could ever bear. RIP Sir, and Thank You for your service.

Maybe this will help. It's from 1927, but not sure the decks or boats would be any different.

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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

OK Martin spill the beans, were did you find the 1927 over head photo you posted? if it's a NARA image I could see myself hunting it down, any idea the photo number?

I'm always on the lookout for better versions of this film that shows some amazing on deck detail of USS Arizona. The footage of this film was shot on April 1, 1941 and was the most valuable reference I used back when I was building my 1/200 kit.
This "Periscope film" version is by far NOT the best quality version out there but it shows you the film in its entirety before snipets of the footage started to find their way into other Navy films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMlSGtAFi-E

I came across a couple of those snipets and even though they are colorized with mostly incorrect color (i.e. gray top on turret #2 as opposed to red, and tan hatch covers), I am amazed how clear these shots are. A ton of detail can now be seen that I could never make out in any other version of the film I've seen before.
Check out the thing they attached to the gun barrels with the eyelets for the rope lines to the muzzle covers. Notice also all the differences between the two winches and the canvas cover on the port side wildcat.

I don't see no wenches!

_________________
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 for the photos Jeff, but in particular for posting the You-Tube video link. Much appreciated, as I hadn't seen that before.

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Cheers, Steve U.

Underway:
1) 1/350 USS Enterprise CV-6
2) 1/200 USS Arizona

M.J.Q. wrote:
LMAO!!!!!!

Will this do:

Jeff,

The word is "winches", not "wenches" - next thing you know you'll have PITA, NOW, and all the wacko feme-Nazi's out there stampeding the dock!!!!

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HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS PENNSYLVANIA (BB-38) Late '40 1:200
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144
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

LOL! Oops!

Jeff, do you think the possibility is there that this film was colorized at one point? Looking at parts of the fairleads on the starboard side, it appears that they are the same color as the deck, port winch and hatches. just my observation.

Hi Jon,
Yes, these stills that I posted are colorized. The person that colorized them found a very clean copy of the film. I would love to find the entire film in this same clarity as these stills. There are a couple of vendors that sell versions of this film but none of them come close to the quality of these stills.

Jeff,

Still chuckling....

But, Seriously - those stills are really GREAT - the detail is quite nice to have. And a word about the shipboard canvas back then - there WAS light brown or tan canvas used quite extensively for covering equipment on deck. So, it's possible the colorist wasn't that far off in his palette. I also agree that his work wasn't 100% at the same time. So hard to come up with a correct choice from those old B/W photos and film.

Hank

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HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS PENNSYLVANIA (BB-38) Late '40 1:200
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144
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

Jeff,
I wish I would have seen these pictures when I was building my 1/192 Arizona. The bottom picture shows the routing of the paravane chain as wrapping around two pulleys just aft of the winches and going across the deck. I have them entering the deck just before the capstans. Thoughts?

Larry

Hi Larry,
I'm not really sure how the whole paravane system worked but in this pic there are 2 chains on the starboard side that do terminate at the capstans but I believe one of them is connected to a cable. That cable is what you see going through the pulleys, wrapping around to the port side and through another set of pulleys and meeting up with another pair of chains much higher up on the port side bow.

I agree about the cables Jeff. They are much too thin to be chain.

Larry

My guess would be that the "cable" is actually wire rope, but what diameter is hard to determine (1" or less...???). In the upper part of the photo where this wire rope ends in some form of deck fitting - it's very hard to also determine what it connects to above that fitting. Perhaps somewhere else a more definitive photos is out there that shows the paravane rigging in clear detail.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS PENNSYLVANIA (BB-38) Late '40 1:200
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144
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

I came across a couple more looks at the elusive mushroom vents on top of the large square vents that are hiding under the boat cradles. This concept still baffles me.
Also, here again we see the deck of the veggie locker was not teaked in the 30's. I still cannot find a 1940's view of this area to see if this deck was ever teaked before her destruction.

Jeff,

That is a conundrum, for sure! Here is the same area on BB-38:

Skylights are the only items below the boats on PENNSY. The deck below was the crew's galley. I'm not sure of ARIZONA's internal arrangement.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS PENNSYLVANIA (BB-38) Late '40 1:200
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144
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

Jeff, noticed that the decks appear to be very dark as if they just were washed. Is it possible that the deck above the vegetable locker had not been washed yet? I noticed that there is a 'lip' that separates the boat deck from the vegetable locker. Had never seen that before.