Mike E. wrote:
All:
Alan Raven asked me to post this on the board in response to Jamie's artwork re: HMS Hood.
During Hood's 1940 refit, the corticene covering her shelter/boat deck was removed and replaced by a layer of semtex (with the exception perhaps of some of the bridge decks which retained their corticene covering). He doesn't have info regarding the precise pattern of the semtex runs on the deck, however.
Best,
Mike E.
There were a refits in Q2 1940 and Q1 1941.
Attachment:
1941deck.jpg
Picture of the deck in 1941. Note from the small light mushroom vents in the bottom of the image that to the right a change in contrast runs where we now had the Semtex/Corticine edge. That is, from pictures we have the pattern of the corticine that was estimated at 12x6ft patches; part of these were removed and replaced by Semtex earlier. This image suggest that part of the deck is still corticine. Let's refer to this line as our reference line.
ON BOARD A WARSHIP. 1940, ON BOARD THE BRITISH BATTLECRUISER HMS HOOD.. © IWM (A 171) IWM Non Commercial LicenseStrips clearly running inward of our reference line (this strip is 6ft inboard wrt the reference line, no appreciable contrast change visible). However, not her final configuration.
Image of JE Moon, who joined HMS Hood in 1940 (exact date of the image not known). Again, note the contrast change and Corticine cover strip patterns not continuing more outboard. This is at the reference line.
Late 1940, early 1941. The counter-evidence confusor; note there is no contrast line visible here, however, the Corticine strip pattern is still present more inboard at our reference line. The pattern is not visible outboard of this line anywhere (I have the pic at a better resolution, and really tried finding more lines but cannot). What is also confusing is that the HA emplacement shows a different surface texture, as if it has been painting (sloppily) or simply just wet.
So, photographic evidence shows that outboard of our reference line the Corticine covering strips have all been removed, at the locations where the logs clearly mention Semtex. Inboard of our reference line the Corticine pattern is always visible, but the contrast change between Corticine and Semtex is not. So far I inclined to conclude that corticine was still partly present on the boat deck. Supporting or contradicting images or documents welcome, of course.
(I just added that pattern to my model so will now passionately defend it with cognitive dissonance set to stun).