Request for assistance - HMS Laforey

[Unicorn]

Good evening all,

I am preparing to set out on the build of HMS Laforey in 1:72 scale.

The accompanying image represents the ship as she was in the Med shortly before she was sunk. It's a striking scheme and I would like to build her in this camouflage scheme.



The image was taken in late 1943 or early 1944 I believe.

Would anyone be able to suggest the appropriate colours from White Ensign's paint range to represent her as seen here?

Many thanks

Unicorn

[Anthony P]

Norman Friedman, in his RN destroyer book captions this image as "HMS Laforey at speed off Pantellaria, June 1943".

Watch out for different radar fits over her life.

Colours from the WEM range are matt black (C 02), MS2 (RN 05), AP 507C (RN 03), AP 507A (RN 01), Semtex (research or take your pick ) and antifouling hull red (RN 19)

One of my favourites. The last chariot of "Beaky" Armstrong and a lovely choice for a build. My puny little WEM 1/350 version should be done in a month or so, but I would really like to see it in 1/72! Keep us posted!



Anthony

[Unicorn]

Found this which seems to cover the period in question. Needless to say the photo taken in the Med is quite misleading, making it look like the base colour is very light, almost Western Approaches white.



Would the scheme be the same on the port side?

Mike

[Anthony P]

Hi Mike,

What you seem to have there are the WEM painting instructions for their Laforey.

I have no direct answer to your question regarding the other side of the ship, but I painted both sides identical in mine by inference: in Alan Raven's Warship perspective series most of the camouflaged destroyers featured, which were either of the same class or operated in the same theatre with similar camo schemes, Mr Raven noted in many profiles that the "port side pattern was identical". To give you an idea, he mentions Janus in 1940 and 41, Jervis and Kandahar in 1941, Matchless in 1942 and Milne in 1943 as having identical patterns in theatres as diverse as Western Approaches and the Med -and I have not attempted to present you with an exhaustive list.

HTH, Anthony

[tjstoneman]

I'm not sure that LAFOREY's port side camouflage scheme was a mirror image of her starboard side as in the June 1943 photo. I've seen photos of five other destroyers in schemes which most resemble that style of camouflage (NORMAN, QUALITY, QUEENBOROUGH, QUICKMATCH and QUIBERON) - a scheme described by Alan Raven as being developed for the Indian Ocean by Claude Muncaster. Of these, photos exist of both sides of four of them, showing different patterns on each side of the ship (I've only got a drawing from a reliable source of QUEENBOROUGH's stbd side, which is different from a photo of her port side). I'm not sure that this was the same style as any of the ships Anthony mentioned: the JANUS, JERVIS and KANDAHAR drawings in Warship Perspectives show those ships in what has been described as the "Alexandria" type schemes, MATCHLESS is in a Western Approaches scheme and MILNE is shown in a standard design carried by large numbers of Emergency Fleet destroyers.

Tim

[dick]

I agree with Tim that it is unlikely that the port side of the scheme worn by Laforey in June 1943 was identical to the starboard side. Laforey and Lightning both emerged from UK yard refits in this particular scheme in November 1942. Here are a couple of pictures of the starboard side of Lightning which looks to have been very similar/identical to Laforey in this scheme:

Lightning Bone Jan 43 b.JPG

Lightning Bone Jan 43 d.jpg

In the illustrations at page 128 of Peter C Smith�s book �Fighting Flotilla� there is a picture of Lightning�s port side in this scheme and it is not identical to the starboard side. I would strongly suspect that that is what Laforey�s port side looked like too.

[Unicorn]

Hi Dick,

I have the new printing of that book, with images from Page 160. The only port side shot of Lightning states it's a North Atlantic scheme, implying that it is Western Approaches colours.

Mike

[dick]

Hi Mike,

The caption in my (1976) edition of the book reads �Lightning with dazzle scheme for Atlantic�. Assuming that the photo has not been changed in the reprinted edition you have, I would not describe this as a dazzle scheme or a Western Approaches scheme. As best I can tell, according to my reference books, what Laforey and Lighting were in was an Admiralty Disruptive Pattern scheme. As Tim has said, it is very similar to a scheme worn by Norman and some of the Q class destroyers, a scheme which Alan Raven says was intended for ships serving in the Indian Ocean.

To avoid possible confusion, I have now found a better quality photo of Lightning�s port side in the scheme I am referring to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dickfalmouth/Lightning#

Best wishes.

[Unicorn]

Now that is a lovely image.

It states 1942, you believe it didn't change between then and June 1943?

Short of an appropriate port side shot of Laforey turning up I will try and go with something similar to Lightning's port side.

Thanks

Mike

[DrGonzo]

Just stumbled upon this thread and thought I'd ask how you have progressed on this project. My grandfather served, and survived the Laforey and you've got my attention!

Cheers!

Dana

[Tracy White]

I hope you get some good news, but it looks like Unicorn hasn't been here for a bit:
Last visited: Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:47 am