Calling all HMS "Mighty" Hood fans

[chuck]

Where is everybody?

[chuck]

Is there any drawings showing the extent to which the boat deck was covered with teak planking when Hood was first commissioned in 1920?

[Paper Lab]

You might get better responses asking on Hood Association website

Darius

[Cag]

Hi All,

Hi Chuck, if you can get hold of the book "The battlecruiser Hood" by John Roberts part of the Anatomy of the ship series I know it has plans drawn in it of Hood as completed which may help you.

Hood went through a few shelter deck configurations and if I remember correctly they are shown in that book.

Hope this helps a bit but Hood Association is a good site for images etc.

Best wishes
Cag.

[chuck]

Hi All,

Hi Chuck, if you can get hold of the book "The battlecruiser Hood" by John Roberts part of the Anatomy of the ship series I know it has plans drawn in it of Hood as completed which may help you.

Hood went through a few shelter deck configurations and if I remember correctly they are shown in that book.

Hope this helps a bit but Hood Association is a good site for images etc.

Best wishes
Cag.

Hi, Cag.

Thanks.

I have that book. I am trying to back date Trumpeter�s 1/200 Hood to 1920 comfiguration. The anatomy of the ship series doesn�t have overhead plans for the ship for 1920. Also, the drawings for 1920 comfiguration is sparse and doesn�t give a clear 3D view to relate the parts to eachother.

[Cag]

Hi All

Hi Chuck, I think the first plans in that book are of her in 1920? If you look at the first profile drawing it does say it's dated 1920 so I imagine that the shelter deck plan A3/1 on page 41 is of her 1920 fittings. They are drawn from her builders plans from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

As for 3d images I think you may struggle but there are some images of Hood as built and fitting out on the Hood Association website and another good site is Scotland's People which if I remember correctly has as built images of Hood as well as Barham, which might help?

A backdated 1/200 Hood sounds brilliant and would love to see it once completed, Good luck with your build

Best wishes
Cag.

[Timhan]

Re. flag staff and ensign staff - i assume in 1941 they were painted hull colour. Or were they left varnished timber?.
Am about to paint, but wish to be correct. Could not find this subject in the Hood Website.

[EJFoeth]

Nearly impossible to tell from photographs, but the color footage of Hood seems to suggest unpainted?

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAthCvk5Gro, at 8 minutes onward)

[chuck]

Does anyone have or know of any illustration or photos of the external aperture of British underwater torpedo tube around this era?

Is the aperture circular or oval?

It there an extensible bracing rod that supports the torpedo as it exits the tube? Is it on the forward or backside of the tube aperture?

[Timhan]

Thanks EJ. As you say, not very conclusive. Still none the wiser. Artistic license perhaps.
Back to my previous question re the signal halyards - there they are in the film raising the
flags - but there is no image as to the actual mechanism !!. Back to the drawing board i guess.

[chuck]

Does Hood's armored conning tower have any access doors that can be seen from open air?

I am building up the forward superstructure in 1920 cinfiguration, modifying Trumpeter's forward incorrect 1941 forward superstructure by removing the torpedo lookout shelter and 50cal machine gun platforms, as well as the enlarged signal processing office right behind the conning tower that I believe was added in 1929-1930 timeframe. So I need to reconstruct portions of the conning tower wall. I noticed neither trumpeter's depiction, nor any photos or drawings I've seen, shows any exterior doors for the armored conning towers in the top 3 levels. Some after market photoetch kits provides a door at the rear of the conning tower where the bridge deck narrows to form a sort of bridge to the rear of the conning tower. But I've seen no confirmation there is actually a door there.

So how are the armored levels of Hood's conning tower accessed? Is it purely through ladders from below? Or are there indeed armored doors open to the outside in the top three levels?

If there is confirmed to be exterior doors but no good photos, then I would like to scratch build a door that is at least consistent with typical british design for door hinges or any mechanical aids for moving so massive a door. Is there any photo of armored conning tower doors for any british battleships?

[EJFoeth]

I have pictures that show there is an opening in the rear and no door (this is how I have it on my model)

C1.jpg

However, nothing to see here (not even a rain guard). May have been edited out to add pop-eye... or, (more likely) perfectly blocked optically by the officers.

bridge.jpg

Also, do you have this book?



When you are making a 1920s Hood you definitely need it; superb images of Hood during her build and fitting out.

[chuck]

Thank you! I just got the book.

The open doorway behind the armored conning tower is unexpected. This would appear to negate the value of giving personnel inside 800 tons of armor protection by allowing fragments and blasts from nearby hits to enter the tower.

[Dan K]

Does it open inward?

[Timmy C]

When was the photo taken? Any chance the door may just not have been installed yet?

[chuck]

Does it open inward?

Opening inwards would be a poor design for a protective door because it would be difficult to support the door from inside against being bashed in by a shell hit if the door normally opens inwards. A door that opens outwards can be supported on the inside by a strong ledge around the door.

[Fliger747]

If one looks at the armored doors on the various levels of the Iowa's conning tower they open outward and are tapered such that they are somewhat cone shaped to add solidarity. Another aspect is that the coning towers are quite cramped and an inward opening door would take up quite a bit of space.

[Dan K]

I understand that. I was just offering the alternative, as poor a choice as it might be, since no door made utterly no sense.

[Fliger747]

I suppose that one could simply have no door and a plate baffle to keep splinters out? Certainly if the Admiral or captain wanted to pop out for a better view no armored door dogged down would facilitate this.

Totally submitted without any information!

[chuck]

There are several photos in the book Foeth recommended that clearly shows the door sized and shaped opening at the back of conning tower taken during the ship�s construction. One was taken when the ship seems essentially complete. No where is there any hint whatsoever that there is a door, or any sign of any hinge on the outside suggesting and outward swinging door is intended.

There seems to be three possibilities:

1. There really is no door. I find that almost impossible to believe. A interior screen to keep out fragments is possible, but a practical interior screen tight enough to keep out blast of nearby hit, or screen solid enough to offer protection equivalent to the 11� armor of the rest of conning tower wall is something I find hard to imagine,

2. There is an inward swinging door. Possible. But why? There is plenty of space for a door there to swing outwards at that level, and an inward swinging door has all the space utilization and impact support problems mentioned above.

3. There is an door that does not rely on an external hinge and somehow swing in a way that still allows the comming and frame around the door to support it against being pushed in by a shell hit. I regard that as the most likely possibility. Maybe the door swings outwards out of sight of foeth�s Photo on swing arms?