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PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:18 am 
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Calling all IJN escort fans!

This thread is for the Japanese “kaibokan” escort ships of the following classes:

Shimushu
Etorofu
Mikura
Ukuru/Hiburi/Yaku
Type C Hei
Type D Tei


I’ve been working on a fleet of 1/700 IJN escorts (all available from Pit-Road) for quite a while and I have problems finding info on the armament changes for the latter 3 classes (Ukuru, C, D). According to the kit instructions, all three classes had 4 (resp. 5 for Ukuru) double or triple 25mm AA-guns upon commissioning. The only difference between the early and late versions – as shown in the kit* – is the No. 13 radar on the rear mast.

But, if you take a look at the following two pictures** from 1944, it’s obvious that early C/D types did not have any AA next to the bridge – the single MG in front of the bridge is missing as well as the ASW mortar. Navypedia and other websites didn’t really help***, so I was wondering if any of you guys could help me out with the armament. Line drawings, photos – I’ll take whatever you got :)

Many thanks in advance,
Hen


*Pit-Road box info for early Kaibokan C showing too many AA-guns:
http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/ships/ijn/dd/hei/700-pr/hei-03.jpg

**Kaibokan C:
http://www.warshipsww2.eu/lode.php?language=E&period=&idtrida=1094

**Kaibokan D (unshielded fore gun?):
http://www.warshipsww2.eu/lode.php?language=E&period=&idtrida=1095

***Navypedia’s info on the armament changes for escort ships is very general. E.g. Pit-Roads “Etorofu” has an overview for the lead ship and 4 sisters (here: http://www.modellmarine.de/images/reviews/pit/etorofu/etorofu_ba2.jpg) – their armaments really differ a lot, although Navypedia handles all of them collectively as if the changes were all the same.




Photo Gallery

1/350

Ukuru (Pit-Road) by Leo Jaudenes: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm
Type C (Hei) late type (Pit-Road) by Peter Van Buren: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm
Ukuru Type January, 1945 (Pit-Road) by Arian Koh: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm
Ukuru Type (Pit-Road) by Yoh Suzuki: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm
Ukuru Type B "Okinawa" (Pitroad) by Anthony Polychroniadis: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:14 pm 
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This is a worthwhile thread for a very broad and often overlooked class. It's tough to determine exact fits for specific vessels because there are so many participants, each potentially subject to refits. If you are not already familiar with this page, http://www.combinedfleet.com/Kaibokan.htm , it is a good reference and listing, though no real visual cues to help.

I personally find the Ukurus (modified Type B) to be the handsomest of the lot. Several survived to be repurposed in the postwar JMSDF.

Here's one


Attachments:
Shonan - Ukuru Type 1944a.jpg
Shonan - Ukuru Type 1944a.jpg [ 131.9 KiB | Viewed 9277 times ]
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:04 am 
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Hello Dan,

thanks for your reply! I already know the combinedfleet-website, it's very helpful and has a huge collection of info on most IJN ships. The problem with the escorts seems to be that they are simply not "important enough" - there where about 170 such ships, but most of them were sunk without ever achieving any successes. The website has no info on armament changes, one could only guess by the time they were repaired or the timespan they spend in a yard without having been damaged...

Maybe one of you specalists (much respect to the collective knowledge in this forum!) has some Gakken book or original Japanese documents, ONI reports etc. on that topic. :thumbs_up_1:

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:04 am 
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Interesting subject.

Image


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 12:05 pm 
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The above picture shows IJN Kaibokan Type D (escort destroyer) "No. 134" under attack by North American medium bomber B-25 near Amoy, China, 6 April 1945.
North American B-25J-5-NC Mitchell "Ruthless Ruth," serial number 43-28014, pulls up after making a skip-bombing run on IJN Coastal Defense Vessel No. 134.
Japanese convoy HOMO-03 left Hong Kong enroute to Shanghai, consisting of subchasers CH-9 and CH-20, destroyer IJN Amatsukaze, Kaibokan (escort destroyers) Coastal Defense Vessels No. 1 and No. 134, Tokai Maru Number 2 and Kine Maru on April 4, 1945.
Attacks by US Navy Martin PBM-5 Mariner flying boats, 5th Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberators and Lockheed P-38 Lightnings on April 5 sink the two transports, and the convoy breaks up. The subchasers return to Hong Kong while the destroyers head for Amoy, China. Enroute, CH-9, CH-20 and No. 1 are damaged by another wave of B-24s.
The next day, the three destroyers are found by twenty-four B-25s of the 345th; the Americans volunteered for the long over-water flight from their base at San Marcelino, Luzon to the Japanese ships off the China coast. Lt. Mikell scored a near-miss with his delayed fuse bomb; Lieutenant Francis Thompson strafed the ship; the flight leader scored a hit amidships. No. 134 rolled over to starboard and sank, her surviving crew abandoning ship to the shark-infested waters. No. 1 was also skip-bombed and sank. Amatsukaze was beached a mile away on a reef, but slipped stern-first into the sea and sank.

Gilbert Casse


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 1:32 pm 
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The Model Art Ship Modeling Special #45 does have a large section in Japanese devoted to the Kaibokan, 46pp. There are four (4) 1/700 builds of each class, in different fits, which would be very helpful, I would think.

I used to have a link to a Japanese modeler who specialized in the escorts but, it seems to have been disconnected. I will continue to look.

In the meantime, we do have some examples in the gallery -

1/350

A detailed PitRoad Nomi (Mikura class) by Max Hecker: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Another nicely turned out PitRoad Ukuru Type A 1945 by Adrian Koh: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm

There is also a work-in-process by "Finland's Johnnie" from a while back of the PitRoad kit as Ikuna (Ukuru class): viewtopic.php?f=59&t=96932

A well done PitRoad Ukuru Type B "Okinawa" by Anthony Polychroniadis: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm

An extremley well executed & detailed PitRoad Ukuru kit as the nameship "Ukuru" by Leo Jaudenes: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm


1/700

A nice PitRoad version as a postwar PL-06 by Frank Spahr: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

A PitRoad Ukuru by Anthony Perrotta: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Two very nice PitRoad Type C escorts (early & late versions) by Lars Juel Mosbaek http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

A nice, simple out-of-the-box build of a Tei (D) version by Tom mp44: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=157273&p=635704#p635704


Last edited by Dan K on Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:31 pm 
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Question I have seen pics of Ukuru class ships with just steel decks and no linoleum on the decks as depicted on some of the skywave pit road box art. Is this true or just a outdated thinking?


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:02 am 
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sandy wrote:
Interesting subject.

Image


You can see the results (and more of the series) here:

http://www.fold3.com/image/#29017316
http://www.fold3.com/image/#29018120


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:23 pm 
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Yes to the linoleum on the main deck. While there aren't many overhead photos of these ships, it so happens that the photo posted by Gilbert, and linked by Mike, is one of a dozen in a series on that specific attack. Two of the photo are clear enough to make out some linoleum tie down strips, around the forward & aft main mounts.


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:40 pm 
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Here -


Attachments:
342-FH-A2726 crop small.jpg
342-FH-A2726 crop small.jpg [ 141.88 KiB | Viewed 9171 times ]
342-FH-A2786 small.jpg
342-FH-A2786 small.jpg [ 149.81 KiB | Viewed 9171 times ]
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:05 pm 
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Thanks for the pictures! I've seen the shot of the capsized escort, but the other pics are new to me. Incredibly close passing by those bombers!! The armament in this case is clear, two twins next to the bridge, two triples next to the funnel and two single AA on the centerline.

But I can not make out any linoleum strips! The forecastle (lower pic) clearly shows the 'riffled' steal, but i'm not sure with the stern...


EDIT: there were one C and one D type under attack (+sunk) that day and the pictures are mixed, the photos don't show the same ship. The "D type" in the front shot seems to only have one 22-go radar "horn" on the foremast, how can that work?? The ship in the upper pic (C Type) has two horns trained to starboard.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:47 am 
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Well, as I mentioned, there are about 12+ photos in the sequence and they do appear mixed between types. In the stern photo, enlarge it. You can just make out the linoleum tie-down strips around the gun mount, running diagonally from the upper right to the lower left.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:14 am 
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Dan K wrote:
Well, as I mentioned, there are about 12+ photos in the sequence and they do appear mixed between types. In the stern photo, enlarge it. You can just make out the linoleum tie-down strips around the gun mount, running diagonally from the upper right to the lower left.


The stern photo is of the C type Kaibokan; I can barely make out the strips around the gun - but anyways, they are less wide than those molded onto the Pit-Road kits. I usually give the older escort classes (Shimushu, Etorofu, Mikura) the linoleum decks and make grey steel decks for the later Ukuru/C/D classes.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:56 am 
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For all ships, linoleum tiedown brass strips are 30mm wide. So, in 1/350, that's what, 0.085mm? It's all overscale.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:52 pm 
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I found one more, oblique photo of the rear deck linoleum. There is a postwar photo of Shisaka (Ukuru Type) tied up along side Yukikaze. I cropped the photo and I believe you can make out the linoleum strips in this photo. At least, I can :smallsmile: .


Attachments:
Shisaka - Ukuru Type 1944 colorized.jpg
Shisaka - Ukuru Type 1944 colorized.jpg [ 110.53 KiB | Viewed 9063 times ]
Yukikaze & Shisaka postwar #4.jpg
Yukikaze & Shisaka postwar #4.jpg [ 61.98 KiB | Viewed 9063 times ]
Shisaka aft, postwar crop 2.jpg
Shisaka aft, postwar crop 2.jpg [ 148.83 KiB | Viewed 9063 times ]
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:33 am 
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Thanks Dan! Those are great pictures - never seen before.

The linoleum pindown strips are evident in this picture. And the coloured photo clearly shows the armament of this late-war Ukuru type, but it has not yet gotten a No-13 radar at this time. As Shisaka was commissioned in 12/44, this must be a shot taken during her maiden voyage or shortly after fit-out.

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:39 pm 
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G'day guys :wave_1:

Santa has left me a PitRoad 1/350 scale IJN Escort Ukuru Type -A kit. Not sure if that means I have been nice or naughty.

The instructions are in Japanese. I have been able to work out the majority of the instructions but, even with years of watching repeats of Shintaro and the Phantom Agents, I am having a little bit of trouble with a couple of them.

I have circled (badly) the parts of the instruction I am unable to decipher. Is there anyone out there that translate them into Australian or at least English? :heh: :heh: :heh:


Attachments:
Ukuru Instructions 002.jpg
Ukuru Instructions 002.jpg [ 183.41 KiB | Viewed 8262 times ]


Last edited by rotley on Sun Dec 29, 2013 2:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:23 am 
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You're going to have to post a bigger photo than that, sir! Note that it take sup 22kb right now - our limit is 200 kb, so you got a lot more room to spare!

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 2:43 am 
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Timmy C wrote:
You're going to have to post a bigger photo than that, sir! Note that it take sup 22kb right now - our limit is 200 kb, so you got a lot more room to spare!


Hmmm. Managed to select the smallest resized pic to upload the first time.

I replaced it with one that is about 180kb but still not looking that clear. May need to break it up into separate pics.

Rod


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:44 am 
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Well, I don't read Japanese but I do have the Ukuru Type B instructions. I believe the first highlight refers to placement of the rudder, the second may refer to the waterline and the third seems to be a variant for the aft 25mm AA sponson supports. My two cents worth.


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