Calling all Essex-class (WWII configuration) fans

[Russ2146]

Booms

I don't know what the higher up one was for, possibly refueling, but the lower one is a boat boom, which is used to tether ship's boats while at anchor. They both appear in the stowed position. If the ship was anchored and had boats out, the boat boom would be swung out 90 degrees to the side of the ship, both horizontally and vertically, the outer end being held up by a block and tackle angling down fron a point directly above the base of the boom and steadied fore and aft by additional rigging fore and aft in the same horizontal plane as the boom.

Check your manuals

[Rdutnell]

Sweet! Thanks all the way around; for the description, and for the suggestion to look at the manuals. I haven't looked at the Boatswain's Mate manual yet, but the Seaman's manual has a picture that makes the drawing make since.

[Tracy White]

It's a boom used in underway refueling. It's hidden by that second quad 40mm mount, but underneath it is a double watertight door - the ships started out with a single door in this area, but by the end of the war the Navy was mounting a second one and using it for fueling

[Rdutnell]

I'm assuming then that the gooseneck/pin are at the upper end and the triangular brackets are attachment points for when the boom is stowed. Is this right?

[Russ2146]

No, the goose neck is the attachment to the ship. There is usually a bracket to hold the outboard end of the boom when it is in the stowed position.

[Rdutnell]

OK, I guess my communication was poor. In the particular boom I was refering to, the goose neck/pin (from Seaman manual, Fig 4-20, or Boatswain's Mate manual, Figure 5-7) which I took to be at the attachment point were at the top. The triangular bracket is at the lower end.

I see that that is not always the case however, as the lower one in the figure I sent has the triangular bracket in the center, but it looks like the attachment point is still at the top. This make sense to me, but I just wanted to confirm before I started trying to make one.

[Rdutnell]

Continuing on with this thread�
In the attached photos, I have 2 booms labeled. Number 1 is the refueling boom Tracey ID�ed previously. Are the lines going up and to the right from near the center of the boom the After Guy, Topping Lift, or something else? Number 2 is the one with the bracket mounted in the center. I assume its attachment point is the upper left end?

[Russ2146]

The lower end of the boat boom is where the goose neck is. Keep in mind that the boat crews have to walk that boom and have to get on to it from a deck space. There is no place at or above the upper end, in the plan/diagram, to climb down onto it, other than the end of the catwalk above and aft of it. Likewise, there is no place to tend to the ship ends of the guess warps.

A boom of this period was rarely lowered below the horizontal as it was extremely difficult for the topping lift to get the outboard end of the boom back up to the horizontal. The angle made by the topping lift to the boom was too shallow if that was done. Effectively, the topping lift would be pulling the end in toward the base, rather than lifting it. You can see this on cargo ships that are rigged for sea. The cargo booms are lowered, but never to the horizontal. In the case of the Jumbo Boom, it is usually raised to near vertical and into a securing clamp.

The boat boom is always de-rigged when stowed, as shown in the side view.

[Rdutnell]

Doh! Of course it is. It's funny I'm an engineer, but I guess my engineer brain was asleep on that one. Simple statics.

With regards to location... Being that, as you pointed out, there is no access to the boom as positioned, would you advise maybe moving it as shown below in green?

I just completed the first one (#1 in the photo) and will post it in the next few minutes.

Thanks again for the info!

[Russ2146]

As originally shown on the plan, the aft end of the boom, the free end, was inaccessible. The forward end seemed to be a big drop down from the deck in front of the small doors, if the plan is accurate, but it was do-able. The only people who went out on the boom, after it was rigged out,, were the boat crews, usually 3 men per boat. Anyone else getting on or off the ship would use an accomodation ladder, to which the boat was brought by the boat crew.

What would rally be nice would be a photo of a carrier at anchor with the booms rigged out.

Oh, others who used the boat boom were swimmers when the ship held "swim call" But I think this was usually done from a lowered side elevator on carriers.

I just was going through the Essex class photos at Navsource, and I don't see any boat booms or other booms on the starboard side. Here's one of Benny in July, 1945 I see what looks like a refueling rig but no boat boom.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/022012.jpg

The other thing, a boat boom was pretty easy to set up where you wanted. Back then there was the Ship Fitter rating and he could just weld the hull fitting where it was desired The boom could be put on and taken off completely to be stowed in an overhead

[Rdutnell]

Love the swimmers!
Everyone needs a break and I'm sure these guys deserve it.

My Ship Fitter done moved it. His work will be posted soon.

[Rdutnell]

Does anyone know which way this picture is facing? in other words, is the opening fore or aft?

[Tracy White]

Not valid for WWI

[Rdutnell]

How about in WWII, June 7, 1945 on Bennington?
And do you mean that in WWI there was no well?
Is that why the Trumpeter kit just has posts? I thought it was just cheesy.

So, is this photo more accurate for the time?

[Tracy White]

No, the original is post-war, post SCB, with the lengthened and strengthened elevators for heavier and larger jets.

There was an elevator well on all three of the center line elevators (i.e., non-deck edge). The midships elevator had a special secondary elevator that would rise up to the level of the main deck (aka hangar deck) to give more room for moving aircraft around; it was only 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the main one and occupied the portion closest to the port side, to provide as much room as possible.

[Russ2146]

In the Bennington Captain's post typhon remarks, contained in his report of air operations he stated under "Desirable Alterations to Ship"

"(3) Elevator Drains. Present elevator drains are inadequate. In view of the ease with which both #1 and #3 elevator pits were flooded in the storm, it is of prime military importance to increase the size of the present drains to at least 8". The resulting instability factor connected with the large free surface of a flooded elevator pit is obvious and should be corrected, principally because of the low stability of the CV- class carrier."

[Rdutnell]

OK Tracy, maybe I'm dense, but I usually get you right away, and I'm still confused. I think you are saying that the wells were not a feature during WW2 and came on after due to the heavier planes? Along with the secondary elevator.

[Tracy White]

No, the wells were always there; the first photo that you posted is of a post-SCB elevator (SCB = Ship Characteristics Board, basically a post-war modification program) so the structure of the bulkheads and elevator underside is invalid for reference to WWII ships.

[Rdutnell]

Oh, I see now. So, there was a well there but nothing like the one in the photo. Well, fortunately, I'm not going to model the interior elevator anyway, at least not in detail, but if there was a well with an opening on one end, then I want to make sure that my opening is facing the right way. I assume that they pointed aft so that the planes were facing forward.
Check out my build to see what I've done so far on the aft elevator. It will be posted shortly.

[Rdutnell]

Sorry to keep barraging you with questions but the more I learn, the better my model will be, and frankly I just like learning from you guys.

My questions this time deal with the gallery deck and the following two pictures from Ray Bean's DVD (though greatly reduced in size to add on this site). The first picture is of Ticonderoga in May, 1944, the second is of Princeton in December 1945. The latter has obviously been modified to highlight the areas in question.

Obviously,the features on the bulkheads are a lot different in the two photos.
Is this a time factor or a ship specific factor?
Does anyone know what the numbered items are? There are a lot of interesting items in the shot, but the repeating nature of the circled items, has my interest. If they were on Bennington on June 7, 1945, I think I will try to add them.
Does anyone have any other good shots of Essexclass gallery decks?

THANKS!