The Ship Model Forum

Thanks a lot! I´ll have to scratchbuild something along these lines so that the station is not completely empty. There won´t be much of it visible in 1/700, and I can even put a canvas cover over it

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

Vladi,

I assume you were asking if accommodation ladders were "stored" on deck when underway?

I can't speak for the Northampton, but is was common on other US cruisers to store the large parts in fixtures on the sides of the superstructure, hanging beneath overhead decks, on weather decks, or even placed along the edge of the main deck with the lifelines. The smaller parts such as stanchions, life rails, hand rails, chains, tackle and such were stowed in gear lockers.

The stowage arrangements changed from time to time with overhauls and perhaps at the whim of the ship's Captain or crew. You need to know the ship type, the period you are interested in and have photos of the particular ship to refer to.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Hello Phil,

thanks for your feedback! Yes, that´s exactly what I´m looking for. As my focus is the Battle of Savo Island I am especially aiming at USS Chicago in August 1942, but there are not many good close-up photos of her in that period so any timeframe would help. Accommodation ladders were deployed from the well deck on the Northamptons so I´d expect them somewhere in that area. I cross-checked my photos of her class and I think I found one of the Northampton showing the ladder stowed under the back of the bridge behing the sweeping party here:

The situation on the Chicago was different because of her extended forecastle with flag facilities but I consider it likely accommodation ladders would be stowed in an analogical place on her shorter well deck, although I don´t have any direct evidence for that. I hope you´d agree.

BTW you mentioned hanging accommodation ladders on lifelines - that was clearly a common practice e.g. in RAN as seen on some photos and depicted on my build of HMAS Canberra.

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

Those Cruiser essay pictures are very nice. I had a few questions, sorry if they've been asked already.

Would the anti skid have been there during the end of 1941?


This destroyer that seems to be resupplying from Northampton, looks to be a Porter class, is that correct? (I think one of the photos is reversed? Or were they resupplying off both sides?)

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-Abram

Non-skid pads: not sure about end of 1941, but they definitely appear on Chicago in August 1942.
Cheers, Vladi

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

More likely they're delivering mail...would be my guess.

I can find no pix of CA-30 with non-skid decking in pre-war photos.

This is a pic of Churchill and Roosevelt sitting on the deck of USS Augusta at the Atlantic Conference on 8/9/41. Augusta just transitioned in MS-12 camo but it appears that her wood decks were not painted yet per Adm. King’s directive.

Just received stunning 3D printed 1/700 Northampton-class triple mounts from Micro Master - check my WIP thread if interested.

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

I would say that anti slip was in use in late 41, just no definitive proof of what and where. Here are a couple of shots of that time frame on the Portland showing Antislip measures in place. Her upper gun deck was wood planked and there seems to be no sign of any anti slip measures, however different class so....




Matt

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In the yards right now:
USS Utah AG-16
On Hold
1/350 USS Portland CA-33 1942
1/350 Trumpeter Texas with a twist

Hi Matt, great photos, thanks! I just think that the bottom photo actually shows the lower 5in gun deck (wood planked) while the upper 5in gun decks were steel on the Norhamptons and Portlands, so the anti-skid stripes would have been used on the steel (= upper ones), just like it can be seen in the steel AA gun tub to the right. FWIW.

Could you please direct me where you found these photos (apparently from the Life magazine)? I tried finding them on the usual FB WW2 Radio page but maybe overlooked them. Thanks!

Vladi

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

The last pic does not show an upper 5" gun...that's a 3"/50cal (I think) in the tub; an interim weapon used while they were waiting on more 1.1" quads.

It appears to me that there were several types of anti-slip surfaces used. Most show up in later photos--say, 1943--on these cruisers and are very conspicuous. I cannot find any pix on CA-30 showing them, however, and given her early loss suspect if she had them they were not of the later type.
Many later photos of LOUISVILLE (in Steve Wiper's Warship Pictorial No. 3) do show them.

HTH

The Life photos show the upper level on Portland was wood covered. The difference between her and Northampton being that the Portlands were built with 8 5" guns, while the Northamptons were built with 4. Therefore, all of the Portland's gun decks had the wood covering while the originally bare Northampton hangar roof did not. When the King Board AA upgrades were installed, wood was apparently not part of the installation, probably for topweight considerations.

Vladi,
I saved these back when it was easy to search the Life Archives. I will post a couple of the upper deck showing the wood covering over in the Portland CASF so as not to hijack the Northampton thread.



You are correct, I just posted that image to show late 41' Anti Slip measures.

Matt

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In the yards right now:
USS Utah AG-16
On Hold
1/350 USS Portland CA-33 1942
1/350 Trumpeter Texas with a twist

BTW Matt, just as an aside, your Life photo of Portland's 5" gun deck posted above is reversed. Note which side of the 5" mounts the fuse setters are located. I have noticed that quite a few of their shots are reversed.

Thanks, guys!

You are indeed right

Pity these are not easily searchable anymore
Would anyone have a photo of Northampton-class (or maybe even Portland-class) showing clearly the area circled below at the back of the aft 1.1 AA tub (not quad 40mm, the tub was different by then) from above or looking down from the back? I am trying to find how much of the back of the tub was opened, how was the arrangement of the ladder going down there and how did the quad 1.1 mount crew get there.
This is hopefully the last thing I need to sort this our before spraying my build

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

Best I can do at the moment...without more digging around. I think the area you are interested in is just to the L behind the practice loader shot, FWIW. (All photos from LIFE zine)

Thank you! I´ve got these photos, too, unfortunately they miss what I need precisely. The second one would have shown it the best, just the sailor to the left obscured exactly that spot.
The last one I think shows the forward quad 1.1 mount as there would be nothing above the aft one. What do you think?

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

It looks like there's an overhang there, so that suggests a Fwd mount.

Here's part of a CA-30 drawing--re its absolute fidelity I cannot say--that gives an idea of how enclosed those mounts may have been.
Also, the big, high quality photo of CA-29 being refit in 1940 at Mare Island posted at navsource has a pretty good view (when enlarged) of those mounts, too.

HTH

Thank you! I think the drawing shows larger gun tubs than what would correspond to quad 1.1 (although it´s 1.1 quad drawn in there). There should be an inclined ladder connecting the upper and lower 5in gun platforms that is not shown here (and would not fit in). The back of the gun tub (looking from the ship´s side) should be open and somehow connected to the ladder. This can all be barely made up on the 1940 navsource photos, on the second Life magazine Northampton photo and also on the Louisville one I posted, but no details about how exactly it looked like. I´ll have to use some artistic licence one again

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My Gallery | At works: USS Astoria
Prep stage: USS Vincennes | HMAS Australia | USS Bagley | USS Wilson | Kako | Yubari | USS S-44
Recently completed: 1/700 USS Chicago 8/1942 | 1/700 Kinugasa 8/1942

Vladi,

Been doing some digging around, found these two images if they can be of any help. I get a feeling that each ship may have had a different set up depending on yard they were fitted.
Both of these images are from the Augusta


Gun tub looks elongated and there does not appear to be access from the center line. This would be more inline with above posted plan showing stairs down from upper gun deck.

This image was taken from a few feet behind the above one, there is a large locker or possible hoist which would make the access to the 1.1 tub kind of narrow I feel.

I will keep looking as I feel I have another shot of the Portland somewhere, but you can already see in the image I posted in that CASF that there was a break on the Center line side of the tub and probably a vertical ladder just out of frame.

HTH
Matt

_________________
In the yards right now:
USS Utah AG-16
On Hold
1/350 USS Portland CA-33 1942
1/350 Trumpeter Texas with a twist