Calling all USS Yorktown CV-5 fans

[Jeff Sharp]

Ah! Ok thanks! Moving image to ENT page.

[TOMLABEL]

It's here.....

https://freetimehobbies.com/1-200-trump ... -preorder/

Kelley

[Aggie]

Hi,

After putting it off for several years, waiting for new/better sources, photos, etc., I've decided to start
my pre-war Yorktown build, using the Merit 1/350 Yorktown, a pile of photoetch, aircraft sourced from
various places, Evergreen plastic, etc. I have (at least) two questions that I was wondering if the brain trust could
help me with: (1) what year was the large 'Y' painted on Yorktown's funnel?, and, (2), I subscribe to the
idea (Tracy's research, IIRC) that the hanger deck walls/bulkheads and ceiling should be represented with a silver metallic
paint, but am I gathering correctly that the flooring on the hanger deck should be Deck Gray?

thanks,
Doug

[Tracy White]

the flooring on the hanger deck should be Deck Gray?

I haven't seen anything that suggests otherwise, but I'm also the one pushing a theory on no official evidence.

[Aggie]

the flooring on the hanger deck should be Deck Gray?

I haven't seen anything that suggests otherwise, but I'm also the one pushing a theory on no official evidence.

Yeah, but it's a rational, educated hypothesis And the photographic evidence is compelling.

Any idea on the 'Y' on the funnel? 1940? Or, perhaps, earlier?

[Aggie]

David,

Thanks! That pic taken during Fleet Problem XX, in February of 1939, really clinches it for me! I've seen that
pic before, but IIRC it was undated. I've discovered that the NHHC site is a great resource, and sometimes
has dates on pics that are undated elsewhere, as well.

cheers,
Doug

[Aggie]

Another 'known unknown':

If I'm modeling the Yorktown as she appeared in Fleet Problem XX, I need to backdate the pilothouse
roof with the gunnery director that was there in the late Thirties. Comparing photographs, though, I've
been unable to come up with a model number for that director. And, going through products from L'Arsenal,
Shapeways, etc., unable to find anything that matches. Anyone know the particulars on that director, and
if there's a resin version out there somewhere? Easy enough to scratchbuild, if I had dims, too, I suppose.

thanks,
Doug

[Aggie]

David,

Thanks again. If I have to scratchbuild it, that drawing will help. The drawing simply refers
to it as 'range finder'... anyone know what the designation for that model was, i.e. a 'Mark __'?

curious,
Doug

[Aggie]

are you talking about the range finder at the front or the 5" director & range finder that is behind the range finder?

I was curious about the range finder on the roof of the pilothouse. Wiper refers to the other
director (AA, I think) as a 'Mark 33'.

[Captain Morgan]

Actually is is the same size rangefinder in the birdbath of the New Orleans class CA's. For LA control of the 5" guns

Yorktown:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/020502.jpg

San Francisco:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/038/0403872.jpg

[Aggie]

Thanks for the info on the director.

Looking at plans and photographs, I have a lot of portholes to add to my Fleet Problem XX
Yorktown...

What would the recommendation of people who've done it be vis-a-vis adding portholes; is
photoetch the way to go? And, I would guess, for uniformity's sake, replace ALL the portholes
with photoetch? At one point, someone made resin-decal portholes (similar to Archer's products),
which I would have considered, but they appear to be no longer available.

curious,
Doug

[Aggie]

I emailed Mark from Starfighter a couple of weeks back about Ranger decals, which he didn't have, but in conversation it turned out he does have 1/350 decals for pre-war Yorktown, though they are not listed on his site:

[DennisJP]

The Yorktown Class has long been saddled with an original sin...well not really a sin, but a mistake, that has plagued these ships since the late 1930's. The old actual OA length bugaboo. Was it 809 feet 9 inches or was it 824 feet 9 inches? It was actually the latter, 824 feet 9 inches OVERALL, AS BUILT, for all three. I will lay this goof to rest decisively, for all time, right now.

<snip>

On the 1940 plans for Yorktown it gives the frame links as 4 feet apart I believe. After that count the frames at the bottom of the profile plan. That should be all that's needed. Also in Yorktown's general comments up top of plan it gives the measurements of the ship from place to place like the keel up to the top points of the ship and gives waterline length as well as lengths of parts of the ship that extend like the aft flight deck.

[Daytona675R]

When I read this report criticizing the effectiveness of the Measure 22 scheme, I noticed the following statement:

"At the time of her sinking, the USS YORKTOWN was painted Measure 22 with a Navy Blue band about thirty feet high above the water line."

What do you think about this? Is it just a mistake? Or does it mean the original 5-S blue band of the CV-5's Measure 12 scheme has been replaced with the 5-N and making it de-facto a Measure 22 scheme? (despite the Measure 22 itself has been officially introduced only in the in SHIPS-2 Rev. 2 dated June 1942)

[Tracy White]

The text was written by Everett Warner, one of the main camoufleurs of the USN in both WWI and WWII. As one of the main designers of camouflage he had advance knowledge of upcoming directives, but he was also based in the East Coast (the Camouflage section was in DC but I'm not sure that he was there every day of the week.... operational documentation for the section isn't at Archives that anyone's found yet) and not out in Hawaii where Yorktown was operating from when lost. It's very likely that since Sea Blue was ordered replaced in November/December that he just made an assumption.

I have no proof either way.

[Dadeo911]

Hi folks,

I have been trolling the internet for information on the 'new' 1/200 scale Trumpeter Yorktown to find out if they did the proud old girl right and have not been able to find any out of box reviews or builds. Do any of you know if the new-ish kit is something resembling accurate? I would assume the CV-6 would have the same hull and many of the same parts but have not been able to find anything on her either.

I would appreciate any information you can give,

Chris

[Devin]

Chris,

I've inspected the kit, loaned to me by Martin Quinn, and taken many photos and plan on doing a review, but I've yet to have time to write it all down.

Long story short: This is a modified re-boxing of the 1/200 scale USS Hornet kit. The hull is much better than the old square-hull Yorktown and Hornet kits of various scales in resin and styrene, but it's not to the level of the recent 1/700 scale Trumpeter Yorktown and Enterprise, or the Merit 1/350th scale kits. A lot of the issues with it, which really aren't that egregious, would be hidden by doing a waterline build.

Other than the hull, the kit looks quite nice. The detail is decent, but certain areas will definitely benefit from aftermarket PE and resin additions.

Hope that helps.

-Devin

[Dadeo911]

Thanks Devin. I look forward to your complete review.

I have been thinking of getting this kit for a while now but have been holding off because of lack of information. I was actually thinking of doing a somewhat rough seascape so that might work well.

I actually just found your photos under the Review topic. I guess I missed that posting. Sorry for repeating the question here.

Take care,

Chris

[Daytona675R]

The text was written by Everett Warner...
...
I have no proof either way.

Thanks, Tracy.

I assume the (theoretical) repaint would be done only during a refit / repairs. If my information are correct, Yorktown was present at Pearl Harbor only after the Marshalls-Gilberts raids. However, I did not find any info whether she was drydocked but I assume not as she undertook no refit there.

After that, she returned to Pearl only after the Coral Sea. Despite she was drydocked, I doubt they focused on repaint during the famous three-day-rush.

So, my assumption is she was still wearing the 5-S band at the time of her sinking.

[Jon C Ryckert]

On page 49 of David Doyle's new book on The Hornet (CV-8), there is a picture of an BI radar antenna that was installed on the lower level of the fire control platform on the the tripod mast. Is it possible that this is the same type of mystery antenna that was installed on the forward part of Yorktown's funnel as shown in Steve Wipers Yorktown pictorial?