ARL 12 USS Poseidon

[BB62vet]

Tom,
The model really looks good - the details are really showing up well!! Yes, I would concur that the two raised pipes are for boiler exhaust. I'm surprised that they're as small as they are which is why there are two of them, I guess.

Overall, this is really turning out nicely!

Hank

[Fliger747]

Hank:

What I am not sure about was what the purpose of the boilers was (probably two) as the ship is Diesel powered. I am aware that the ship had additional distilling capacity but not sure as to the association of these boilers with such capacity. Certainly in addition these ships capacity as repair ships, they often acted as tenders sharing their copious supply of dried milk and eggs with who ever they could foist it off on at Okinawa. Perhaps refilling water tenders for ship and shore usage. They had the ability to open the bow doors, lowering the ramp such that LTV's could drive aboard for repair.

Cheers: Tom

[BB62vet]

Hank:
What I am not sure about was what the purpose of the boilers was (probably two) as the ship is Diesel powered. I am aware that the ship had additional distilling capacity but not sure as to the association of these boilers with such capacity. Certainly in addition these ships capacity as repair ships, they often acted as tenders sharing their copious supply of dried milk and eggs with who ever they could foist it off on at Okinawa. Perhaps refilling water tenders for ship and shore usage. They had the ability to open the bow doors, lowering the ramp such that LTV's could drive aboard for repair.
Cheers: Tom

Tom,
Well, my initial reply was that those were diesel exhaust pipes, but DP mentioned that they were associated with the "boilers" and who am I to contradict - so, I changed my reply. I think my first inkling was correct - diesel exhausts. Anyhow, it's quite possible that the "boilers" were other than oil-fired; not sure when elec. coil heat came into use. If the ship ran on diesel power then I doubt that the "boilers" in question were feed water distillers. An interesting quandary, to say the least.

Hank

[Fliger747]

Hank:

There is an exhaust like pipe, of smaller diameter attached to the side of the larger stack. Still looks a bit like an intake exhaust combo. As these ships often operated with other craft alongside, the hull placement of the exhausts would inconvenient? I'll have to look at the deck plans and see what purpose I can sniff out.

Tom

[Fliger747]

On Sphinx (pretty different ship) the not well shown stack leads to a main deck compartment labeled with a boiler and an EVAPORATOR, both port and starboard. Poseidon doesn't have any vents running along the deck here. My supposition is that the portion of the main deckhouse in front of the bridge has a 10' deck height is to allow the running of the ducting for the plethora of vent stacks on deck.

[Fliger747]

Looking at the main deckhouse plan: In front of the officers country is a large compartment containing 2 large boilers and 2 high capacity evaporators, captioned "12,000 GPO" plus two large generators, two large air compressors and some other affiliated machinery. The large covered items seen in photos, covered on the O1 just inboard of the A frame are I believe welding machines.

[DrPR]

Tom,

My first thoughts when you posted the pictures of exhaust stacks on either side of the bridge were:
1. They look like the diesel auxiliary generator exhausts on cruisers.
2. If I was driving that ship I would curse the idiot who put the stacks where they would block the view!
3. Diesel exhaust fumes make me nauseous, so I would doubly curse the person who put the stacks by the open bridge!

But since the blueprints show boilers they must have been heated with diesel fuel, so a diesel exhaust stack. The evaporators we had on the minesweeper were heated electrically, but on the cruiser they were heated with steam. Since the boilers and evaporators were in the same space on the ARL my guess would be that the evaporators were heated with steam. That way they could be the same units used on destroyers, etc.

The boilers make perfect sense. First, some of the machinery could be steam powered. And maybe the on-board heating used steam. The ships whistle and siren could be steam powered - this was common. Again, this would allow using equipment common throughout the fleet on steam powered ships.

It is possible that the boilers were to provide steam to adjacent ships that were being worked on that had gone "cold iron" (their boilers were shut down).

The model looks really nice!

Phil

[Fliger747]

Phil:

I would guess that your suppositions at correct, however I also suspect that these were not usually active underway and they do extend higher than the flying bridge. Because of the reasons you mention while at anchor or alongside another vessel, the smokestack effect of distributing the effluents elsewhere would be advantageous. As to blocking the view from the bridge wings, not as vision impairing as the LCVP's. As there are a couple of large Generators and an air compressor also in the compartment, these may be bundled in as well. Yes good capacity to aiding a ship cold iron with steam, electricity and air. Perhaps in exchange for some ice cream?

Cheers: Tom

[DrPR]

Or strawberries?

[Fliger747]

Shades of Captain Queeg!

[Fliger747]

I am currently printing some helmet racks (with helmets) to adorn the light AA batteries. I added some helmets to the APA as I already had the racks. I did add some small items, a small vertical mast astride the awarthships I beams midships, bow and stern padeyes for rigging tows and a life ring on the lifelines by the stern anchor. I am sure there are more life rings, just not sure where as yet.

I did get some EZ line to attempt to rig the forward booms, but think I'll experiment a bit first a I have never used this material. It does say, keep out of sunlight, wonder if it should be coated with something after installation? Ant experience with this material? I hate rigging so one can expect a full court press procrastination.

Tom

[Fliger747]

Happy Bastille Day (Jan 6). Current progress on the ARL as I work stern to bow. Added helmet racks and some individual GI Helmets hanging on hooks by the flying bridge. A few life rings as well on the main deck life lines.

Tom

[DrPR]

More like the Guy Fawkes day.

[BB62vet]

More like the Guy Fawkes day.

Quite ironic, Guy Fawkes - my birthday is on Nov. 5th - and, I do know HOW to make gunpowder.

Coincidence????



Hank

Tom - your ARL is looking SUPER!!! All the details are quite superb!!!

[Fliger747]

Hank's Thank!

As my submariner friends might say, been a lot of "bridge under the water" since then. Maybe when you could order a British Enfield by mail out of the back of a comic book for say $7 or some such. With the relative freedom we had then came a society wide assumption of personal responsibility. Yes, we made rocket fuel or gunpowder from easily obtainable components, even had fun with a Molotov Cocktail or two.

Anyway the ARL is coming along. I do wish I had some reliable way to take it to my dad, I am sure it would give him great pleasure. I remember the first time I ever saw the ship. I was on a tug, either Mimac or Sabeda, taking a barge from PSNS over to Lake Washington via the Ship Canal and Lake union, and there she was tied up to a dock on lake Union, still looking pretty ship shape with the post war shaded RL 12 on her stern.

The aft end looks sufficiently over packed as was typical of a WWII "man o' war" or anything else that left the dock at the time.

What I don't have many photos of and still straining at is the bow area. there was a unusual rack to hold a large boat awarthships over what was the ramp to the tank deck on an LST. I think (still looking for evidence) that the ends of this rotated inwards to form a cradle. I know Poseidon often carried her 40' motor launch there. Just the thing for a travel to a baseball game on Mog Mog with a couple of crates of near beer.

So far I haven't figured out how to make a 40' motor launch.

Tom

[DrPR]

I posted a comment earlier on one of the scratch build threads about the East Carolina University Library's collections of Barbour Boat Works plans. Barbour made just about everything from motor whaleboats to destroyers, and all their plans are available.

You can always print them. That's what I am planning to do. I haven't gotten to the boats yet, but I have CAD models of the 1060s era 40 foot utility boat and 40 foot personnel boat. Right now they are just zero thickness planes and grids, but I will eventually get around to reworking them into solids for printing.

Do you know the Mk number of the boat on the Poseidon?

Phil

[Fliger747]

Phil:

The issue about the 40' motor launch (I have some decent photos) is not plans but the capabilities of my design program (and myself) which must be tricked in many ways to produce a faired boat hull. I have followed you suggestions before and Barbour Boat works does have a lot of useful information.

Thank you! Tom

[Fliger747]

The ARL's usually had an "unusual" bow awarthships boat rack where larger boats such as a LCM or 40' Motor Launch could be placed for storage or work. I have printed a trial version to see what modifications are needed as I have no exact drawings of this. NARA has a BOGP for ARL 13 which has this rack, but like Chicago teachers, they seem to be on permanent vacation.

Though they come off the printer fine, they have a tendency to banana when drying. A 3D technical issue which I have experienced and solved in various ways. So product development is necessary.

Stay tuned for further developments! Tom

[Fliger747]

The boat racks in the black as a trial fit. I need to reduce the angle a little on the supports to better match the deck sheer. It is not totally sure how these were employed. It may be that the ends hinge in to make a cradle? Certainly cross beams could be installed on the lower ledge of the I beam. I have variously seen LCM's, 40' motor launches and LCVP's placed here.

Notice the purloined jeep on the O1 level...

Tom

[Fliger747]

Attempting to print this set with Model Grey rather than Rapid Black resin. The Grey is more rubbery and delivers less detail, but the rubbery part may be a help to keep them straight. I added a 1.07 mm hole lengthwise to try to add a stiffening piano wire. This worked well with the booms.

Paying attention to the Cart-Horse order scenario, some detail around the ramp needs to be constructed. I can just see the jeep, won in a poker game being spirited away from Mog Mog (Ulithi) in one of the LCVP's to betaken aboard and re painted and assigned a mythical NAVY serial Number.

The Early ARL's had the bow doors welded shut, later it was found desirable to retain the capability, as well as the ramp. The early LST's had a sort of elevator, but those produced from later LST's had the ramp. Some, such as Sphinx had this removed post war.

Tom