Calling all New Orleans-class (CA-32) fans

[MatthewB]

I hope that I don't have to wait very long for an answer to this question, but....

What was the light-AA armament on the New Orleans-class (20mms, Quad 1.1"s, & Quad 40mms) in 1942?

I remember that one of the ships (New Orleans?) had Quad 40s on the Fantail in 1942.

Did any others?

I am trying to catalog the parts in the Five Star USS San Francisco PE Detail kit, because I think it really has parts for ships other than the USS San Francisco. It seems to have the earlier quad 40mm tubs for the fantail that did not overhand the hull.

MB

[Angeliccypher]

According to the Ship Craft on NO Class
20mm = 12
1.1 = 16(4X4)

[DavidK]

According to the Ship Craft on NO Class
20mm = 12
1.1 = 16(4X4)

Yes.

Here are three pairs of 20 mm at three different elevations toward the front of the superstructure; the two lowest are just forward of the 5" guns on either side while the two highest are forward of the radars on the uppermost deck; there are four more near the life boats on top of the hanger (two on each side), and the final pair is further aft on a deck higher than the hanger roof off the aft superstructure (above the rear 8" turret).

Dave K.

[MatthewB]

OK, I cannot find the specific image of the USS New Orleans for which I was looking, but this one showing her on her way home, after Tassafaronga, with the temporary bow), looks like she has a pair of Quad 40mms on her fantail.



I recall someone mentioning that she had these installed at Pearl when escorting the Wasp or Hornet (or some carrier) back to Pearl Harbor, and she had a pair of Quad 40mms installed on the fantail in slightly undersized tubs (as they do not overhang the hull - also, the Five Star PE kit for the USS San Francisco seems to have a bizarre Third Set of AA Tubs, which are larger than those for the Quad 1.1" AA Gun Tubs, and smaller than the parts it says to use for the Quad 40mm Gun Tubs).

So, would this mean that the USS New Orleans, in 1942, had a lightly heavier AA punch than did the rest of her class at the time?

MB

[Dick J]

I hope that I don't have to wait very long for an answer to this question, but....
What was the light-AA armament on the New Orleans-class (20mms, Quad 1.1"s, & Quad 40mms) in 1942?
I remember that one of the ships (New Orleans?) had Quad 40s on the Fantail in 1942.

In some ways, this is a loaded question. There is not single answer because the armament varied from ship to ship and over time. Starting in late 1940, some AA changes were made based on the "King Board" recommendations. (Admiral King chaired a board tasked with defining AA improvements for all USN ships based on British experience with the war to date. The board met in the summer of 1940.) Ships began to receive the splinter screens for all open weapons and tubs were installed for 1.1's (which were to be installed until the 40MM became available). However, a shortage of 1.1's led to many ships receiving 3" singles in lieu. Refits in 1942 were adding radar and 20MM guns. The initial outfit for large cruisers was 12 20MM, although a few ships received an extra one. In the second half of 1942, once most ships had their initial allotments, more 20MM became available. 40MM were also available after July of '42. So what the ships carried depended largely on when and where they were refitted. Some ships received their new guns in batches. San Francisco received 20MM guns and had her 3" mounts replaced by 1.1's in a refit that ended in May of '42. New Orleans was refitted in Feb '42. Astoria didn't receive 20MM until after Coral Sea, and then only 10. The last two were installed after Midway. But she had carried 1.1's since July of '41. Placement varied a bit too. When Saratoga was torpedoed in late August of '42, she was escorted back to Pearl by Minneapolis and New Orleans. While those two were there, the fantail 1.1's were replaced by quad 40MM and a few additional 20MM were also installed. The forward 40MM couldn't be added until more extensive modifications were made to the bridge structures. So you can see, you need to specify a ship and a timeframe for a meaningful answer.

[MatthewB]

The period I am looking at is Aug - November of '42.

After that, the outfit of the surviving New Orleans-class ships seems a bit easier to track.

MB

[Dick J]

Are you talking specifically about San Francisco? Or is another ship your target?

So you can see, you need to specify a ship and a timeframe for a meaningful answer.

[MatthewB]

Are you talking specifically about San Francisco? Or is another ship your target?

So you can see, you need to specify a ship and a timeframe for a meaningful answer.

Another two ships.

The Minneapolis, and the New Orleans (the two surviving New Orleans-classes in the Pacific).

I have the fall '42 AA outfit of the San Francisco.

But I could swear that someone, maybe you, said that the USS New Orleans got a pair of Quad 40mms on her Fantail in the fall of 1942 (or maybe mid-Summer).

And, thus, I wondered if the Minneapolis might have gotten any of its Quad 40s prior to 1943.

And, since the Tuscaloosa was in the Atlantic, I don't need to know about it for the time being.

MB

[MatthewB]

appears she got the twin quad 40mm aa mounts during her post battle repairs. http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/036/0403626.jpg
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/036/04036.htm

So, the Minneapolis only had 1.1" Quads (as heavier AA outfit... Other than the 5"/25 DP guns) until 1943.

MB

[Rick E Davis]

According to the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard Weekly Overhaul Reports I have (I don't have scans of EVERY report);

* NEW ORLEANS received "40-mm guns" ... (How many and where is TBD) ... and that she still had quad 1.1-in mounts that were repaired during 5 October to about 3 November 1942.

* MINNEAPOLIS received "Two quad 40-mm mounts. two 20-mm guns, had SC-1 radar replacing her SC radar, and had SG and BL (IFF) radars installed" during 20 October to about 4 November 1942.

[Dick J]

Another two ships.
The Minneapolis, and the New Orleans (the two surviving New Orleans-classes in the Pacific).
I have the fall '42 AA outfit of the San Francisco.
But I could swear that someone, maybe you, said that the USS New Orleans got a pair of Quad 40mms on her Fantail in the fall of 1942 (or maybe mid-Summer).
And, thus, I wondered if the Minneapolis might have gotten any of its Quad 40s prior to 1943.

Matthew, did you even read my posts?!?! Look above at my post for Jan 18th. This is how it ended:

When Saratoga was torpedoed in late August of '42, she was escorted back to Pearl by Minneapolis and New Orleans. While those two were there, the fantail 1.1's were replaced by quad 40MM and a few additional 20MM were also installed. The forward 40MM couldn't be added until more extensive modifications were made to the bridge structures. So you can see, you need to specify a ship and a timeframe for a meaningful answer.

[MatthewB]

Another two ships.
The Minneapolis, and the New Orleans (the two surviving New Orleans-classes in the Pacific).
I have the fall '42 AA outfit of the San Francisco.
But I could swear that someone, maybe you, said that the USS New Orleans got a pair of Quad 40mms on her Fantail in the fall of 1942 (or maybe mid-Summer).
And, thus, I wondered if the Minneapolis might have gotten any of its Quad 40s prior to 1943.

Matthew, did you even read my posts?!?! Look above at my post for Jan 18th. This is how it ended:

When Saratoga was torpedoed in late August of '42, she was escorted back to Pearl by Minneapolis and New Orleans. While those two were there, the fantail 1.1's were replaced by quad 40MM and a few additional 20MM were also installed. The forward 40MM couldn't be added until more extensive modifications were made to the bridge structures. So you can see, you need to specify a ship and a timeframe for a meaningful answer.

Thanks... I could not find that quote (which was what I was looking for).

MB

[Fran Romero]

This is my interpretation of the USS Tuscaloosa CA37 in the Atlantic Ocean.
I just built three cruisers of this class, and it's been crazy to find information.

[MatthewB]

THAT is freaking Beautiful.

MB

[MatthewB]

I thought that I might as well ask here, since this has to do with all of the New Orleans-class, as well as the USS San Francisco specifically.

But the above image is for parts for the USS San Francisco's foremast yardarm.

The yardarm comes in three pieces.

One of which is the yardarm core, with all of the details on it, the other is a plain thickener (which is just a strip of brass that has no details or projections of any kind - it looks like the top piece, but without the two squares on the top side), and the third piece, which is also a thickener/stiffener, but which has those square things on top of it (or are they supposed to be on the bottom, pointing downward???).

What I am trying to find out is essentially three (maybe four) things:

1) Where was the TBS (Talk-by-Ship) Antenna located?

I do not yet have the TBS antenna glued to the yardarm stalk. Although, I get the feeling that the TBS stalk is in the wrong place (it is exactly opposite the strange little thing on the left side of the yardarm.

I think a few photos I have seen show the TBS antenna on the Port side of the ships, closer in to the mast than the thing on the left of the yardarm in this photo.

2) What is that thing on the left side of the yardarm?

The instructions for the PE say that it is supposed to have the top portion bent so that it points along the length of the hull (perpendicular to the yardarm).

Also, I think that that thing on the left side is supposed to be on the right (Starboard) side of the yardarm when it is attached to the ship.

3) What are those square things on the stiffener/thickener for the yardarm (that I have not yet glued to it, because I need to know if I need to cut them off)?

From looking at photos, it looks like they weren't on the 1942 SF. But I would still like to know what they are/why they are there?

MB

[MatthewB]

Does anyone know what sort of vents were on the deck of the New Orleans-class, and specifically the USS San Francisco, Minneapolis, and New orleans in Nov 1942?

I know that there were the larger vents next to the lighthouse tower on the USS SF.

And all three has some vents that were next to the stairs to the Hangar Roof (which aren't done right on any of the kits I have seen).

But what about vents on the decks like the IJN ships seemed to be full of, or like I see on my Niko Models 1/700 USS Helena?

MB

[Dick J]

The vents on the New Orleans class varied a bit from one ship to another. Generally, they were built into the structures. All had some "mushroom" vents in the quarterdeck below the barrels of turret 3. The Quincy and Vincennes had a few more small ones further aft on the quarterdeck. Some vents were built into the after end of the hangar structure. Then there were the ones you noted on either side of the hangar door. More were built into the catapult bases. The 4 Navy Yard built ships (CA's 32, 34, 36 & 38) had a rectangular mushroom vent just aft of the second stack. CA's 37, 39 and 44 had two squarish vents in that location; mushroom vents that get lost in the deckhouse on Quincy and Vinnie, but on Tuscaloosa, the vents curved aft and bent back over aiming somewhat down toward the deck. The big square structure under the searchlight tower was a large vent. More were hidden in the back of the bridge structure, except on Quincy and Vinnie, they were more exposed and visible. Another vent was located at the front of the deckhouse forward of turret 2. But since Quincy and Vinnie didn't have that structure around the front of the turret 2 barbette, they had a stretched mushroom vent under the back end of turret 1 instead. So the New Orleans class really didn't have very many of the round mushroom vents you see on the Helena and IJN cruisers.

[MartinJQuinn]

THAT is freaking Beautiful.

MB

Holy crap - how did I miss that. Gorgeous! I hope there will be photos in the gallery soon, Fran.

[Willie]

Hi there, Fran and all,

This is my interpretation of the USS Tuscaloosa CA37 in the Atlantic Ocean.

Man, this is one of the best New Orleans class I have ever seen... And the sea, oh my, I could drink this water.

I just built three cruisers of this class, and it's been crazy to find information.

I have found to find detailed info on the Tuscaloosa and Quincy specially really hard as well. I wonder if I am making some mistake when searching.

Congrats and best regards from next door,

Willie.

[ArizonaBB39]

Hi everyone,

I've skimmed through the thread so I apologize if this has been covered.

I have plans to build ships of the Pacific Fleet during late 1941 and have the four New Orleans Class Cruisers that fit that description:

New Orleans
Astoria
Minneapolis
San Francisco

I have the Trumpeter 1/700 1942 versions of each ship. My main question is: What were the differences (if any) between their appearance of the 1942 Trumpeter kits versus their 1941 appearance? I'm assuming there would be no 40mm or 20mm guns, but instead 1.1" and .50 cals, correct? There are some pretty decent pictures of Astoria during the later part of 1941, but none that I can find for the other three ships. Any help would be greatly appreciated!