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

[Tracy White]

I tend to agree with Jeff Sharp that Turret #3 on most of the ships was deck gray but I have absolutely no textual proof. You can see it in this color shot of Idaho in early 1941 and it makes sense to me that they would use a tougher paint on a work surface such as the catapult turrets.

[DanCinSD]

Thank you all.
From the link RaceFuel gave of her after action report, I have info on her hits and damage,
Looks like one bomb hit entered her at 22 feet and detonated inside of her hull, the other is stated to have exploded on contact with her awning! Crappy fuze I think, if that's the case. And apparently there was just superficial damage above decks. Most forward, from frame 9 to 15ish.

This same report talks of damage to a .50 cal tub in the forward mast area. Why would there be a float but no plane sitting on a catapult? First I have heard of this. But easy enough to put on the model!

[ArizonaBB39]

Here's a picture I have that shows both turret tops with seemingly the same color.

[SeanF]

Thank you Abram. That was exactly the photo I was thinking of.

- Sean F.

[ArizonaBB39]

No problem Sean. Also note the amount of weathering to the paint on top of turret 4 where the life rafts aren't covering it up. Something else I find interesting about this series of photos is there is a full height railing around the edge of turret 3. I've never seen this before in any other pictures of other ships. I'll be including this detail when I rebuild my 1941 Maryland.

[Tracy White]

Something else I find interesting about this series of photos is there is a full height railing around the edge of turret 3. I've never seen this before in any other pictures of other ships.

Arizona had this as well, you can see it in her wreck photos.

[ArizonaBB39]

Well I'll be damned. I've been looking at several of the other ships and have seen the railings on all the Tennessee, and Colorado classes. It was hard to tell but it looks like Pennsylvania had them. As Tracy said they are visible on Arizona in wreck photos. I couldn't find them in pictures of either Nevada class ships, but I'm betting they probably had them too. Looks like I'll need to add them to my finished WeeVee and all the other ships as I build them.

[SeanF]

Very interesting observation... It makes good sense, of course, with catapult and aircraft handling activity up there. Note also what looks like a saluting gun (or is it a sub-caliber practice gun?) mounted front center of turret 3's roof (but not 4). And also note the extra Kingfisher main float stashed between said gun and the sailors.

I've been thinking of putting my MD in for a minor refit as well. Swap out the aft pair of 3" guns (per kit instructions) for the correct second pair of 1.1" quads, add this railing you just discovered... the centerline anchor chain and scrape plates might be a bit too hard to delete, though, on a finished model. Wish I'd've known about that before I'd built her. Well, there's always something that comes up after you're done.

- Sean F.

[RaceFuel]

Saluting guns were typically in the superstructure.

That looks like a sub-caliber training gun. It's used to mimic the trajectories and ballistics of the main battery rounds without expending expensive powder and shells as well as the inherent risk that comes with firing the main guns.

[Jeff Sharp]

Hi guys,
Here is a closeup of Mary's aft turret tops after the attack.


They definitely are not the same color here and #3 top is definitely not 5-D.

[SeanF]

The superstructure (more specifically, somewhere near the bridge) is where I would expect to find saluting guns as well; but the pedestal this thing is on, plus no apparent means to aim it, is what makes me suggest it might be that instead of a sub-caliber training gun. Maybe there's some linkage coming up from inside the turret? I would think they'd be more likely to clamp a training gun to the top of the main gun barrel than have it stand separately... granted, that would make it harder to reload.

- Sean F.

[Jeff Sharp]

Here is a view of the actual Saluting gun.

[Jeff Sharp]

And a nice view of the spotting rifle on turret #4.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f87558239ff4789b_large

[ArizonaBB39]

Here's a 'what if' that I drew up of the Washington had she been completed. I was curious how a Colorado class ship would have looked with tripod masts.

[Mgunns]

I think it looks kind of neat with the tri-pod masts. There's a project for you.

[ArizonaBB39]

I think it looks kind of neat with the tri-pod masts. There's a project for you.

I like how it looks too. I think I'll build her like this and, together with two South Dakota (BB-49 type) class ships, make her part of 'what if' battleship division six with green forward turret tops. I'm thinking of doing:

South Dakota BB-49 - Green, Green, Red
Washington BB-47 - Green, Green, White
Indiana BB-50 - Green, Green, Blue

[SeanF]

And a nice view of the spotting rifle on turret #4.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f87558239ff4789b_large

That's definitely a spotting rifle; but the gun on turret 3 in the other photo looks quite different from that one. Would they have two completely different types of spotting rifles on the same ship at the same time? Just really curious about this thing!

- Sean F.

[Cliffy B]

Here's a 'what if' that I drew up of the Washington had she been completed. I was curious how a Colorado class ship would have looked with tripod masts.

If you want another, the Tennessee's and Colorado's were originally considered for tower rebuilds ala the New Mexico's but the tower bridges were considered to heavy thus the retention of the cage masts until the wartime rebuilds. Always rather liked those tower superstructures.

[RaceFuel]

Come to think of it...a tri-pod mast setup would likely have been superior for the Tennessee/Colorado/SoDak classes...I don't think I ever read anything about the tri-pods having swaying/stability issues with main battery fire like the cage masts did.

[RaceFuel]

the Tennessee/Colorado/SoDak classes forward cagemast won't sway but the aft mast would.

Alright, yeah that's what I had heard. I knew the initial fits of the Nevada and Pennsylvania's would sway both fore and aft, but wasn't sure about the Big 5