1/700 West Virginia 1941 & USS California 1941 (Pit-Road/TR)

[sdk10159]

Hi Dan,

I saw your finished diorama of the USS California in the gallery. Marvelous work.
I am just getting interested in 1/700 ships and I have a question. Perhaps you posted it in the build log, but I didn't see it. In one of the pictures, you the California up against those odd shaped mooring islands. I forget what their actual name. Did you scratch build those or were they aftermarket? I'd like to use them in some ship settings.

Steve

[Dan K]

Hey Steve -

So, those are mooring quays. Pearl Harbor was equipped with a ring of them around Ford Island to facilitate the docking of the Fleet's battleships and carriers. Almost any photo of Battleship Row back then shows them.

I can think of two sources off the top of my head, Model Monkey and Five Star.

Model Monkey carries 1940s era and modern versions:

https://www.model-monkey.com/product-pa ... quays-1941

https://www.model-monkey.com/product-pa ... appearance

Five Star carries three types:

https://www.hobbyeasy.com/cgi-bin/i8_us ... y_code=SHP

[sdk10159]

Dan,
Thank you very much for the links. Ah, yes, mooring quays. Now the brain cells are active.
Now that you mention it, I've only ever seen them in pictures of Pearl Harbor. I wonder why?

Steve

[FFG-7]

not enough big docks for the battleships to dock to?

[Dan K]

From the NPS site: https://www.nps.gov/perl/getinvolved/pa ... vation.htm

"According to a US Navy document, "the vital need for additional berthing space for capital ships at Pearl Harbor necessitated the development of 16 fixed moorings to relieve congestion. The moorings are � the first of this kind constructed. They provide berths similar to those at a pier at a greatly reduced cost. They economize on space and provide practically double the berthing for an equal area as compared to anchored moorings."