At 'Em Arizona Fans!

[Timmy C]

Great find Matt! Thanks for sharing that!

[Tracy White]

That's the new OPA system NARA's been working on phasing in. It's replacing ARC, which was limited in many ways, one of which being you couldn't link to results. I'm glad that's changed!

[nzmatt]

no problem..

i wasn't sure how its like in America for archives...but the plans seem old but good..

i am going to find out what they have on the uss midway as built..

glad the link helps!

cheers matt

p.s the uss George Washington is in Brisbane today!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shebalso/s ... 387869605/

[Tracy White]

The archives is working to put records online, but they have so much that they're not even going to scratch the surface in our lifetime unless their budget is tripled for that express purpose, or something similar. The BOGP is a decent quick reference, but is nothing like the shipyard plans. I've gone through a couple of sets at NARA II where they're held and you're talking about 20-30 rolls of microfilm per capital ship, and many multiple sheets up to 18 feet long if on paper / canvas. I looked into Arizona and her plans weren't turned over, but there is a set for the BB-38 class. It's 36 rolls of microfilm, with no index, so you just have to start with the first one and go through them all to find anything. There can be hundreds of individual drawings on each roll, and after a while you can get a bit dizzy from watching all of the side scrolling....

[nzmatt]

i bet...

i knew a friend of mine who use to deal with plans back home in nz..very long and thousands of them!

and i have a few here as well of ships..

yes the plans are good for reference.. bb38! maybe as built!! nara might have..

i bet the shipyard plans are very detailed!

[denstore]

Top half, but know that the split is NOT on the waterline and is about ten scale feet below that.

How much is that on the kit? About 8mm?

[Timmy C]

8.6ish, yeah. 10ft ~=300cm , 300cm/350 ~= 0.857cm ~= 8.6mm.

[kb466]

If it is 10 feet, that would be 3/5 or .60 of an inch in 1/200 scale.
Bill M.

[Tracy White]

I think the 200th Arizona is split at a different (more accurate) point, but I haven't measured it for a long time to be sure. I'll try and do a comparison this weekend.

[Andrew D BB39 Sec]

Just received belated news that USS Arizona survivor Ed Wentzlaff passed away on 10 September in Minnesota. He was the last survivor from the Arizona's aviation division. He was quite a guy.

11 now remain.

[Jeff Sharp]

Thought this may be of interest to some of you. This is a pic of the wrecked Arizona model which is at the Pearl Harbor Museum. For years I've been looking for a good view of the quarter deck gun tubs. This is the view I have been seeking. Notice the director tub next to the gun tub. If accurate, which I believe it is, then the 1/200 Trumpeter version of this director tub is SLIGHTLY too flat.

[Jon C Ryckert]

Jeff,
Here is a pic I took back in 2004. The director appears to be just a tad bit taller than the gun tub and it also appears to have had a lid/cover over the top. I'll check later to see if I have any more pics of that area. One thing that I seem to recall as it was hard to make out in person ( I'm sure I saw this) and I cant verify with the pic that I posted, is that the floor of the tub had a non slip pattern similar to what the USS Yorktown had in it's 1.1 aa gun tubs. I'll post a pic of the Yorktown tub later if I can find it on-line or I'll scan it from one of my books.

[Tracy White]

There was no tub installed; it was merely a circular platform on top of a post. If you look at this photo you can see that the gun tub has a shadow but the director platform does not - it's not a tub. I have not found drawings for it yet, but since it was for the Mk 49 Gun Director and Pennsylvania had them for a period, we can use her as a best guess for now. Check out Item #5 in this picture - the canvas-covered R2D2 is sitting on top of a platform the correct size as described in textual documents. So I'm pretty confident that Arizona's were at least 90% similar (ladders?).

[GMG4RWF]

There was no tub installed; it was merely a circular platform on top of a post. If you look at this photo you can see that the gun tub has a shadow but the director platform does not - it's not a tub. I have not found drawings for it yet, but since it was for the Mk 49 Gun Director and Pennsylvania had them for a period, we can use her as a best guess for now. Check out Item #5 in this picture - the canvas-covered R2D2 is sitting on top of a platform the correct size as described in textual documents. So I'm pretty confident that Arizona's were at least 90% similar (ladders?).

that's '43 post reconstruction (note the Mk38's) - Arizona never had a Mk49 - but the director may have been on a flat platform with guardrails (often depicted in model form looking like a "tub") but I would need to check.

[Jon C Ryckert]

Thanks for the clarification Tracy.

[Tracy White]

that's '43 post reconstruction (note the Mk38's) - Arizona never had a Mk49 - but the director may have been on a flat platform with guardrails (often depicted in model form looking like a "tub") but I would need to check.

No kidding - they weren't ready in 1941, but the Navy was preparing for them. They basically said to create a platform of X diameter (I've got the document at home and can't remember the exact dimensions. There were no guardrails. You can see the same sized platform on the navigation bridge level platform lacking guardrails. Since they weren't doing anything with these platforms yet, there may not have even been ladders up (which is why I'm only sure they're 90% the same). Different time period, but for the same director.

[Jeff Sharp]

There was no tub installed; it was merely a circular platform on top of a post.

Thanks Tracy. Do you think the post is as skinny as the one labeled as #5 that you referenced?

[Tracy White]

I have no reason to believe otherwise. It does "feel" skinny to me, but given the height and thicknesses of most masts, I think it was adequate. I have wondered if the ladders on Pennsy's installation were somewhat of a structural reinforcement in addition to access, though.

[MuseumGeek]

Does anyone know the radio call sign for the Arizona? For example, Pennsylvania was November, Alpha, Delta, X-ray.

Thanks for any leads!

Matthew

[OS1880]

November Alfa Bravo Whiskey