All - the reason for my inquiries is that I've been making some Shipbucket drawings of the various class. Right now I am focused on LAFFEY. I've read through this entire thread and assembled a folder with as many images as possible, but need some help from the experts to confirm a few details.
This is the ship as it would have appeared in September of 1942. Notable features I've assembled:
- Four 5"/38 Mark 12 guns in Mark 30 Mod 0 enclosed base ring type mounts.
- 1.1" Mark 1 quad aft to starboard, with a single 20mm Oerlikon to port.
- 20mm Oerlikon mounts abeam the aft funnel.
- Exposed funnel trunking on the aft stack, with a small catwalk above extending aft to the old #2 torpedo tube mount tower.
- 36" searchlight on the old torpedo tube foundation with tetrahedral riser, on a small platform abot 1' above the catwalk on its portside.
- Ready service cabinets abeam the torpedo tube foundation.
- No Mk.51 director for the aft 1.1" quad.
- Square 02 level on the bridge, with ready service locker ahead.
- .50-cal M2 water cooled machine guns ahead of the pilot house.
- Bridge wings slightly cut down aft, with pipe railing protecting the 24" searchlight operator.
- Thicker Bethlehem type mainmast.
- Small rounded splinter shield protecting the emergency conn.
- Canvas dodger (dyed blue) around the air defense level above the pilot house.
- Mark 37 director with Mod 2-9 "taper back" shield, Mk.3 slewing sight, and Mark 4 "FD" radar on early-type radar supports.
A few questions that arose from this:
1. Have I done the AA fit correctly? I can't tell if the mounts ahead of the pilot house are 20mm Oerlikons or .50-cals, but the smaller size of the splinter shield around it seems to suggest they are .50-cals and not the bigger 20mm.
2. Was a breakwater fitted aft of the first bank of torpedo tubes? On some later photos of BUCHANAN this breakwater is obvious, and it seems to direct water away from the two 20mm tubs abeam the #2 stack. I can't tell from any of the LAFFEY photos if it's present or not.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Ian