KevinD wrote:
maxim wrote:
There is another such "line" to the right of your right arrow
The one near the stern could be caused by the light shining on the stern.
Hmmm, I don't think that vertical 'line' near stern is from sun. Take a look at this larger image. And if the other line I 'think' you refer to is the same as what I think you refer to, then I think that's just a stain of some sort.
I do not think it is from the sun either. The shade is on the other side of the stern, with that area in direct sunlight. The color change with such a direct demarcation point on the stern there in direct sunlight doesn't make sense to me unless you have two different paints there. It doesn't seem to me to be a trick of shadows, and there are two consistent colors there, one on each side of that demarcation point. Also, if that was a trick of the sunlight, shouldn't it carry all the way to the waterline, and not cut off in the wear patch as marked by the green arrow?
Also, I should have been more clear with my comment about lines like that being not natural. Yes, kind of straight wear lines can occur as marked by the blue arrow, however if you zoom in, the line with blue arrow tapers off strangely, and doesn't have clean edges which is what I was trying to say, but did not say well in my previous post.
The line with the green arrow however is straight and crisp, and clearly marks a change in color on the hull. I know the hull is curved in that place, however if it was the same color, that transition should be more gradual in direct sunlight as it is on the rest of the stern, not that sudden and clear change in color. Thus as far as I can conclude that's two different colors of paint there one under the red, the other under the yellow.
Quote:
Now a question, does anyone think that Tromp's Bofors has a 'shielded face', like we see on late photos of DR and Java? I think so, as we are looking at the backside of the mount, and I can just see the 'face shield' curving back over a short ways at the top as they did (on the wrecks). Note; in my u/w photo, right hand side of shield has collapsed / fallen off.
I don't think Tromp had the face shields which were added on the De Ruyter and the Java. I doubt the shields could have been folded up, as I imagine they would have been quite heavy in order to provide any practical protection. Also, keep in mind there were a few pretty key differences between the Bofors on the De Ruyter/Java and the Tromp. De Ruyter/Java both received 40 mm Bofors Mk. 3 mountings while Tromp had 40mm Bofors Mk. 4 mountings, which was larger, incorporated its own fire control, and had a different crew layout, and thus I would presume needed different shielding.
Also while I have not seem hard documents to prove it, it seems that the De Ruyter and Java were both fitted with a centralized fire control system as a part of their Hazemeyer systems. IIRC Tromp was supposed to have a similar fire control system that was never fitted due to concerns of her being overweight, and thus her 40mms seem to have been under local control. Also, I'm pretty sure the Mk. mount had a built in fire control system which was different from or entirely missing in the Mk.3 mount. You can't shoot what you can't see, and thus having those shields also probably would have interfered with the ability to track targets in a way it wouldn't have on the De Ruyter and Java. (I can expound upon this if you would like)
Thus I don't think Tromp got the shields because her 40mms were on different mountings and also I'm guessing unlike both De Ruyter and the Java, Tromp's 40mm guns fired under local control.