PeteM wrote:Its actually AOTS, short for "Anatomy of the Ship". a series of books published by the Naval Institute Press. Heres the Wikipedia page that describes them and gives a list of the book in the series:
Hello Tracy. That is the first I've heard of that fleet painting recommendation for late war carriers. As always Bravo on your research. However, in the Glenn Arnold's "Warships Perspective", on page 14, the picture shows the later electronics update (May 45') definately still in a 3-color 33-10a pattern. The lightest color still appears to be 5-p, 5-l at worst. Unless this photo (and one other I've seen in Floating Drydock's "camouflage II" (page 39) of late war Yorktown (both of which I'm sure you are well aware of) are terribly mis-captioned, I still conclude Yorktown never effected those particular 'fleet instructions/recommendations'. Happy modeling!
Does anyone know if WWII USN aircraft carrier 20mm guns had external ammo storage lockers or internal storage compartments in the gallery deck near the gun mounts?
This is CV_9 following a kamikaze hit; you can see clipped drums are hanging from the bulkhead inboard. Clipping rooms were inboard of this, under the flight deck.
Ooops...accidently posted a new topic when I should have posted here. I am currently building CV 17 as she appeared in late January 1945 after her refit. I am using the Trumpeter 1/350 USS Franklin as the base kit. I have a good reference CD that I bought, and I have a question. Just aft of her stack there is a mast with what appears to be a "crow's nest" at the top. Can anyone tell me what this is? Thanks.
Timm Smith Learn something new about the ship or your job every day. Ignorance is not bliss aboard a warship in wartime. Ignorance could cost the life of yourself, a shipmate, or the loss of the ship.
- Personal Information Booklet CV- 38
I'm building the 1/700 Hasegawa ESSEX to the 1942 as commissioned. Looks like I should have done a 1945 out of this kit. I have reworked the starboard side, removing all sponsons & main deck guns, reworked the stern reducing the sponson to a single quad 40 offset to port sponson & fire direction tub on it's own smaller sponson, opened most of the hangar bay doors, scratchbuilt the hangar deck as the kit had none. There are lots of other details that are not correct that I probably will not do. However - Does anyone know whether the Forward port sponson where the atwartship catapult would have been (ESSEX was commissioned with no catapults at all) - is it flat bottomed or did it have a supporting angled sponson. The drawings I have show it both ways and I've been unable to verify this. Also, the doors on this side of the model are all wrong I believe. On the same sponson - were the doors the same as the forward Starbord set? If they were, I'll need to scratch these also, as the kit shows a 3 door set with the tops even. The rest of the doors I'll leave as is.
Thanks in advance for any info.
EJ
" 1/700Hasegawa 45
" 1/700Dragon 44
" 1/700Trumpeter 43
" 1/540Revell vintage 62
" 1/350Trumpeter 42
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Sounds like the doors in question were the ones installed on the long-hulls and later short hulls that didn't have the hangar cat. I'm not in a position to look over the sponson in question but I don't think I've seen a port-side platform on the class that didn't have the angled structure underneath. There were flat platforms on the starboard side later in the war, but they were for underway replenishment.
Thanks Tracy. That was my feeling as well. I believe I'll rework the doors to the 5 door arched top config like the ones in the stbd side. I'm sure the sponson itself had the angled support at least after the 44 refit to support the two quad 40's, but probably also at commissioning. I was just looking for confirmation on that. I think I'll rework that as well. The fairing under the sponson was changed completly after the SCB-125 so it looked like an extension of the hull. That's what I remember when I was on it, 1961. Many of the rest of the hangar bay doors on the port side on the kit are either not located correctly or non existant, but I think I'll leave them alone. It'l be a hybrid of sorts.
Thanks for your help.
EJ
" 1/700Hasegawa 45
" 1/700Dragon 44
" 1/700Trumpeter 43
" 1/540Revell vintage 62
" 1/350Trumpeter 42
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Tracy White wrote:Sounds like the doors in question were the ones installed on the long-hulls and later short hulls that didn't have the hangar cat. I'm not in a position to look over the sponson in question but I don't think I've seen a port-side platform on the class that didn't have the angled structure underneath. There were flat platforms on the starboard side later in the war, but they were for underway replenishment.
I found a pretty good photo in "Aircraft Carriers Vol I" Norman Polmar, page 267, ESSEX Port side view, taken Feb 1 1943 at Hampton Roads. I can't find many Port side shots of pre 1944 refit ESSEX.
EJ
" 1/700Hasegawa 45
" 1/700Dragon 44
" 1/700Trumpeter 43
" 1/540Revell vintage 62
" 1/350Trumpeter 42
Fair Winds and Following Seas
I looked at some photos I have last night and I can confirm that Essex's port side platform did have a fairing underneath it. The angles are such that it's hard to make out the exact shape, but it appears that the platform did not cover all five of the roller doors. It looks like it either covered the inner three doors or all five but only a limited portion of the first and fifth. It is trapezoidal in plan form. Also, the fairing underneath comes up from the hull at an angle but meets a purely vertical piece that drops down from the edge; looks to be about the same thickness as the vertical section that drops down from the Foc'sle deck.
Thanks Tracy. I've got the stern done and will now do the Port sponson. Have cut out the doors and re done them - not so bad a job. Could you spot me a picture?
EJ
" 1/700Hasegawa 45
" 1/700Dragon 44
" 1/700Trumpeter 43
" 1/540Revell vintage 62
" 1/350Trumpeter 42
Fair Winds and Following Seas
No can do; I had to purchase them with a usage agreement that prohibits sharing. Drop me a line via e-mail though and I can probably hook you up with them fairly cheaply or maybe swing a deal otherwise.
Timm Smith Learn something new about the ship or your job every day. Ignorance is not bliss aboard a warship in wartime. Ignorance could cost the life of yourself, a shipmate, or the loss of the ship.
- Personal Information Booklet CV- 38
First of, I wish you all a Great 2009 !
Secondly, and the reason why I came here... As some of you (probably) already noticed, I�m attempting a 1/72 build of Yorktown, as she appeared in early to mid 45 (not yet decided). Now, I�m in the process of building the "island", and my doubt is to know if there were any perforated type catwalks around the "island". I�ve seen and analyzed some pictures, and it seems to me that they existed. There seems to be some kind of a mix-policy for the catwalks. Some of the solid type, others are perforated. Can anyone help me figure out where each type should go ? Thanks.
It was mixed. One of the easiest ways to look is by examining the shadows underneath the platforms. You can barely see in this Navsource photo that there is a speckling underneath the platform with the railings.
*Generally* it has appeared to me that if it had a splinter shield, it was solid, but if it had railings, it was pierced.
Timm Smith Learn something new about the ship or your job every day. Ignorance is not bliss aboard a warship in wartime. Ignorance could cost the life of yourself, a shipmate, or the loss of the ship.
- Personal Information Booklet CV- 38
Question?
Found this photo labled ESSEX. Could this actually be Enterprise? The deck shows a 9 but I think the original numbers at the bow were reversed for bow landings thus would be a 6. The rest of the ship is all wrong for ESSEX I think.
EJ
USS ESSEX 9_600x467.jpg
" 1/700Hasegawa 45
" 1/700Dragon 44
" 1/700Trumpeter 43
" 1/540Revell vintage 62
" 1/350Trumpeter 42
Fair Winds and Following Seas
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