Calling all Allen M. Sumner-class & Gearing-class DD fans

[Cliffy B]

Sumner-Class fans mark your calendars for 1/26/11!!!!!

Check out NavSource's newest addition to their Tin Can Gallery; http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/new.htm

COMING SOON AS BUILT 1945 INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHS OF DD-692 CLASS DESTROYERS (ALLEN M. SUMNER); ONLY ON NAVSOURCE

You will be invited to check a Special Feature Page on NAVSOURCE that will be a virtual tour using hundreds of still photographs taken of two DD-692 Class Destroyers upon completion of building in 1945. This introduction with approximately 275 photos will take place on or close to 26 January 2011. Soon thereafter photos will slowly be added to bring the final total to well over 500 photos. These are unique, showing almost every major compartment and many minor ones. Join us in reliving history and understanding how a sailor lived and worked on these ships. Included will be many plans from the 1940�s pointing out the compartments shown in the photos.

Modeler's and Tin Can fans alike rejoice! The 26th shall be a glorious day indeed

[Rick E Davis]

GEARING WWII DDR Antennas ID'd ... This doesn't ID every antenna and is a 1950 configured DDR, but appears close to a typical WWII ship and gets the major antennas. An example of a different configuration, on some ships two DBM antennas were mounted on the lower platform on the tripod.

[Roger Torgeson]

Rick,
Perfect timing on your DDR radar antenna ID photo, I was about to post a question asking just what they were on the tripod and now I don�t have to. Any more photos showing the rest of DDR-807 in the series, it�s never too early to start collecting information for the Dragon Chevalier build.

Roger

[Rick E Davis]

Roger,

All of the photos I have of DDR to date are from the 1950's. This was one from 1950 when equipment had not changed much yet. I know that some antennas were relocated in a "trial-and-error" lessons learned after initial deployments, so there could be differences. Maybe on my next trip to NARA I'll look for a few yard photos ... there should be plently of the first couple of units modified.

I guess it depends on which ship and which era you wish to model a DDR.

[AAbshier]

Are there PE frets covering the radars on the aft mast? I looked for them on the WEM WWII radar set, but nothing looked right.

Andy

[les]

Roger started a Sumner conversion of the 'Blue Devil' years ago. Could it be he's going to finish it? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Guest]

Is there anyone that would like to build a Gearing class FRAM I or DDR , specifically the USS William R. Rush? I am looking for a model to offer as one of the door prizes for a USS William R Rush DD/DDR 714 reunion. I am the secretary of the association and my email is seadog714@gmail.com

[Guest]

HI, I just jumped on this topic and thought I would offer my experience with the Commander series USS Johnston. This was a difficult build for me when I converted her to the USS Joseph P. Kennedy FRAM. Many of the resin pieces were unusable and much was added with brass rod for mast, supports, and such.







The rest of the pics are here: http://public.fotki.com/GilCosta/1350_s ... -p-kenned/

If you need any questions answered regarding the kit or the build I will be happy to answer.

Thanks,
Gil

[AOTD_MadMax]

Hi everybody,

my name is Christian from Bremen / Germany.
Iam member of an SH3 / SH4 Subsim Clan, called AOTD !
You can find us here : http://www.aotd-flottille.de/

Iam the constructor of an SH4 Modification called " Fall of the rising Sun ".
On Subsim-Forum you can find more informations of my work
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=147988

For this mod i worked out many new Vessels like the Sumner-Class and the Gearing Class.
Here you can see an Ingame-Screens of an early version of my Gearing.



Iam not an specialist for working out 3D-Modells with Tools like Cinema4D or 3DSMax.
Iam using Wings3D, an freeware tool.
My Quesition is :
Did anyone of you got some nice 3D-Modells of the Sumner / Gearing Class which i can use for my projekt ?
It would be nice to get high detailed Modells for my Silent Hunter 4 Modpack "Fall of the rising Sun "
I also need some other Modells like the Porter-Class, Bagley-Class, Benson-Class, Benham-Class and Fletcher-Class cause my Modells are not the best one.

Here an Picture of my Bagley :



It would be very nice when i can get help for my project.

Sorry for my bad english

Regards

Christian alias AOTD_MadMax

[drdoom1337]

are there any samples of MS33a/28d for the gearing class? I can't find any on the web

[Rick E Davis]

You are aware that none of the GEARINGS wore dazzle operationally? A few were delivered by Bath Iron Works wearing dazzle camo and ran trials for the class before going to Boston for conversion to DDR's. The first "Fleet Destroyers" NOT converted to DDR's, ROWAN, VOGELGESANG, and GEARING were in Ms 22 I believe.

Here are images of FRANK KNOX (DD-742) and SOUTHERLAND (DD-743) as delivered. The dazzle camo pattern on CHEVALIER (DD-805) looked almost the same. Once these three units completed their DDR conversions ... they were painted in Ms 21.

(Note: The two dark areas in the light camo areas ... below the bridge and aft ... are oil from ruptured oil tanks. It was marked on some of the photos with notes on some of the photos I saw at NARA.)

[throck3]

Rick,
Notice on the photo of USS Frank Knox in which she is in Measure 21 (Mar 1945), she already has the newer fire control system for her 40mm batteries with the radar on the gun mounts themsleves. (Sorry, I forget the mark of this type fire control system while writing this.) I had no idea that this mark was deployed quite so early. I had noticed this before on other Gearing class destroyers in photos found in Navsource, but wrote them off as being immediately post war shots. This photo is clearly dated. Am I mistaken that this is what is seen above both 40mm quad mounts?
Rick T.

[Tracy White]

You're probably referring to the Mk 63 Gun Fire Control system, which they started installing in about January/February. That's not to say many made it to the war zone....

[Cliffy B]

The radars atop the guns were Mk-34 radars and the associated director was the Mk-63 like Tracy said. Here's some shots from NavSource.

Quad Bofors with Mk-34 radar installed on a Mk-19 mounting
http://navsource.org/archives/01/038/013801g.jpg

Close up of the Mk-19 antennae mount
http://navsource.org/archives/01/038/013801f.jpg

IIRC they used the same radar/director combo on the single and twin 3"/50 automatics.

[Rick E Davis]

I was reading an account today that DD-743 SOUTHERLAND was one of the first destroyers to enter Toyko Bay. And the last destroyer of those in Tokyo Bay that day to still be in service for the USN.

[drdoom1337]

It is okay to me if none of the ships made it to the warzone in dazzle, I just want to model mine in a paint scheme I like. I think that scheme looks very nice on this class!

[Rick E Davis]

That's OK, I just didn't want you painting up a DDR thinking it was operational in that scheme. Besides, it is your model and you can paint it Monty Pink.

Some people want to model their "Dad's" or "Grandfather's" ship or during a specific operation and want to paint it for a specific timeframe where accuracy matters. Sometimes there are photos and sometimes there aren't.

[throck3]

Guys,
Thanks for the info on the Mk 63 Fire Control System with Mk 34 radars. You've answered a lot of questions I had. This photos are also very helpful. Will have to attempt a scratch build that now.
Again, thanks.
Rick T.

[Rick E Davis]

The Mk 63 GFCS was always kind of a fuzzy system to me for a long time, since I was use to the earlier directors. Eventually I found a good description of the system and realized it wasn't strictly a "standalone" director like earlier Fire Control directors. The Mk 63 GFCS consisted of the Mk 51 Mod 6 "director", the Mk 34 Radar (which was a development of the earlier Mk 19 radar used on the Mk 49 director) installed on the gun mount (twin or quad), and of course all the computer equipment somewhere below decks.

[Cliffy B]

Not to be confused with the Mk-57(?) director which had a radar dish on the director not the gun. Some ships got those late in the war as replacement for some of their Mk-51s. I'm not sure if any DDs got them though I've seen them on BBs and CA/CLs.