Calling all Iowa-class (BB-61) fans

[Fliger747]

Very much a work in progress. I built this originally 50 years ago from the old Sterling kit. Some twenty years ago I started converting it to a modern Missouri but time being a short commodity I didnt get too far. I did remake the hull, adding skegs and inboard shafts, dual working rudders, reformed the bow and forefoot to it's proper bulbous configuration, hand planked the deck and essentially rebuilt the foundations for the whole superstructure. Turrets, both 16 and 5 inch are scratch as are the directors.

Much to do, add the bilge keels, outboard shafts, doors, hatches and portholes, railings and a lot of small detail from my photos. And Masts, and...and...and...

Tom

[Fliger747]

Turrets etc still a big WIP, but you get an idea of the hand planked deckin in 1:19

[Wacko]

More pictures if you have them please.

Wacko

[Fliger747]

From continually examining my photos I find differences between the plan information I had when I built up the base superstructure years ago and the current as built. I know that some modifications have been made over the years, even after becoming a museum Ship, such as the re planking of the fantail. Every time she went into the yard, something got changed! Some from ship requests, armament and electronic evolution and who knows what. I'm not going to paint it till I get a lot more done. The main turrets still need addition of vents, hatches, periscopes, shell loading cranes, same with the conning tower fire control level. It's all scratch built so it takes time. I almost ran out of the resin cast chocks from years ago, leaving none remaining for the Alaska project.

I can probably take some more photos easily as the model is sitting on the drafting table in my studio at present, just been hauling parts downstairs to the shop for modification and addition. One thing the photos show is a plethora of drain pipe all over the superstructure, which is easy enough to add from sprue or wire and should add some convincing detail.

Will try for a few more photos, of both the model and the ship.

T

[Fliger747]

A couple of more photos of the model. From my photos on the ship a few more mods to make to the tower and midships structure.

[Wacko]

Thank you very much for the photos, They are now added to my collection. Will be watching for more updates as you post them. Again Thank you very much.

Wacko

[Fliger747]

One small difference that you can see from the above photo of the ships port bidge wing is the position of the ladder to the top conning tower level. The ear that protrudes, which is where the plans showed the ladder, is not there anymore. The lower ladder to the admirals bridge has it's opening covered and is not there anymore. Wonder when that happened?

Cheers: Tom

[Fliger747]

The converted Iowa's have a plethora of bracing to the various levels expanded on the "pagoda".

[Guest]

Thank you so much for sharing your photos.
I am starting to build another 1:192 scale Missouri and the photos will help to make my model better than the last one.
I d not have the money to go to Hawaii.

[Fliger747]

What vintage are you building? I am starting to suspect that there area few modifications to the museum ship that do no represent her at any time in comission. The biggest is probably the complete replanking of the fantail. Still trying to figure out what the proper positioning of the ladders between the admirals bridge and the navigation bridge are supposed to be, as they changed this apparently for the flow of tourists in a certain route around the ship.

Though a great attraction in Hawaii, it is indeed not so convinent as a mainland location, though there are other Iowas stateside. I am a pilot and get through there once in a blue moon. Thought I took enough photos, never enough!

Cheers: Tom

[DBlack]

This doesn't matter from a modeling perspective, but just as a point of interest: the Missouri didn't have her stern re-planked after becoming a museum ship. A small portion during her '80s reactivation was removed and replaced with a steel helipad (identical in layout to the ones on the Iowa and Wisconsin), and the rest of the aft 1/3 of the main deck was covered with non-skid. After she was decommisioned in '92, the non-skid was removed, revealing the wooden deck beneath.

[Fliger747]

In fact the fantail planking is new as compared to the forward teak decking. The planking is fastened to an underlying steel deck, the monkey motion of welding a steel deck over an existing wooden deck, which is bolted to a steel deck seems to be unlikely. Examination of a photo of New Jersey underway from the stern (in Summerall p 118) appears to show the partially planked fantail areas protruding above the steel decking.

The teak planking is fastened down with steel fasteners which are then covered by a wooden plug, to take the decking back up the plugs are pried out and the planks can be individually replaced. There is a photo in one of the websites dealing with the memorial which shows some of the docents laying down new planking over the steel decking. In fact while I was there the stbd side 04 level (a photo of this is above) is stripped down to the steel in preperation for replacing teak abeam the fwd fire control tower. One of the photos of the ship (an ariel) which I do not have (sorry) being towed into Pearl for the final time shows some of the fantail still in steel.

Next time I get out there I will ask one of the docents if they know anything about this, some seem to be quite knowledgable about the ship, possibly being retired from the Navy Yard. Certainly one of our Cargo guys in LA served aboard as a Bosun Mate and would know for sure.

Cheers: T

[Cliffy B]

BB-63 was getting part of her deck replaced aft of Turret 3 when I was there in April of '11. I think I have some shots of the area if anyone is interested.

[Fliger747]

Interesting actually from a modelling perspective. It would appear the ships differed at times. Stillwell's New Jersey book p-252 does appear to show the helicopter deck as being raised possibly a very small ammount 12=16"? over the original fantail. To install a structure such as this the planking would have been removed in the area to allow the underlying girders and structure to be attached to the underlying decking. Why would they do this? Perhaps to run fueling lines etc for aviation operations withput having to run them through berthing and mess spaces? The CPO quarters are directly below this portion of the aft deck. How far forward it runs and whether or not it stepped down is not currently clear. From examining the area around the chocks and bitts, vents etc, any raised area may have been concentrated aft and not extended forward too far. The further forward areas of the deck which are either stripped to the steel or painted do not appear to be raised. Not sure why other areas other than the immediate helicopter deck were modified except for parking of extra choppers?

Anyone have further photos of this area of the ship at various times? The current condition of the ship leaves few clues and this does not sem to be an often photographed area of the ship. Will look through my USS Missouri book as well ain addition to the reference book for Iowa and general Iowa class references.

Arrrrrrrrrr T

[Luky]

From personal experience wood in contact with steel on a ship in the ocean is a corrosion nightmare.
IF plastic or some material is put between the steel and the wood it helps keep the corrosion down.

[veliko_pile]

Hello,

I've purchased the new Pontos set and the Tamiya New Jersey. I have a couple dozen of photos I've found on google but you can never get enough reference photos, so if someone have some walkaround of the museum ship it would be great. I'm doing the ship as it was during the Lebanon war.

Btw, did all the drainage hole and plates remain the same during the last decommission? I can use the museum ship as a reference?

[Fliger747]

Off hand I would guess that the surface drain piping remained the same unless some structure was added or removed.

I looked at a photo in Stilwells Missouri book taken during he Gulf War taken from almost the same location as my photo, abaft the 163 turret which clearly shows the deck close up. There are tiedowns (for choppers or boats) spaced, and the whole area is covered with the thick, goopy cement like non skid. From the height to the bottom seams on the ventalators, the deck height is the same as today within an inch or two. That solves one issue. However looking at other photos the helicopter deck is elevated as one can see it stepping up from the planked extreme fantail when looking forward and also seen rising above the scuppers. What i wonder is how this transitioned from the slightly raised deck when moving forward. This seemed to vary ship to ship, time to time.

How do the Tamia Models handle this?

T

[Timmy C]

Tamiya ignores the raised helodeck - Revell got this right on their 350th model of NJ. However, in all other respects the Revell kit remains inferior.

[Fliger747]

Thanks Timmy: Surry is a nice area, went to grad school not so many miles South in Bellywash. Any idea how the fwd edge of the helo area terminated? On some of the ships it appeared to remain elevated and wrap around the ventelators aft of turret three.

Cheers: Tom

[Timmy C]

Do you mean the raised area or the dark grey area? For modelling purposes, each ship had their aft deck grey/wood border located differently, and differently at different times for the same ship. It is (subjectively, of course) important to pick precisely which ship at which time you are wanting to building your Iowa class in order to be accurate with the model. Some of this has already been discussed earlier in this (admittedly long) thread, so do go read through all of it in case you haven't already.