Calling all "Big 5" Tennessee-class & Colorado-class fans

[53dreadnought]

Hi there. What kit / maker / source/cost was this West Virginia kit? These were such beautiful ships. Your model is looking great. I would look at ebay item # 400060784362 USS California. As I recall the upper, aft cage masts were painted "soot black" because the smoke and soot from the ships stacks covered them in black soot anyway. The picture of the California seems to confirm this. Best Wishes, please send the info to Frank Hauck at frankwhauck@netzero.net

[j leyland]

Back in the early 80's when I was building the USS California for my "Old Navy" diorama, I read somewhere that the dark color for the after cage mast above the searchlight platform was a very dark "Navy Blue". The source was probably a Warship Pictorial monograph and should probably not be regarded as too reliable in light of later research, but it is so close to black that it doesn't make much difference. John Leyland

[djandj]

OK Gang - need some help. I'm working on a Midship Models 1/700 California. (a real mess of a kit btw).

Some models show her with a large square fire director above the main bridge, (http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html) and others show her with a smaller range finder type set up (i.e. no PE box) I'm trying to do her in 1940/41. Does anyone know when she had the big square thing? Also the kit has no provisions for the 5" guns along the side, did she have them in 40/41? Anyone have any useful pics they know about?
The kit is of no help

Thanks,

David

[Timmy C]

In case anyone's interested, HNSA has now posted PDF files for the Big 5 - a complete set of hull lines for the Colorado in 1922 and a General Booklet for West Virginia in 1939: http://www.hnsa.org/doc/plans/index.htm

[Timmy C]

As for California's radar, Navsource has a series of photos of her during the Pearl Harbour attack. Here's one of the better ones showing how it should look:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/014427.jpg

As you can see, it resembled more of an empty square rather than the elaborate lattice that Rob used on his model (no offence to him!). IIRC, the one on Cali was a CXAM, whereas the one Rob used was a CXAM-1, a later model.

[MartinJQuinn]

Salvaged and repaired WeeVee off Pearl Harbor, April 1943

[MartinJQuinn]

Some photos of a Pre-War WeeVee, scanned at the National Archives from RG 19LCM this past January (2011).

19LCM 466160

BS103336

[MartinJQuinn]

Some photos of WeeVee, post Pearl Harbor, but prior to her rebuild. Scanned from RG 19LCM from the National Archives this past January:

[denstore]

I recently obtained the beautiful ISW West Virginia kit, and I'm thinking about how to paint her. I would prefer something lighter than the MS1 she is recommended to be painted in. How much backdating would be necessary to paint her in a light grey scheme?

[Timmy C]

A trio of photos taken by Walter E. Frost in Vancouver of USS Tennessee - no date listed:
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uplo ... A30499.jpg
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uplo ... A30500.jpg
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uplo ... A30501.jpg

[Timmy C]

For reference, here is John Leyland's article on how he scratchbuilt cage masts for his 1/700 BB-44: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Should be useful guidance when tackling Trumpeter's Colorado.

As to the material, John wrote this much later on SN:

After I wrote the piece referred to above, I remembered that the wire used was bare copper wire from an old door bell coil, but I don't have a sample to measure the diameter. Hope this helps, John

[HvyCgn9]

Does anyone know of a good set of a full hull frame drawings for the post 1941 USS West Virginia?? I have they Colorado hull lines pre Pearl hull I would like to do her as a future project one day and research is GOLD!!

Bruce

[SeanF]

So, now that we have the Big 5 appearing in styrene in 1941 fit, is there any consensus (yeah... sure there is...) on 5-D vs. 5-S for each of them?

Looking at Martin's post on page 2 of this topic, I think he makes a pretty good argument for Maryland being in 5-D (particularly since the color seems to match that of the Oklahoma's boats, and as far as I recall no one has ever argued that OK wasn't in 5-D at the time. Though maybe her boats weren't for some reason...?)
California looks very dark in pretty much every photo I've seen, so I lean toward 5-D.
West Virginia got scorched, but many surfaces still look the same as those on the Tennessee. I lean toward 5-S on both of these, with a painted deck on TN (based on the overhead shot of the ruined battleship row) - but a deck blue, or some kind of gray?

- Sean F.

[Andrew D BB39 Sec]

Anyone know of any photos of Maryland's (slight) damage at PH from 7 December?

[Andrew D BB39 Sec]

Okay, lemme ask this one, then. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in looking at the photos of the Maryland at PH on 7 December, it looks very much as if the 16" guns did not have the "blast bags" fitted at the base of the barrels in the turret opening. Or, at least, not on the front two. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks!

[Timmy C]

Pretty clear from this image that she does not have blast bags on the forward turret. She also lacks them on the third turret, which would suggest she does not have them on any of the turrets.

[JTninja]

Edit, Timmy beat me

Okay, lemme ask this one, then. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in looking at the photos of the Maryland at PH on 7 December, it looks very much as if the 16" guns did not have the "blast bags" fitted at the base of the barrels in the turret opening. Or, at least, not on the front two. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks!

The main turrents did not have blast bags, correct.

http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/ref/a ... b46_d3.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 306553.jpg

[Timmy C]

Your photos are better, though!

[Andrew D BB39 Sec]

Is there anything at all beyond the typed damage report to help model the slight damage to the Maryland at PH? Such as the exact location of the 2 bomb hits and how visible the damage would have been externally?

[Andrew D BB39 Sec]

I'm trying to figure out how to model Maryland's damage for a diorama of the Mary and the Okie after the Dec 7 attack, which was so minimal, but must have had some external signs. Here's what I've found from the action report (excerpts):

Shell and Bottom
Hole about 18"x22" frame 10 port about 22 feet below water line;
Numerous smaller holes between frames 9 and 20 mainly below turn of the bilge and concentrated near frame 14.
Hold Deck
A-103-A (sails and awnings) badly wrecked; site of high order detonation; deck, after bulkhead (frame 15) and starboard bulkhead holed.
Damage aft of frame 15 on this deck believed limited to flooding in general.
Second Platform Deck
Damage from flooding mostly; deck of A-201-A wrecked from below.
Main Deck
General wreakage between frames 9 � and 18.
Upper Deck
Deck needs renewal from frame 9 to frame 15, topside gear such as anchor chains, paravane chains, hatches and coamings, gouged and holed by fragments and splinters.
Loss of #3 motor launch which was destroyed by fire due to burning oil on water.


I'm not expert enough to know where the frames are other than that I assume the frames start at the bow with "1" and go up as you head astern. "Deck Renewal" I assume is redoing the wood of the deck, so I need to figure out where to put some plank damage.

"General Wreakage" on the main deck, I'm assuming that's the deck where turrets 3 & 4 are, but wherabouts would frames 9 1/2 and 18 be?

Things like the "sails and awnings," well, is that the canvas stretched over some of the BB's bows and sterns for sun relief? Except I don't see them on the Mary....

"Deck of A-201-A wrecked from below", I assume is bomb damage headed upward from the blast, but is that an interior or exterior deck?

And the motor launch, is that the type with the little roof coverings for officers? And, was it destroyed on the water, or was it still aboard ship?

Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks!