The Ship Model Forum

Can someone tell me, when the Exeter was transferred to the Pacific theater, did she have a wooden deck painter deck gray or did she have a steel deck, thanks ?

James M asked about Exeter's transfer to the Pacific theater. In the Royal Navy, the US term "theater" wasn't used - and nor was the British spelling "theatre". The only time Exeter went to the Pacific was in 1938-39 when she visited several ports on the west coast of South America; at that time she was part of the South American Division of the American and West Indies Station, and was still in peacetime colours, so her wooden decks would have been unpainted (what is a "deck painter"?).

When she deployed to the East Indies Station in 1941-42, her wooden decks seem to have been painted dark grey (not gray - she would have been using RN paints, not USN).

Side note but related - this is why I absolutely will never use "Turret A" to describe a USN turret nor "Turret 1" for a RN or DKM one. Part of the growth that comes with study is the correct use of terms and I believe it's more respectful and accurate to use the terms of the country and navy in question. It leads to a deeper knowledge and appreciation.

Yeah, it's pedantic and I don't advocate jumping on people when they don't use the technically correct jargon, but helping keep history alive is part of what brings us here.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Changing topic again... I am adding the open bridge equipment to my 1/350 HMS Exeter (Trumpeter), and have doubts about the actual size (and position, and nature) of some items provided in plastic and PE. Any pictures showing in more detail the HMS Exeter´s open bridge? The one below is the only one I´ve got decently showing some detail.



Marco

Also on the topic about HMS Exeter, Just need clarification about her wood decks.
To what deck where the decks planked? Main deck, 02 level and 03 level?

This is for an Exeter at the battle of Java Sea

James

Exeter's upper deck (lowest continuous deck accessible from outside - ie the level at which "Y" turret, torpedo tubes etc were mounted) was planked, as were parts of the foc's'le deck (next one up), including the foc'sle and the area around the catapult, and parts of the superstructure deck ("B" gundeck).

Contiuing to be pedantic , the RN terminology for deck naming/numbering was different to the USN's. Even after numbering instead of naming was adopted (after the Second World War?), the RN system differed.

Gents, some of you modelers may be interested in the below photo. Although I have had a somewhat blurry copy for a long time (also below). I only recently acquired a clearer image of the same photo. My apologies if it the clearer one has been posted elsewhere in the thread, as I don't have the patience to go back thorough the complete thread, not the memory to recall seeing it here.

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942

Gents, was just cropping down this photo (to gun size) to use in a wreck survey report (from when the wreck was there that is ) when I noticed what I assume is a signal light(?) at the very top, or is it for some other purpose? I had seen something there before in shots taken from further away, but was never sure what it was as they weren't sharp / clear enough, Anyway, thought I'd post it and see.

PS. Those 'swabbies' are looking at that gun like its gonna bite them.

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942

The image shows the lower portion of a 18" signal projector, it was later replaced with a 10" projector, as shown fitted in your earlier posted July 39 image.

KevinD, I think those are US Navy sailors which might explain their look/posture to the quad .50cal.

Query: the photo in KevinD's post above the doorway appears to go through the superstructure with an inclined ladder "in the way." It appears that there are cabins or spaces fore and aft, so I'm thinking this is an athwartship passageway but what had really piqued my interest is the arrangement of the inclined ladders.

The Trumpeter kit has the superstructure completely open and so naturally I'm going to add bulkheads and a deck, but that will still leave a fairly plain interior next to some nice, large (in scale) openings and I'd like to busy it up a bit. We know that there are inclined ladders from the upper level down and I suspect that there would be another set immediately below those, however I'm not sure if there would be port and starboard to match or if there was a different arrangement.

Anyone have access to plans that show a rough layout of the mid-level forward superstructure deck that could confirm some of these details? Any portholes on the inner bulkhead that could be drilled?

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Hi Brett,

I don't think I have seen the full image of the crop you posted in the above post? Would you be kind enough to post the 'full image, or send it to me?

Thanks, Kevin

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942

Can't help with inner plans Tracy, but if you are going to go into such detail you will need a bathtub.

Photo below (white arrow) points to Captains bathtub front 'corner' port side superstructure on wreck, same level and 'just', and only just, forward of where .50 quad was. (Red arrows have no meaning in this photo now - well, 'B' points to .50 quad deck level - but were used in a composite image to help with a 3D model (of wreck) to correspond to an historical photo to show what / where the modeler was 'looking' so to speak.)

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942

Kevin, I have posted a message to your inbox.

Thanks Brett, got it and answered (and have downloaded the photo you directed me to ).

Much appreciated!

Kevin

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942

Pardon if this question has been asked before but...........can anyone say with any certainty what level / angle the main guns (8" - 203mm) on Exeter needed to be at to reload? Asked another way, what is the maximum elevation those guns could be reloaded at?

Any help much appreciated.

Pardon again gents, it t'was I that made the above post, not realising that I had unknowingly been logged out.

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942

Guest/Kevin D,

At risk of whaffliing, I can only say that one probably needs a copy of the mounting drill book, wherever one might be. However, I suspect that based upon knowledge of the twin 4" in use at the time and accepting the fact that the 8" mounting was intended to fire against air targets but was probably not power-loaded, it probably needed to be loaded at a convenient angle of approximately 5 degrees.

To achieve this quickly from a high elevation, it was likely that some form of "sector switch or foot pedal" was used. In other words, once the gun had fired at high elevation, someone pressed the sector switch/foot pedal, the individual gun depressed to 5 degrees for re-loading, Once this had been achieved, the sector switch or foot pedal was then released and the gun returned to its previous high elevation.

Someone might be able to advise differently though.

81542

Whether 8" or 6" calibre I would expect the loading angle to be much the same, perhaps this film may give some idea to your enquiry Kevin.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C189083

Thanks for that link Brett. Very interesting / helpful.

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“We are off to look for trouble. I expect we shall find it.” Capt. Tennant, HMS Repulse. 8 December 1941
“A review of the situation at about 1100 was not encouraging.” Capt. Gordon, HMS Exeter. 1 March 1942