Calling all RN Dido-class (1940) fans

[Guest]

Dear All,
Hello Dick, Sorry, my mistake, I believe an earlier CAFO (1555/41) gives a NS reference and the one I wrote about in the PoW camouflage thread (CAFO 1983/41) gives a TSD reference (Working away from home at the moment so this is all from an ailing memory but thanks to a quick call I can give you the numbers!). Would both of these be an avenue to research?
The 13% reference is in the first few pages of 212/123 and were from observations made by G. Hall (C Muncaster) over scapa flow in early 42 I believe, DoY is given a 13% reflectance factor and as far as I can remember at the time she was still in her overall 507b and not in her dark hull light upperworks scheme?
Cag.

[sandy]

Hi,

Does anyone have any good pictures of the LA director fitted to the Dido class, including the radar antenna?

Thanks in advance.

All the best
Sandy

[sandy]

Hi,

I didn't get a reply to my question, so I just winged it as best I could using the photos I had and the drawings I had:-



I know most people like the five turret ships but I have always preferred the modified's, hence HMS Bellona, built less than six miles from where I sit.

I have blueprints for both HMS Spartan and HMS Bellona and there are some interesting differences between the two, notably at the aft end of the bridge that sits atop B gun deck and also the arrangement of the galley and heating funnel trunkings and, on Spartan, the funnel casing walkways are on the starboard side whereas on Bellona they are on the port.

My plan is to build as she was during convoy RA64 and the biggest storm to hit the North Atlantic/Arctic during WW2 and hence in standardised B30/B55 scheme with forward searchlights removed and after ones replaced by single 20mms.

All the best
Sandy

[sandy]

Apologies, I mis-remembered the walkways.

Bellona's are on the starboard and Spartan on the port.

[sandy]

Hi,

I asked on the main part of the forum but does anyone have any photos of the triple 21inch torpedo tubes as fitted to the Dido's.

I think it is the same as that on the Arethusa, Town and Colony class ships.

I need to detail my 72nd scale resin kit.

Thanks in advance.

Sandy

[EJFoeth]

Good question. I asked John Lambert what he had which was nothing...

[ModelMonkey]

Brilliant build!

[SouthernCrossModels]

Hi,

I asked on the main part of the forum but does anyone have any photos of the triple 21inch torpedo tubes as fitted to the Dido's.

I think it is the same as that on the Arethusa, Town and Colony class ships.

I need to detail my 72nd scale resin kit.

Thanks in advance.

Sandy

[MartinJQuinn]

Nice find by Roger Torgeson from the US National Archives NARA II recently, from the 80G record group.

The photo - number 80G-234559 - has the following caption: �Part of convoy at Nettuno Bay Invasion. Taken by USS Herbert G. Jones DE-137 Dido Class British CL�

80G-234559, NARA II, courtesy of Roger Torgeson

Crop of 80G-234559, NARA II, courtesy of Roger Torgeson

[tjstoneman]

Photo 80G-234559 appears to be of HMS DIDO; as far as I know, she was the only one of the class with diagonal cross-bracing between the after legs of the foremast, as visible here. She and PHOEBE were the only ones of the class involved in the Anzio landings.

Thanks for posting the image.

[Vlad]

I've just bought a Flyhawk Naiad and I was wondering how easy it would be to build a sister ship. Not counting all the ones missing a turret or using 4.5" guns instead of the 5.25", what are the major differences? If I wanted to make e.g. Dido or Sirius where can I find good references for camouflage?

[tjstoneman]

As with most classes of ship, there were minor changes between individual units. Good references include Alan Raven & H T Lenton Ensign 2: Dido Class Cruisers (London: Bivouac Books, 1973), Norman Friedman British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After (Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books, 2010) and Alan Raven & John Roberts British Cruisers of World War Two (Arms & Armour Press, 1980). There are two Profile Morskie books on the class, Slawomir Brzezi?ski No. 67 HMS Naiad (Wyszkow: BS Press Profile Morskie, 2004) and Slawomir Brzezi?ski No. 69 HMS Argonaut (Wyszkow: BS Press Profile Morskie, 2005), although the accuracy of this series of publications is sometimes called into question. For camouflage, see the series of publications by Alana Raven in the Warship Perspectives" series. Sadly, most of the above are long out of print! As ever, study of photographs is the only way to go!

Differences to look out for include the close range AA armament; early ships started with two quadruples Vickers 0.5" machine guns, which were later augmented, and later replaced, in later ships, or those refitted or repaired, by single, and later twin 20mm Oerlikons; searchlight positions and numbers varied, as did the positions of directors for the quadruple 2 pounder mountings (which all five-turreted ships retained, although some of those which had "Q" turret replaced by a multiple AA mounting were fitted with three quadruple 40mm Bofors mountings instead of "Q" turret and the quadruple 2-pounders). RDF fits varied too - all had some sets fitted, with later ships getting more, and later, sets; surviving early ships were upgraded when refitted or repaired.

[silverfoxcc]

Had a look at the 1/350 model from ironside

Is there much work needed to convert it to HMS Dido?

What is the length of the model?

Thanks

[tjstoneman]

In order to answer this question, it would be useful to know which ship "ironside" has modelled and, preferably, a link to a photo or photos of the model, to establish what period of that ship''s life is depicted (a quick Google search reveals no reference to "ironside" 1/350 scale ships online). DIDO's weapon and sensor fit varied during her career, so the answer would also depend on what period a model.was to represent.

[silverfoxcc]

Ironside are doing HMS Sirius in 1/350

http://ironshipwrights.com/pages/Sirius.htm

I have sent them an email as well
I think Dad got a copy of Ensign ,will have to dig out his stuff and have a look

[tjstoneman]

Still can't find "Ironside" - only reference to this seems to be USS CONSTITUTION!
Iron Shipwrights model of SIRIUS isn't far off DIDO's configuration from late 1941 (when a fifth 5.25" turret was fitted to replace the temporary 4" starshell gun in "Q" position, additional RDF (radar) was fitted, the external degaussing cable was removed (and in internal one fitted) and the quadruple 0.5" machine guns were landed and five 20mm Oerlikons were fitted) and late 1943 (when three of the 20mm were removed and four twin mountings fitted). Some details of antennae and struts on the masts also varied. DIDO also had cross-bracing between the after legs of her foremast, unlike the rest of the class, she carried her degaussing coil around the hull externally throughout her life, and the "tubs" directly ahead of the after funnel in SIRIUS were not carried by DIDO.

[silverfoxcc]

Sorry TJ it was ironshipwrights

Any idea how long the 1/350 would be? had no reply yet from the States

[silverfoxcc]

THanks for all the info, Have found Dads Ensign and now reading it Should fit on the fishtank OK!

[Martin H UK]

I wonder if any of you Dido fans can help.
I have a mind to build one of my Flyhawk Naiads as an early-fit Dido with the 4 inch starshell gun in place of a 5.25 turret (probably Dido herself as launched). Does anyone have any good photos of that gun, or indeed drawings? The Ensign publication on the Didos has simple line drawing, showing a half-shield similar to those on the V & W class destroyers. All the photos I have seen of Didos so equipped are from a distance and the gun is obscured by zareba surrounding it.

Did they ever use the starshell gun, by the way? I wonder why they fitted it, rather than a 4 inch in an AA role, which I would have thought would have been more useful.

Martin

[mikasa]

You may have all this info already Martin. According to John Campbell's weapons of WW2, these LA guns were carried on CPIII mountings on Bonaventure, Dido, Phoebe, Scylla, and Charybdis. This mount was also used as you noted on some V and W class destroyers. The only picture I can find that shows this online is this one of Bonaventure: http://www.naval-history.net/Photo06clB ... ure1NP.jpg. And it's not a great picture for your purposes probably.