Calling all Allen M. Sumner-class & Gearing-class DD fans

[PMD724]

Would 90ft be about right for mast?
Now confused. Found another place says 30ft.

[FFG-7]

height of mast from what part of the ship, main deck, waterline & bottom of keel? top of which smoke stack, forward of aft?

[PMD724]

From top deck by bridge.
For lack of knowing proper name the same deck as smokestacks is attached. I'm building a model of the USS Laffey DD-724. I made one many years ago out of match sticks which was ok. Now wanting to make a better, more accurate one but hard to get good pics of the Laffey and dimensions. What I found, the mast would be 90 ft at that point. Sound, right? Making it with wood.

[Mike E.]

All:

Triumph Model will be releasing a 1/350 kit of DD-692 USS Allen Sumner with resin, 3D printed, and PE components. It looks marvelous, but I am wondering about the accuracy of the bridge area. Allen Sumner was initially built with a British-style bridge, but if you look at this build of the kit, there are two bulkheads that run fore to aft just inside the bridge wings and outside the Mk. 37 director platform that terminate toward the aft end of the bridge with D-shaped tubs surrounding what might be a large mounted naval binocular. I can't find any plans or photos that show the bulkheads and tubs. Is this correct? And for those who know this class well, does the model look accurate?

See photos below:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=13 ... 8742657607

For those who don’t have a Facebook account, see here:

https://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/page/data_ ... 35007D.jpg

Any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Mike E.

[Dick J]

The config is similar to that of the very earliest completed ships, but still has inaccuracies. As first designed, there was a narrow upper open bridge behind the pilothouse, and there were bridge wings at pilothouse level. But the narrow upper open bridge was about a half deck level higher than the pilothouse and bridge wings. The bulkheads you reference on the kit seem to be slightly too close to the centerline and don't seem to form the boundary between different levels. When the original bridge design proved to be too cramped, the bridge wings were essentially raised to the upper bridge level with the dividing bulkheads eliminated. This change proved to be insufficient, and so the bridge was totally redesigned into the late war config with an open bridge around the front of the relocated pilothouse. Most Sumners and all of the wartime Gearings completed to this last config.

[David Sandifer]

Hi, Mike on 11JUN and Dick on 13JUN,
I have the resin kit#YKM-35108 that, with help from Jon Warneke at Iron Shipwrights, I was able to modify to the JAN1944 Allen M. Sumner of the original British bridge (692-695 and 722-723) design. You're right about the bulkheads and D-shaped structures not being part of the original design, so a knife blade will eliminate those. Jon's bridge also has more portholes foward - three on the face and four on the obliques. Jon's also has a step down to the pilot house for that extra half deck.
There is a good description of the SIX British designs in Robert F. Sumrall's Sumner-Gearing Class Destroyers, ISBN 0 85177 657 4, on pp26-42.
Thank you for your comments about the new Triumph Model 1/350 kit. My curiosity in the 3D craftsmanship might lead to a new addition to the stash.

[MartinJQuinn]

Hi, Mike on 11JUN and Dick on 13JUN,
I have the resin kit#YKM-35108 that, with help from Jon Warneke at Iron Shipwrights, I was able to modify to the JAN1944 Allen M. Sumner of the original British bridge (692-695 and 722-723) design. You're right about the bulkheads and D-shaped structures not being part of the original design, so a knife blade will eliminate those. Jon's bridge also has more portholes foward - three on the face and four on the obliques. Jon's also has a step down to the pilot house for that extra half deck.
There is a good description of the SIX British designs in Robert F. Sumrall's Sumner-Gearing Class Destroyers, ISBN 0 85177 657 4, on pp26-42.
Thank you for your comments about the new Triumph Model 1/350 kit. My curiosity in the 3D craftsmanship might lead to a new addition to the stash.

We received one to review from Triumph models. Look for the review in the next few months on the main page.