Dan K wrote:
I'm not familiar with the photos you cite from 1943. Typically, capital ships ended up having their lower row of portholes sealed up with covers, as well as portions of the upper row(s) to improve watertight integrity based on actual battle experience.
I can't speak to Fujimi's sources and references, if any. They may have generalized, based on other ship's appearance. Or different sets of plans, like those from Miyukikai (which are based on official plans). Profile Morskie doesn't always list it's sources, and those plans are not always correct.
The same may be true of the location of the waste pipes along the hull.
Once sealed, the portholes were not re-opened. Excepting any ships that survived the war for repatriation duties.
Hi Dan,
I mean the photos from the book "Gakken No.30. There is a closeup on p.47 and a pic from stareboardside on p.72 which seems to match to a point of time in 1943 where she was in Truk.
This seems to make sense due to the loading, the sunscreening precursors and some identifying characteristics of the ship (such as the platforms around the funnel)
The pictures are partly also in the Profile Morskie booklet and date it also as 1943.
Since the portholes were welded shut, reopening is impossible. So I assume that Fujimi simply made assumptions (as you wrote) which are not based on original pictures or plans. By the way, on their 1/700 Yamashiro 1944 the portholes are all shown open...
Ergo - I will drill them all!
Thanks again and regards,
Daniel