Calling all Brooklyn-class (CL-40) fans

[Dana M Bell]

Hi Tony,

No problems here - looks like you're on the money!

Cheers,


Dana

[Ian Roberts]

All,

Wondering if anyone has a USN camouflage design image for the USS Phoenix CL-46 in Measure 32/5d? I can't find the design anywhere.

Thanks
Ian

[ARH]

Can any one tell me what the markings and numbers where in the float planes aboard USS HELENA 1943

[MartinJQuinn]

Now this is cruiser, with a great camo pattern:

USS Philadelphia circa 1/42 - 80G 466237 NARA II via Jim Flynn

And here's one for Tim and the Admiral:

USS Helena circa 6/40 - 80G 465916 NARA II via Jim Flynn

[maxim]

@ Martin: the photo of Philadelphia is great!

Does someone have seen brass 6 in barrels in 1/700 for the Brooklyn class?

[Tony Bunch]

Hi Guys,
Nice catch Martin!
That's pre-war and Helena already has twin 5"38 mounts in place. I wonder what her DANFS time-line looked like, as all of the Brooklyn's I studied had the (4) 5"25 open mounts per side; 3 on the main deck and 1 on the 01 level platforms. I think it was Helena who slammed Comm'r Hara's Amatsukaze pretty handily in one of the many 42 surface skirmishes. Comm's Hara wondered why she was not taken under fire further and sent to the bottom. Comm'r Hara survived the war to write, "Japanese Destroyer Commander", an awesome book if there ever was. Comm's Hara surmised that the cruisers in the van, (that he sank or damaged 2 of that night), were not to separate but to continue on. Either that, or the US cruiser Capt. figured Amatsukaze was done for. Never before, have I read of so many human errors commited intentionally an unintentionally that did and did not have large historic value many years later.
I just talked to Lee Upshaw and he said Helena and St. Louis were both launched with the twin 5" mounts, (a unique variant), of "larger than the Porter, a true dual-purpose twin mount", that were never landed.
Take care guys, Tony

[DrPR]

Friedman's "U.S.Cruisers" also states that the St. Louis and Helena were constructed with dual 5"/38s. They had different engineering plants from the earlier Brooklyns, and were some of the first ships to receive 40mm antiaircraft guns.

Phil

[Dick J]

St Louis and Helena had a revised powerplant that restored the alternating machinery arrangement abandoned in the New Orleans and Brooklyn classes. Externally, this is seen in the different location for the prop guards compared to the position on the Brooklyns. It was hoped to save weight by equipping them with 5" 25 twin mounts, but since that gun was losing favor with the planners, the mounting would have been totally unique to the class, and therefore wasteful of design resources. So the 5" 38 was substituted. (Wichita received 5" 38's for a similar reason - her 4 enclosed singles would have never been repeated in later ships had they been 5" 25's.) While later ships had a modified twin 5" mounting, it was derived from the unique mountings on the St Louis class. But the upgunning put both the St Louis and Wichita designs on the very edge of the stability envelope. The St Louis design also relocated the after superstructure and revised the forward one when compared to the earlier Brooklyns. The first 4 Brooklyns had open-topped MK-33 directors as built, but the last three, along with the St Louis class, had the fully enclosed directors from the start. The Brooklyns had the early type MK-34 main battery directors which lacked the built-in rangefinder (and Vincennes of the New Orleans group had the same). The St Louis and Wichita groups had the later type with the rangefinder. The Brooklyn MK-34's were later modified to add the rangefinder, and that is why their MK-34's look different from those on all later classes.

[sandy]

Hi,

Are there any websites or books that you could recommend for information regarding specific Brooklyn class cruisers?

I am interested in Birmingham, Santa Fe and Wilkes Barre, the cruisers that came alongside burning US aircraft carriers. Are there any books about these ships, especially the Birmingham?

I have just read the very interesting book about the saving of the Houston, and have the book about the Nashville (not a Cleveland I know) and the diary of the sailor aboard Montpelier.

I also have the books regarding the attacks on Franklin and Bunker Hill which feature the Santa Fe and Wilkes Barre, but is there anything specific regarding the Princeton and Birmingham?

I would be interested in large scale plans of a Brooklyn (I will check Floating Drydock).

Thanks in advance.

Sandy

[DrPR]

Sandy,

I highly recommend "Night Work" by Fletcher Platt. It is the story of Task Force 39 (Cleveland, Columbia, Denver and Montpelier) in the Solomons. It is very well written. They are not Brooklyns but is is good reading about light cruiser action.

Phil

[sandy]

Hi Phil,

Thanks very much. I managed to track down a first edition copy here in the UK and bought it. Some very interesting photos in it of the cruisers in action at night.

Cheers.

Sandy

[Tony Bunch]

Hi Guys,
I'm always up for a good book.
I'll head to the local library today.
Thanks for the recommended reading, Phil.
Tony

[steviecee]

couldn't find it in any of the usual online sellers. is that the whole (correct) title?
thanks

[Timmy C]

Here you go, Steve: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1& ... force%2039
It's an old book, so slightly more tricky to locate.

[sandy]

Whoops, do I feel like an idiot.

I posted my post on the wrong thread.

Of course the Birmingham, Sanfa Fe and Wilkes Barre were Cleveland class cruisers.

I will post again over there. Apologies for those of you who thought my post was a bit odd.

All the best
Sandy

[corpsman]

I have two 700 scale kits of the Helena and wonder just how difficult it would to:
1. convert her to the St. Louis
2. Convert her to a Brooklyn.
Gus
Semper Fi

[Dick J]

St Louis should be fairly straight forward, being a full sister. But a Brooklyn would depend upon the kit, and how much of the resin superstructure is molded onto the hull. In any case, the superstructure would have to be 95% scratch built - there really wasn't much carryover between the two designs.

[corpsman]

Dick,
Thank you for answering my question - I will stick to building the entire St Louse class!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Gus
Semper Fi

[Kazec]

Dear all,

I am building the Niko 1/700 Helena kit, a beautiful kit indeed.

When i look into photos, I note that the upper row of portholes were not completely filed as the lower row but were covered by seal caps only. The below photo clearly shows them:



I would like to reflect this in my model, since the hull is quite sparse in detail. However, my profile morskie plan does not show the porthole locations, nor I can find a profile in the web for reference. So, I would like to ask if you have information on the porthole locations. Thanks.

[Cliffy B]

Take note of the shape of those caps too while you're at it! Friedman's Cruiser book has a large version of that photo and you can clearly see that they are OCTAGONS and not CIRCLES. Just an FYI Saw that the other day and found it interesting. Anyone else seen ships with covers like that? They are welded plates right?

Only reference I could point you towards that "might" answer your question is a set of drawings from Floating Drydock:

http://www.floatingdrydock.com/CHESLEY.htm
CL-50 1942 side and top down drawings in 1/192 scale for $10.

Don't know what they look like though and that's the only set for CL-50 on there.