I am building the USS Gato scale 1:144 of Trumpeter She is nearly finished I would like to know the deck is that made of steel of wood. Sounds strange but of US subs I have no idea how they are build. I know of the Germans in the WWII the decks were made of wood.
Early Gato class submarines had all wood (Teak) decks. Later, in the some of follow-on Balao class, parts of the deck (usually at the extreme bow & stern) were perforated metal, but the areas closer to the conning tower fairwater were still teak wood slats.
I was wondering which Trumpeter model I should buy for the USS Harder at the time of her loss. Would it be the USS Gato 1944 (I'm assuming it would be actually) as Harder was a Gato class sub lost in 1944. Would Harder have had any new stuff, repairs, changed things?
I think that the historical basis for my diorama idea's just been proven pretty much false. I was planning to do a diorama of the Harder's last few minutes but I'd based it on the old tale that it was the ex-USS Stewart turned Japanese PB-102 that killed the 'Destroyer Killer'. Apparently it was a humble Japanese escort CD-22 that got Sam Dealey's boat, not the ex-US destroyer. I was also hoping to incorporate the lovely Trumpy Mavis model but apparently it was the smaller and more ubiquitous - but less readily available in model form - Aichi E13 seaplane that was a part of the USS Harder action. To top it all off, there's apparently 1/144 aircraft and subs but no 1/144 destroyers available here (so the CD-22 and PB-102 will have to be scratch built, something I've not really tried doing much before, at least not with much success).
Anyways... maybe I can find another idea that incorporates a Mavis and a Gato sub (I already bought the Mavis and was waiting on the response here to choose which Trumpy Gato to get).
I am currently building Trumpeter's 1944 Gato kit. Was it really the case on the real boats that one could see through the limber holes, out the other side of the ship? I thought this was only in the holes way up at the bow, but the kit would have me believe this was further aft, as well. Should I install some sort of baffle below the weather deck?
Also, I really like this kit, and will undoubtedly build more. (1/144 would also make a nice scale for World War II destroyers!) Can this kit be easily/readily converted into ships of the Balao class, perhaps with some aftermarket stuff?
Thanks in advance for any insights you have on this.
On the Electric Boat limber hole pattern, no, you couldn't see through the ship, at least as far as the main holes go - the ones that are D-shaped and follow the contour of the hull from the bow planes aft. Now, the flood holes in the extreme bow, yes, you can see through those from one side to the other.
It is more than possible to see light through the main limber holes from many angles, plus piping, conduit, and other structures. It depends upon how close you are and from what angle you're viewing. I suspect that if you put your head inside one of the after D-shaped holes you might be able to see through to the other side, but as a general rule, no, not without some serious contortions.
I want to build my gato as the USS Silversides(only USN Sub to have a member to be killed on deck). Does anyone have some pics of the Silversides showing what deck weapons she had and where they were placed.
Hi Wildspear,
If you go to http://www.navsource.org and look for USS Silversides, you will come up with many pictures of her. The guns and placement depend on the date you want to model her in. From the photos, she had a 3"50 in 1942 and about 1944 received a 4" deck gun. But they have many very nice pics of her at Navsorce.
Dan
Field Artillery, King of Battle
Please check out the Secret Society of Model Builders on facebook.
I was looking at the paint scheme for the USS Silversides (MS 9)
"Vertical Surfaces:
Paint entire submarine above the waterline black, formula 82. The painting shall be carried over all parts which are visible for the air including the numbers, capstan and running light boards and bridge rails. The radio insulators shall be dark. The shall be no boot topping. The underbody shall be painted with the current issues of bottom antifouling paints.
Horizontal Surfaces:
All horizontal surfaces except wood decks shall be painted Dark Gray 5-D. The systems differ only in the painting of the vertical surfaces. In case of doubt, as on sloping surfaces, use Dark Gray 5-D."
Question is.....Where do I find what color of anti-fouling paint was used?
I can't find my Squadron "U.S. Subs of WWII", can't remember the title for that matter, but did the late Gato Class subs get the 5" 25cal Deck gun or were those only put on Balao's & Tenchs' ?
While searching NavSource.org I found a photo of U.S.S. Drum having (2) 5"25cal mounts... That's pretty odd I think for the Gato class subs. I never remember seeing a Gato w/ 2 deck guns...
I'm pretty sure that the 5"25cal's were more of a late war type gun 44 or 45 I'm not sure. But those guns were pretty good, they were made specialy for sub's. The barrels were made of rust resistent steel and they gave it a shorter barrel to improve the accuracy on a rolling deck.
Would the Trumpeter Gato model be a good starting point to build a Tambor Class sub? I'm thinking SS-199 Tautog at the end of her career. She was towed to my town, Manistee MI in 1959 (I was one year old at the time) and cut up for scrap at Bultema Dock and Dredge. At Navsource the pictures between the two classes look similar. The specifications show a difference of a little more than 4 feet in length but the same beam. Any thoughts? My father has home movies (8mm) of the Tautog tied up in the river for public tours and also footage of the sub cut up in a million pieces on shore. I'm going to figure out how to convert 8mm to still frames to post.
Capt652
Timm Smith Learn something new about the ship or your job every day. Ignorance is not bliss aboard a warship in wartime. Ignorance could cost the life of yourself, a shipmate, or the loss of the ship.
- Personal Information Booklet CV- 38
I have a completely unfair question that likely is a bit lazy as well...
I'm trying to figure out what to buy to build Lionfish out of both the Trumpy 144 and Revell 72 scale kits. I just don't know where to begin on aftermarket accessories and parts. I know she's a late-war Cramp boat, but the number of conversion parts is somewhat overwhelming to me. I have plenty of pictures of the boat from many visits to Fall River, but it's difficult for me to compare details to small pictures unpainted resin.
I know it's a tall order, but can anybody point me in the direction of a sail and/or other things they'd pick up for either of these kits?
I'm building a 1944 USS Gato (Trumpeter). I've heavily modified her for a post-refit appearance with the open bridge and 4"/50.
I stupidly didn't give the Measure 32/3-SSB camo on the box a second thought. I just checked the ship camoflage database, and there's no mention of the 32/3-SSB, only the 32/9-SSB (Ocean grey instead of haze grey). Only after seeing that did I notice the darker grey in the pictures...
I don't suppose there's any evidence Gato ever wore 32/3-SSB, thus saving me from a messy repaint... I deserve this for researching everything but the bloody paint
I am currently waiting for the Trumeter 1/144 Gato to arrive and am interested in researching to find out which sub to build her as! Not to mention, what setail sets are available for it.
TIA,
Eddie
Been over 20+ yrs since I built a sub
If ya lose yer sense of humor...
You've lost everything...
On the Bench:
1/720 Italeri CVN-68 ca 1976/77
1/800 ARii 1/800 CV-59 backdating to 1961 (CVA-59)
1/700Trumpy USS Hornet CV-8 "Doolittle Raiders"
