Hi everyone,
Well, after a long break, I'm back to work on the LCI, after a sort. If you've looked at the MW gallery, you've seen that I recently completed a 1/72nd scale model of the USS Clarion River, which I built for a gentleman who was the former Engineering Officer during the Viet Nam war. That model took an enormous amount of my time, especially as it got closer to the date when I was due to deliver the model.
I've had a number of irons in the fire lately, which have also taken time away from this model. In the area of work on other models, I've recently completed a conversion of the Revell 1/144th scale LSM into a model of the Clarion River (LSMR-409). As you might recall, I know many former crewmembers of the Clarion River and many of them have asked for models of their ship. This recent conversion has already yielded additional requests for models, which is sure to keep me busy.
Also, I've been attending military reunions throughout the summer. And, to top off the distractions, I've been on the road all month for my employer. Fortunately, I've been able to do a little bit of work on details for the model while on the road. In today's update, I'll show you progress that I've made on the stern anchor winch. First, let me address a question from Dave Henning:
dhenning wrote:
Do you have any references that show the locations of the fire hoses on a 351 class LCI?
I'm sorry for not answering sooner, and perhaps my answer is too late. I don't have any drawings with me that show the locations, but here are a couple photos I found:
Attachment:
File comment: Photo of LCI(G)-456 courtesy of Navsource.org. Inboard of the port gunwale is what appears to be a fire hose reel.
LCI(G)-456 04a.jpg [ 397.33 KiB | Viewed 1097 times ]
Attachment:
File comment: Photo of LCI(L)-561 courtesy of Navsource.org. A firehose station is on the aft port superstructure.
LCI(L)-561 01.jpg [ 92.57 KiB | Viewed 1097 times ]
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File comment: Photo of LCI(L)-486 courtesy of Navsource.org. A firehose station is on the forward port superstructure.
LCI(L)-486 04 (2).jpg [ 145.81 KiB | Viewed 1097 times ]
From the variety of locations shown in various photos, there may not have been standard locations, but I'll look into that more and update you if I find other references.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the winch:
Attachment:
File comment: Here are four winches I've scratchbuilt. I have several LCI's in progress, so I set up an 'assembly line.' The winch on the left front will go on the waterlined LCI. Since the model will be in a beached setting, the engine needs to be exposed. The other three winches will be installed on models in the 'at sea' status, with the engine covered by a tarp, so I don't need to add engine detail. The wire spools will be added later.
winches.jpg [ 251.58 KiB | Viewed 1097 times ]
John