Tony Bunch wrote:
Hi Guys,
The more you study, the more you learn; case in point the funnels.
I found that the DDG's funnel caps are partially closed on the top, there is a plenum divider, (for lack of a better term), and on some DDG's a "splitter" running longitudinally; not on DDG-22 from the 70's though.
The BuShips dwgs showed the WEM funnels short in height by .020", so I added a strip of .020 styrene atop the kit funnels and shaped the perimeter afterwards. Then, carefully opened up the tops and added the transverse divider.
Here you go: more accurate funnel cap(s).
Sources:
BuShips 1/96 drawings
RDB Photo CD of Adams DDG's
Numerous DDG pics from Navsource, TinCan sailors sites etc...
Happy Fathers' Day
Tony
In order to be more exact, the funnel was divided in two halves right untill the bottom of it. This is owed to the fact that the for half was for the 1a boiler and the aft half was for the 1b boiler. You could crall up the funnel right at the end of it from steps attached to the for and after ends of the internal part of the funnel. This was done in order to enable the cleaning of the funnel every external inspection of the boilers that was carried out every 18 months.
Moreover, the openings at the port and starboard sides of the funnel are the intakes of the forced draft blowers of each boiler.
When the ship was at port, the funnels tops were closed by placing tents on them. Those were tied to a bar that surrounded the funnel top at about one or two feet distance from the funnel end. There was also a bar attached right at the base of the funnel top as it clearly seen in the pictures posted by other fellow shipmates...
The steps for climbing to the chimneys were placed at for of every funnel . The steps to the for funnel started from the esm "balcony"at the main mast, whilst the steps of the aft funnel started at the base of the funnel and above the rope storage box, at the base of the replenishment boom...
Hope I helped...