Calling all Essex-class (WWII configuration) fans

[raser13]

I don't think they would have been protected by bollards but otherwise I agree with Steve. I suspect that *originally* they were to be within lockers, but experiences such as CV-2 Lexington's at Coral Sea changed things. For what it's worth, I came across a textual document today that ordered the removal of such lockers from CVL hangar decks. Dated mid to late 1943, no reason given.

nice! thanks for that info. i guese the guy that made the diagrams in the AOTS went with the original idea since it still shows lockers. i think #3 on the diagram that i posted above.

steve: My guess is that the fueling equipment was actually a fueling station composed of piping, valves and a hose similar, if not identical, to the fueling stations found on the gallery deck catwalks.

any pics of this area? or else where exactly are they on the ships so i can scour my referance pics to look for them? i know that in 1/700 it won't be really anywhere near acurately visible but i would like to get them a little better than the blobs of platic that represent them right now.

[Tracy White]

nice! thanks for that info. i guese the guy that made the diagrams in the AOTS went with the original idea since it still shows lockers.

Keep in mind this is educated guesswork on our part; he may be right and us wrong.

any pics of this area? or else where exactly are they on the ships so i can scour my referance pics to look for them? i know that in 1/700 it won't be really anywhere near acurately visible but i would like to get them a little better than the blobs of platic that represent them right now.

AOTS Intrepid, Page 80, G6.
USS Hornet - Damage to Ship's Structure. Memo dated 15 June 1945; left and center picture, top row, center picture, bottom row.

[simon b]

Alright

I have a 1/350 Yorktown ready to go. Would i be better gluing the 3 deck sections together early on. I think thats whats been happening aroung here. I'm uncertain as in the past when building the trumpy essexes i've had fit problems around the forward elevator well. I ended up removing the molded tab on the unside of the deck around the well.

I would appreciate any advice on 'not screwing up' if i was to assemble the deck together.

TIA

[Tracy White]

My advice on the deck:
Assemble it first before mating it to the hull. Essentially treat it the same way I did my Lexington CV-2 Deck. I'd shave off most of the alignment lines personally

[simon b]

Ok Tracy. Then all the details that go on the underside of the overhangs can be marked out inaccordance with the hull sides (after test fitting)?

Once these are in place they will lock the deck into its final position

Does this make sense ?

[ModelMonkey]

AOTS Intrepid, Page 80, G6.
USS Hornet - Damage to Ship's Structure. Memo dated 15 June 1945; left and center picture, top row, center picture, bottom row.

The two large cylinders appear to be filters, a very, very necessary component of any fuel system.

My advice on the deck:
Assemble it first before mating it to the hull. Essentially treat it the same way I did my Lexington CV-2 Deck. I'd shave off most of the alignment lines personally

Ok Tracy. Then all the details that go on the underside of the overhangs can be marked out in accordance with the hull sides (after test fitting)?...Does this make sense ?

Perfect sense. Tracy's technique worked well for my Yorktown. The detail I added to the hull sides showed me exactly where the flight deck overhang underside girders and other details needed to go.

[simon b]

Cool. I will be starting soon but after seeing all the details done by everyone else i got a little overwhelmed thinking about the sequence of working etc etc

I'm pieceing it together bit by bit

[ModelMonkey]

No worries, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. It just takes a while.

I hope to get mine done in time for the IPMS Nationals. That is looking less and less likely.

Although a lot of work to build, Trumpy's 1/350 Essex kits are far better than their very inaccurately shaped 1/350 Hornet CV-8. For the next project I'd like to tackle a mostly scratch 1/350 USS Enterprise CV-6 at Midway as a companion to Dragon's superb 1/350 Buchanan (Tim Dike rocks). I think it will probably be much easier to scratch-build most of the Hornet kit as Enterprise than try to correct the kit's hull and flight deck inaccuracies.

*Edit by Tracy* Spelling Correction

[simon b]

Sounds good steve

I've noticed a slight twist in the yorktowns hull. When i drop the hanger decks in place the join is slightly wider one side (not by much though)
Not sure if its best to secue the hull and glue the deck in place before adding the waterline plate of to just fill the gap and leave as is.

[raser13]

thanks once again for the input guys, i trust your guys educated gueses over most things on these ships. i missed the diagram on page 80 of the AOTS when i flipped through looking for them. and i didn't know what i was lookin at when i was looking at pics of the ship. i'll probably mock up two tubes like that and use some tin wire or sewing thread stiffened with glue to simulate the hoses. i like that idea better than a box of platic to be a locker anyhow. plus the build up of volitol jet fuel fumes in a locker don't make much sence to me either.

[raser13]

o.k. a while ago some one posted a link to a ship that some one did where they did the display in a clear plexi box as if the ship was on the water, and then an underwater sceen below(sorry i couldn't find the post/link when i quikly scanned the last few pages). well i went to the local hobby shop and found this clear plastic that pretty well replicates a rolling sea.



the only problem is that the ship happens to be a smidge longer than the plastic sheet.



so i got 2 of them. the question i have is, have any of you worked with this stuff before? if so what would you use to glue the two sheets together? super glue/CA and testors model glue turn it white. not good. and elmers white glue, while it does dry clear and look like the waves, it doesn't hold them together well enough. any sugestions?

[Tracy White]

I'd look into epoxy or maybe using acrylic gel medium.

[Timmy C]

Since you plan on using the wavy surface as the top of a box, perhaps it won't be necessary to join the two wave surfaces to each other - it might be enough to just join each of them to the top of the sides of the box.

[Essex]

Questions, questions, questions...

My new question: how works the paravane or more precisely the paravane track?

Looking the photos and drawings I don't understand, how can the paravane moved to the side? The track goes under the "boxy structure" and the paravane stoved vertically. In this postion the paravane can not be moved under the edge of the "boxy structure" because of its length. It's seems to me that the paravane is between the bulkhead and the track.

I have found only one possible solution: the paravane have to rotate into a horizontal position and so can be moved under the edge. There is a pulley on the drawing, maybe it can be use for this purpose. What do you think?

I will continue it in the next post because I can attach only three photos...

[Essex]

Paravane, part two...

At first some quotes...

From the page 39:

(There is a very good photo of Hancock by Tracy showing the paravane track.)

Would you happen to know if that paravane track continues under the flight deck and along the port side as well?

That said, I don't know that the rail went completely under the flight deck or what track it would have taken, but I would imagine that it did to facilitate moving Paravanes around.

From the page 75:

The two paravanes go on the forecastle mounted on the bulkhead outboard of the light labyrinths. According to AOTS mount them nose up.

I think the rail don't went from one side to the other. There are some objects that block the way, e.g. the light labyrinths and there is an inclined ladder too, see the AOTS drawing A7/2. It can be seen on the attached photo of Essex how the track ends.

It is interesting that at some ships this paravane track is positioned higher and goes around the "boxy structure" instead of under it!

About the sources: the mentioned Warship International No. 4 / 1999 is a special edition about the Essex class carriers.

[Winks]

What is the proper color for the hanger deck on the Essex in '43?
Thanks
Winks

[ModelMonkey]

how works the paravane or more precisely the paravane track?

The paravane track was used to move the very heavy paravane from its stowed position to it's launch position under the bulkhead davit. After use, it was then used to move the paravane back to its stowed position.

What is the proper color for the hanger deck on the Essex in '43?

Deck gray.

[Essex]

how works the paravane or more precisely the paravane track?

The paravane track was used to move the very heavy paravane from its stowed position to it's launch position under the bulkhead davit. After use, it was then used to move the paravane back to its stowed position.

It was self-evident for me but I don't know how can the paravane be moved along this track? How much does the paravane weigh?

[ModelMonkey]

How much does the paravane weigh?

Remember that the paravane itself is merely a large, winged, weight that pulls a cable away from the hull using the ship's bow energy wave to swing the cable clear of the ship. It is the cable that clears mines, not the paravane. Several hundred feet of cable is very heavy therefore the paravane must be heavy enough to act on the cable. Also, the paravane has to remain submerged in order for it to "swim" properly.

There are a few paravanes at the USS North Carolina Museum, two on deck and one off ship. I remember trying to lift the one off ship. It was merely resting on a cradle under its own weight. I am certain it would take several men to move one even with the aid of mechanical help.

I can't tell you exactly how heavy one is. The best answer I can give you is that a paravane is heavy enough to require an overhead steel track to safely move it around a carrier's forecastle.

how can the paravane be moved along this track?

There is a steel harness welded to the body with attachment rings. I am certain these rings were used to attach tackle to the paravane for lifting and towing purposes.

There are similar tracks in the hangar deck on the overhead and below decks near the machinery shops and magazines, at least on the modernized Yorktown as she now appears on Charleston, used to lift heavy equipment, bombs, torpedoes, aircraft engines, etc. They are basically large, steel I-beams. On these tracks is a dolly with four steel wheels that run along the I-beam fillet. IIRC, the dolly had one or two lifting points to attach tackle.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that men lost fingers moving that dolly along a track on a ship that pitched and rolled.

[Capt652]

Thanks Steve for the explanation on how a paravane worked. There were also left and right handed paravanes. In the reports of the shake-down on Shangri-la there are comments as to a paravane being 'installed' on the opposite (wrong) side and when deployed it continually steered the wrong direction and slammed into the ship's hull!

Capt652

PS. Steve, fantastic job on your CV-10 hanger deck!!