At 'Em Arizona Fans!

[ArizonaBB39]

Anyone making 1/350 Curtiss planes, HA?

Trumpeter does, don't they?

[Tracy White]

Yes.

[jockdeboer]

First post. My uncle was in the Sea Bees stationed in Pearl during the bombing. I wish I remembered his stories, but I was a young kid when he passed. I built a few Arizona's back when I was a kid, most likely influenced by his stories. I am waiting patiently for the new 1/200 release. Was thinking of the 1/96 one, but I think that would take me the rest of my life to finish! Read though all 19 pages this week, since finding this web site. Can anyone tell me where I can get a copy of Stillwell's book? Any other recommendations so I am ready to start when the kit is finally produced later this year?

[Cliffy B]

Here's a link to Stillwell's book. I found one for only $25 and $4 to ship! I'd jump on it ASAP since most copies go for twice that.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... D0%26y%3D0

[jockdeboer]

Cliffy, thanks! Done. Jock

[jockdeboer]

What have you guys heard about the 1/144 USS Arizona from Lindburgh? It is supposed to come out the same time as the 1/200 by Trumpeter.

[Tracy White]

Heard nothing since December, when Ernie the CEO was bought out.

[jockdeboer]

I received the Stillwell book. Wow, that is something else, well worth the money!

[commodore4]

TRACY, this is one fascinating set of facts.I would like to call your attention to the latest FINE SCALE MODELER issue.A builder submitted shots of both the BISMARK before her last battle and after on the seafloor.He also did the ARIZONA and a beautiful model it was and then next to it he had used the REVELL kit and did it as she looked BEFORE they put the memorial structure over her hull.Two very fascinating vignettes of two very well known ships, before and after. commodore 4

[mark_sch]

TRACY, this is one fascinating set of facts.I would like to call your attention to the latest FINE SCALE MODELER issue.A builder submitted shots of both the BISMARK before her last battle and after on the seafloor.He also did the ARIZONA and a beautiful model it was and then next to it he had used the REVELL kit and did it as she looked BEFORE they put the memorial structure over her hull.Two very fascinating vignettes of two very well known ships, before and after. commodore 4

Just got that issue yesterday. Both models are excellent. My only problem is he didn't fix any of the mistakes on both ships. He even says the Revell kit is a very accurate model of the Arizona.
Mark

[JCRAY]

The magazine would be un-wise to point out the glaring defects with the kit, that could have been re-tooled over the decades, but it's such an odd scale anyway! Good kit for a first ship, looks good from a distance! It was my first attempt w/ pe rails when they first came out, still have it. jc

[Sten Ekedahl]

I've reached the state in my Arizona build (see the Picture post section on this forum) that I have to start think about colors. No not the gray/blue controversy (haven't made up my mind on that yet), but interior colors. Since I am building the model with open casemates (for the 5"/51 guns) the insides of these will be partially visible. Also the windows at several of the bridge levels are large enough to get an impression of the interior. So the question is what colors were used inside these compartments? From looking at various photos I get the impression that bulkheads were painted white or a very light color. But the floors? Green? Can anyone enlighten me?

[Tracy White]

As far as we know Deck Gray. There were tiles in the galley but that's not visible through the casemates. bulkheads and overheads were white.

[Charles Landrum]

The only interior shot I know of either Arizona or Pennsylvania is from 1918 and the casemate guns were one deck lower on painted steel decks (dark gray). But during modernization of the battleships in the late 1920s the guns were raised a deck to make them more serviceable in heavy seas. Based on Arkansas and Texas I would say that the guns were on a teak deck. Here are two pics. The first is the museum ship Texas, which shows that the teak still remains - http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013546b.jpg. The other picture from Arkansas dates from 1940 and shows the period look - I would say bright teak, with white bulkheads and deck gray fixtures - http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013324.jpg.

[Sten Ekedahl]

As far as we know Deck Gray. There were tiles in the galley but that's not visible through the casemates. bulkheads and overheads were white.

[Sten Ekedahl]

OK, time for a new question: On the drawings in the Stillwell book there appears to be some sort of pipe fitted to the side of the hull, running almost the entire length of the ship. It starts a couple of feet aft of the bow just above the water line, and slowly raises up to the edge of the quarter deck where is seems to end just above the original rearmost 5" casemate gun.

1. What was the purpose of this pipe?
2. Was it present on both sides of the hull? On the side drawing in the book it is shown on the starboard side. But on the photos showing the starboard side (pp. 216, 217) it doesn't seem to be there. OTH, on photos showing the port side (pp. 213, 220-221) it is clearly visible.

TIA

[ArizonaBB39]

I don't have my Stillwell book on hand at the moment, but what you describe sounds like what may be the degaussing cable. I'm not 100% sure though. I'll get my book out later if I can and look at the pictures/drawings you mention. In the mean time someone more knowledgeable (Tracy ) may be able to give you a concrete answer.

The degaussing cable was used to de-magnetize the ship's hull so magnetic mines wouldn't be attracted to the ship.

[Sten Ekedahl]

A degaussing cable was my initial thought also. But a degaussing cable would most likely go all the way around the hull, i.e. be present on both sides of the hull. And did Arizona ever have a degaussing cable installed? Another peculiar thing with this pipe is that there seems to be some sort of angled box on the side of the hull at deck level, at the rear end of the pipe. Somewhere deep in the back of my memory I recall something about a pipe for aviation fuel from a tank in the bow of the ship, going on the outside of the hull back to the the quarter deck where the planes were operated. Could that be it?

[SeanF]

OK, time for a new question: On the drawings in the Stillwell book there appears to be some sort of pipe fitted to the side of the hull, running almost the entire length of the ship. It starts a couple of feet aft of the bow just above the water line, and slowly raises up to the edge of the quarter deck where is seems to end just above the original rearmost 5" casemate gun.

1. What was the purpose of this pipe?
2. Was it present on both sides of the hull? On the side drawing in the book it is shown on the starboard side. But on the photos showing the starboard side (pp. 216, 217) it doesn't seem to be there. OTH, on photos showing the port side (pp. 213, 220-221) it is clearly visible.

TIA

It looks like Pennsylvania had one on her starboard side, similar but not quite the same as the Arizona's port one (Pennsy's runs pretty much level all the way, until making a sharp upward turn. See http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013865.jpg for a good phot from early '42. Late '30s photos, though not as close-up, do have a line along this side so this wasn't a post-Pearl addition.) I'm guessing that it's an avgas line, as was seen on lots of U.S. cruisers, and typically on one side only. From the look of things, I suspect both ships got these installed in the late '30s, and only on one side of each.

A couple club-mates and I are group-building Arizonas (One 1/350 Hobby Boss as Arizona 1941, one 1/350 Hobby Boss as Pennsylvania in 1941 fit, and one 1/429 Revell as Arizona 1936 fit), and trying to detail and accurize them as we go along, starting with re-planking the Hobby Boss kits and the mid-ship area of the Revell. Chasing after these little details is both fascinating and frustrating. The new Ray Bean photo CD I picked up at Nationals is a timely and welcome item; for example, the photos on the CD confirm that on Dec. 7, 1941, Pennsylvania did have trusswork yardarms like Arizona and Nevada, and did have her radar mounted. I was previously almost convinced otherwise.

Does anyone know of a good photo or drawing that illustrates the bilge keels and horizntal joints on the bulges (strakes? stiffeners? see http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013802.jpg )? The Hobby Boss kit's keels seem a bit too high up the side, and rather thick; and those horizontal lines would make a nice additional detail to have on the hull. (The three I see I'd guess go the full length of the bulges on both sides of the ship; were there more on the bottom?) I have one set of plans from The Floating Drydock, but it doesn't show what I need in this regard; I don't mind buying more plans, but I'd greatly appreciate if anyone could point me to which set I'd need.

- Sean F.

[SeanF]

The only interior shot I know of either Arizona or Pennsylvania is from 1918 and the casemate guns were one deck lower on painted steel decks (dark gray). But during modernization of the battleships in the late 1920s the guns were raised a deck to make them more serviceable in heavy seas. Based on Arkansas and Texas I would say that the guns were on a teak deck. Here are two pics. The first is the museum ship Texas, which shows that the teak still remains - http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013546b.jpg. The other picture from Arkansas dates from 1940 and shows the period look - I would say bright teak, with white bulkheads and deck gray fixtures - http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013324.jpg.

I know of a couple photos of one of Pennsylvania's casemates - after being blasted on Dec. 7. See http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/013880.jpg for the most relevant one. I don't see any sign of wood in there - I'd expect to see splinters all over the place. I suppose it could have been removed already by the time that picture was taken. Anyone know more about this?

I'm seeing this now, just as I was about to plank the interior of the casemates in accordance with the Texas and Arkansas pictures... detailing these things is like trying to hit a moving target!

- Sean F.