Calling all Iowa-class (BB-61) fans

[wojtekp90]

I would like to model the USS Missouri World War II period.
Are the dimensions given on the TFD plans?

[chuck]

I would like to model the USS Missouri World War II period.
Are the dimensions given on the TFD plans?

The drawings are usually in 1/96 scale when printed out, so you can readily measure all the dimensions represented in drawings.

[wojtekp90]

I understand this book Missouri Plan Book is in paper or electronic version how to order?

[lgmccauley]

I would like to model the USS Missouri World War II period.
Are the dimensions given on the TFD plans?

The drawings are usually in 1/96 scale when printed out, so you can readily measure all the dimensions represented in drawings.

They are also available in 1/192

[bigjimslade]

I have a question about Floating Drydock's plans?
Which one to choose for building the model?
Which series is the best?

To add to BB62Vet, what do you want to accomplish? Are you scratch building? Do you want to correct a kit? What details do you need reference on?

If you want the hull shape, you need tabular data. If you want a plated hull shape, you need that plus plating plans.

Even among the original plans, you need multiple sets of things to get all the measurements.

[steinerman]

OK, to answer your questions:

1: The BB63 book now comes on a DVD. I'm not sure if Randy sends in on-line yet or not. You can drop him a line and ask him. I bought mine about n4 years ago and it was a DVD. The file itself is in pdf format so you can copy it to your desktop where it's accessible all the time.

2: As to which one is best, it depends on what you are trying to do. If you are doing a scratch build and need plans for the hull shape, then it's best to do as Big Jim says and look for the tables you need and the plating plans. As far as I know, TFD does not stock these. But, if all you want to do is to build an existing kit as accurately as possible, then I suggest the Floating Drydock's TFW series of plans. I'm building the Trumpeter 1:200 Missouri as she was in 1944 and Randy says these are the best plans for what I want to do. They come in both 1:192 scale and 1:96 scale. The 1:96 scale plans are over 9 feet long!

3: As to measurements, mostly you have to measure the object on the plans and then convert to whatever scale you are building. The Iowa class battleships have frame numbers that are every 4 feet apart and these are indicated on the plans. This tells you a lot and the side views of the various decks are referenced to these frame numbers as well as port and starboard, so you know what goes where.

Again, like the others have said, it all depends on what you want to do with them.

[chuck]

I�ve never seen any official plating plans or plank expansion plans for the Iowa class in public circulation.

The best available i�ve Seen are on a set of booklets of general plans prepared in Jan 1950 by the New York shipyard, which contains numerous cross sectional drawings of the ship at different frame numbers in which location of different hull plating strakes are labeled. I connected the location of the same strake at different from numbers on my model.

This set of plans also has plans for the ship�s bottom, and where the sea chests are.

If you want these PM me.

[chuck]

chuck, 7.3megs in size?

About that, 7.5MB on mine.

[chuck]

Yes. That's the one I used. But there are similar general plans incirculation from about the same time frame for each of the 4 ships.

[bigjimslade]

I�ve never seen any official plating plans or plank expansion plans for the Iowa class in public circulation.

NARA has the plating in uFilm.

There are planking "plans" as well but it looks like such plans were guidelines and it was just done largely according to tradition. I learned yesterday that entire deck of the New Jersey was planked, except at the bow and helipad. The dark areas (that change over time) at the stern are rubber mats. To save money, the navy poured copious quantities of adhesive over the stern planking to fill in rotted areas then put mats over the top.

In regard to the plating, the plans are difficult to read and you have to look at a lot of them. I have been picking at it but am not finished. I have to decipher if a number is a 3 or a 5 or a 1 or a 7.

My still unfinished attempt (bow not shown here):

I don't have this in any state where I can share it yet and someone else could make sense of my files.

One thing's fur shur: The kits doing plating get it wrong.

Strakes can be scarfed, overlapped, overlapped with double plates (so no overlap is visible) or butt joined with butt plates. I have not figured out any rational plan behind the overlaps. There are some weird ones where the bottom plate overlaps the top plate then suddenly it reverses.

The edges of the strakes do not follow knuckles in the molded lines. You can see the knuckles bent into the plates but the effect is much more subtle than what you see in the molded lines.

If you are doing a model, the only plate lines you should show are the ones where the plates overlap and those only occur at the bow and stern above the waterline.

There are some sections of the hull that are castings.

[Fliger747]

On the Modern ships the helipad is raised maybe a foot or is above the original deckline. Currently The planking is on the main and O1-O2 decks and only partially on the O3 Deck. I believe some extra plating around the Admirals flag bridge was added to the deck and may have replaced planking in that area.

[IModel_215]

As an amateur builder (really amateur), is it worth starting a build thread on the 1/200 Mo? If for nothing else but to receive feedback and tips?

[Fliger747]

There are enough guys here who know all the big and many of the small errors, certainly! A helpful bunch!

[chuck]

Photo of the Missouri when she was about to be struck by the kamikaze shows the 5� mount and the 40mm bofor Mounts have numbers stenciled on them, presumably to avoid confusion in heat of battle.

Does anyone know how the 5� and 40mm mounts are numbered?

[BB62vet]

5"/38 gun mounts are numbered from the front to the back of the ship - starboard side - #51, #53, #55, #57, #59, port side - #52, #54, #56, #58, & #60.

20mm & 40mm mounts would probably be numbered in similar fashion, but since these had all been removed by the mid-60s when I served aboard NEW JERSEY, it was a moot point.

Hope this helps,

[Fliger747]

Thanks Hank! I had forgotten which side was odd and even. Also wondered when they got to the 5-#10 mount. Wonder what the nomenclature was on the 40 mounts. More than ten of those and they wouldn't go to 50 mount etc. Three digits?

[chuck]

Judging from the photo, It appears the 40mm are numbered from 1 up wards. The odd number is on the starboard side. The tubs for the mk 51 directors seems to be labeled with the same number as the 40mm mounts the control.

The first two 40mm mounts on the starboard midship three mount bofor tower were numbered 9 and 11. This suggest the centerline mount on top of B turret is number 3. Counting from the bow these might have been

Starboard Foredeck mount: 1

Centerline on B turret: 3

Starboard mount behind B turret on level 2: 5

Starboard mount next to the base of fore director tower: 7

The three mounts on starboard midship tower: 9,11,13

Starboard mount behind the mast of aft director tower: 15

Starboard mounts forward of C turret on main deck: 17

Starboard mount next to the crane: 19.

THe port side numbering will be arranged slightly differently because the centerline on C turret will be number 18.

[chuck]

Since the tubs for the mk51 directors have matching numbers as the 40mm bofor mount each countries, that brings up the issue of which director controls which mount. The Missouri had 6 more mk51 directors than 40mm mounts. If we use the rule the closest director control the 40mm mount, the issue is still somewhat embigious, especially around the base fire director tower, and the aft funnel where directors are clustered much more tightly than 40mm mounts.

[bigjimslade]

Wonder what the nomenclature was on the 40 mounts. More than ten of those and they wouldn't go to 50 mount etc. Three digits?

This shows the pattern of numbering.

It front to back with odd on right right and even on the left. The centerline mounts can be either even or odd (and shift the numbering).

[BB62vet]

Re. the 40mm plan:

Using this plan and obvious visible numbering, this makes the forwardmost 40mm mounts as Mount #1 (starboard side) and Mount #2 (port Side) - I would guess that the F.C. Directors are numbered accordingly also.

Since all my reference materials are packed up (including my MO Plan Book!!) I'm wondering if the TFD MISSIOURI Plan Book doesn't also have the 40mm mounts numbered as well.

On the 20mm mounts: Below are a couple photos from IOWA which show the backside of the 20mm Shields - both the gun and group numbers are shown in white, block lettering. We could therefore conclude that the other IOWA class were similarly so designated:

If you zoom in you may be able to make out these details.

I haven't found any photos of the 40mm mounts from the backside which show the mount #'s, etc.

Hope this helps,

Hank