Calling all Baltimore-class (CA-68) fans

[drjgilley]

I haven't even found it in resin kits to this point.(except for the Pittsburgh). That would be great if Trumpeter would release a 1/350 next year. Resin would be preferable but a plastic one from them would be good. Hopefully someone will match it to a PE kit at the same time.

Thanks for the input Timmy C.

James

[HvyCgn9]

G'day All,
here's a pic of a Southern Cross models 1/72 Baltimore hull alongside my CGN9at the Task force 72 Annual Regatta, this is the early square stern version (1st 4 ships of class) the remainder inc. Oregon City class ships have the rounded stern (the plug has been modified to that version and a new mold made....1st hull to be popped out shortly by Tim). The hull is fully detailed with plating and armoured belt with positions for all A frames and rudder carefully marked. Hull is 2.85m long x 0.30m beam $700 AU. This one will be built as USS Canberra CAG2 by a mate of mine. I only got the one pic as it was pretty wet....should have got some of the detail too.

Cheers Bruce

[HvyCgn9]

water wet or resin wet?

Water wet it was bucketing down.....lol

[drjgilley]

G'day All,
here's a pic of a Southern Cross models 1/72 Baltimore hull alongside my CGN9at the Task force 72 Annual Regatta, this is the early square stern version (1st 4 ships of class) the remainder inc. Oregon City class ships have the rounded stern (the plug has been modified to that version and a new mold made....1st hull to be popped out shortly by Tim). The hull is fully detailed with plating and armoured belt with positions for all A frames and rudder carefully marked. Hull is 2.85m long x 0.30m beam $700 AU. This one will be built as USS Canberra CAG2 by a mate of mine. I only got the one pic as it was pretty wet....should have got some of the detail too.

Cheers Bruce

That will an impressive build. You almost need a drydock due to the size. I am envious. Look forward to the result. Good luck.

James

[HvyCgn9]

Got my Oregon City/Baltimore hull from Tim at Southern Cross Models today (after having it shipped over 1900km) its sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!
This will eventually become USS Albany CG10....

Here are some pic's....

[Roger Torgeson]

If your looking for close up photographs of CG-10 try this web site. It's from the US National Archive and shows part of the 19-NN negatives collection, so far it appears to cover "A" to "D". If you type CG in the search block just below the National Archives Catalog you will find 9 pages of CG-10, CG-11 and CG-12 with close up views from the conversion to at sea images. I have downloaded a number of CL-119 Juneau II images with an average size between 2.8-3.3 MB Photos date from the mid 1947 to early 1966

https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=* ... Sort%20asc

Hope this helps you some with your build

Roger Torgeson

[DrPR]

Roger,

Thanks for posting that National Archives link. I didn't know that they had posted those photos on line.

Phil

[Roger Torgeson]

When I mentioned so far only �A� to �D� had been posted I should have added that means ship types/classification starting with AD Destroyer Tenders.

[HvyCgn9]

Was going a little bonkers over weekend....so I painted hull.....like I said bonkers!! its just some primer (red oxide and gray...with a bit of flat black for boot line!!) gonna rub it back again anyway before shafts go in. Will give her a bit of a ballast test at the pond soon to see how much weight will be needed.

Bruce

[Haijun watcher]

Hi all,

I'm getting the impression that Model Monkey's 1/700 USS St. Paul 1968 enclosed bridge and the USS Los Angeles 1968 enclosed bridge parts are only compatible with the Trumpeter 1/700 Pittsburgh 1944 kit since both had rounded-sterns or were members of the later group of the class.

Or could one really use it with either Baltimore 1943 kit or the Baltimore 1944 kit to depict the first 4 squared-stern ships of the class during the later decades of their career such as during the late 1950s, 60s/Vietnam-era onward?

[Rick E Davis]

The first four BALTIMORE class cruisers didn't serve as "ALL GUN" cruisers during the Vietnam War.

CA-68 BALTIMORE ... was re-commissoned 28 November 1951 and decommissioned on 31 May 1956
CA-69 BOSTON ... was converted to CAG-1 and then reclassified as CA-69 in May 1968 after her Terrier Missile Systems were "decommissioned", then she was decommissioned on 5 May 1970
CA-70 CANBERRA ... was converted to CAG-2 and then reclassified as CA-70 in May 1968 after her Terrier Missile Systems were "decommissioned", then she was decommissioned on 16 February 1970
CA-71 QUINCY ... was re-commissoned 31 January 1952 and decommissioned on 2 July 1954

So the bridges for USS St PAUL and USS LOS ANGELES would not have been seen on USS BALTIMORE or USS QUINCY. USS BOSTON and USS CANBERRA may have had similar bridges to those two, but the whole rest of the ship was configured differently.

[ModelMonkey]

Seeking authoritative, accurate dimensions of the 8"/55 cal. barrel fit to this class of ships, if known.

Best I have is "The Catalog" which is great for the turret but lacking for the barrel (see below). Hoping one of you experts knows accurate barrel dimensions (various diameters at key points along the barrel's length, and the exact position of where those diameters change).

If the information can be had, I'll design 3D-printed barrels for the Baltimores.

Thanks so much!

[kraut viking]

Hello, i am a relatively new member and this is my first post.

Question-does anyone have any photos of CA 68 after she received the 3" AA conversion in the mid-1950's? I have only one decent photo, and it is from a USS Lexington CVA 16 cruise book, but the photo shows only the forward half of the ship. I have done multiple searches but so far have come up dry.

I am hoping to build a 1/700 model of her in this configuration but lack of photographic evidence has me stopped.

Thank you.

[Dick J]

Not all of the Baltimore class received the 3" gun upgrade. The first 4 Baltimore's had the more square stern. To the best of my knowledge, none of the four received the basic 3" gun upgrade. Boston and Canberra did have 3" guns, but only after their conversion to guided missile cruisers. 2 of the later rounded-stern group also did not receive 3" guns. Fall River did not and Chicago did not prior to her conversion to a CG.

[Rick E Davis]

USS BALTIMORE (CA-68) never received the 3-in upgrade replacing the 40-mm guns. The USN didn't have enough of the twin 3-in rapid fire gun mounts to replace all the quad 40-mm mounts on every ship authorized to get them. Priorities were set and some cruisers didn't get them prior to being decommissioned. Neither USS BALTIMORE or USS QUINCY got the 3-in RFG mounts. They decommissioned 31 May 1956 and 2 July 1954 respectively.

I have an overhead view of USS BALTIMORE dated 15 May 1955, a year before she decommissioned, clearly showing that she still has quad 40-mm guns.

[DrPR]

Rick,

This is a bit off subject, but looking at the 1955 Baltimore picture I noticed that none of the quad 40mm mounts had the Mk 28 radars on the mounts that were part of the Mk 63 gun directors.

I have photos of some of the Clevelands with the Mk 28 installed on the 40mm mounts in late WWII. Was the 28/63 cancelled by the mid 50s? Were they ever installed on the Baltimores, or replaced by something else?

Phil

[Rick E Davis]

Phil,

A good question. I had not really thought about it much. I know that all of the cruisers that were upgraded with the 3-in RFG mounts also had their fire-control upgraded with Mk 56 GFCS units. The only CLEVELAND class all-gun cruiser upgraded with 3-in RFG mounts had Mk 56 GFCS directors was USS MANCHESTER (CL-83).

In looking as close a blown-up of the May 1955 image of USS BALTIMORE that I can, I can't tell what directors she has, but it looks like they could be Mk 57 GFCS directors. I have a couple of photos of KW recommissioned BALTIMORE's where the Mk 57 directors can be seen while they still had quad 40-mm mounts. It is hard to tell what GFCS are installed in many photos I have because they are covered with canvas.

The Mk 63 GFCS wasn't a very good system against modern aircraft and had been replaced on most ships by the mid-1950s. A major exception and the only cases I'm aware of, where the Mk 28 radar was installed on the 3-in RFG mounts, was on destroyers, particularly FLETCHER's. The Mk 63 GFCS was decommissioned and removed from USN ships in 1968.

[Mike W]

I have a question - part camouflage related about USS Baltimore. I have the Trumpeter kit, which represents the ship as built in 1943, is MS21. I also have the WEM etch for it, which has things like the casing for the forward funnel base, a bridge platform extension and I think a windbreak for another bridge platform.

I want to use these parts from the etch set but I'm not sure of the exact configuration of the ship when these parts were fitted to the actual ship - if that makes sense! I've seen a pic on Navsource, dated Oct 43, in which it looks like these parts were on the ship and the 40mm battery has been doubled and the ship is still in MS21. Can't make out the 20mm battery, looks like the radar fit might be as built too.

So any suggestions from anyone? Also just to check, when was the dazzle camouflage applied to her?

thanks
Mike

[maccrage]

Just ordered the Model Monkey Saint Paul sets. I have the ISW Pittsburgh, and I'm converting her to the Fighting Saint in '57-'58.

[maccrage]

Does anyone have photos or drawings of a late 50s Saint Paul? Especially amidships.