Calling all American Civil War Ironclad fans

[ModelMonkey]

Here is a link to a full scale replica of USS Monitor:

http://www.nn.northropgrumman.com/USSMonitor/index.html

[kennylibben]

Cool Steve!

check out this live webcam of the build.
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/virginia/ne ... index.html

[Rusty White]

Here's a site that covers the Albemarle as well as an operation version. Great history stuff.

http://www.livinghistoryweekend.com/2002/albemarle.htm

[Gone Asiatic]

Interesting transition from sail to steam; ironclads and turret ships. I`ve got a Modelkrak kit of a Chinese "battleship" they purchased from Germany (Chen Yuan).

[Devin]

Ironclads are starting to make more of a presence in the modeling scene. With the re-release of the Lone Star kits by Rusty, the excellent 1/200 Verlinden offerings, and new resin 1/700 kits (by who I can not remember right now). I also picked up an old copy of the Old Steam Navy USS Weehawken kit recently, and found some 3-view drawings of the riverine ironclad USS Essex which I will make a feeble attempt to scratch build in 1/200 scale.

-Devin

[kennylibben]

hey guys, the 1:1 Monitor is finished, check it out on the links Steve and I gave earlier.

Its pretty impressive! I wanna go visit it now.

[cokerre]

I have posted on the Yahoo Ironclad Forum photos of my 1/48 scale model of the Charleston Ironclad Chicora. This may be seen at:

http://games.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/ ... rowse/95b6

You may have to join the group to see the photos but it is free.

PC Coker/Charleston

[Devin]

Not sure the best place to ask this, so I'm putting it here.

Take a look at the below photo. The item I've circled in red that the two crewmembers are sitting upon. It goes over or comes out of the deck hatches, and I can't figure out what it is and what it looks like. I'm opening up the deck hatches on my 1/96th scale USS Weehawken, and I was going to just prop up the grates and slide a ladder in there. If this structure in the photo is what they used, though, I need to find better photos or even drawings of the structure so I can replicate it.

Any info welcome!

Thanks,

Devin

[MichelB]

Not sure the best place to ask this, so I'm putting it here.

Any info welcome!

Thanks,

Devin

The object doesn't seem to be in alignment with the ship's lines: it almost looks like a trough or wheelless cart just put down on the deck for someone to sit on. Maybeit's a large rectangular bucket, or some thingy used to hoist females over the freeboard of a larger ship.
Or it could be a moveable funnel for coaling, to be placed on top of the coaling hatch and stowed away after. The metal bars may then be for covering it with a (wetted) curtain to reduce coaling dust wafting out.

[Devin]

The object doesn't seem to be in alignment with the ship's lines: it almost looks like a trough or wheelless cart just put down on the deck for someone to sit on.

It's specifically on top of the deck hatch just forward of the turret. I've seen photos with the other deck hatches with them as well.

Or it could be a moveable funnel for coaling, to be placed on top of the coaling hatch and stowed away after. The metal bars may then be for covering it with a (wetted) curtain to reduce coaling dust wafting out.

Now that's a possibility.

I've been through the Ironclad and Blockade Runner's site, the Old Steam Navy Vol 2 book, my plans for USS Keokuk and Cairo, and everywhere else I can think of and can not find anthing on these structures. The picture I posted is the best one I could find. I think that since I can't find anything further on them that I'm just going to prop the grating up like a standard deck hatch, shove a ladder down it, and be done.

-Devin

[kennylibben]

yes, i doubt many people would complain.

however i suggest you ask this in the Main Forum...as more people frequent that than this board... you'll have a greater chance of someone seeing it that knows the answer.

If no luck there, then do whatever you feel is right.

[Devin]

Cottage Industries just announced their new USS Monadnock kit. They don't have the specifics posted yet, but from the mailing I got, she's right at 3' long and the price will be $650, plus or minus.

Looks like a fantastic kit, but out of my price range for right now. I've got it in the back of my mind that when I make my first pro story sale, I'll buy it as a reward for myself.

-Devin

[largeallan]

Looks like a hatch coaming to me in the photo.....the sides are angled outwards to deflect surface water on that low deck, and the little frame on it for rigging a tarpaulin or canvas cover with the arch shaped sides left open for access

[Gary Kingzett]

I agree. And it seems crude enough, it was probably a homemade retrofit after they discovered just how wet the Monitors were. In Alden's "Steel Navy" there are a couple of close ups of raised coamings on the foredeck of Puritan and Wyoming. Much fancier, but clearly for the purpose of keeping out the water that sloshed across the low deck.

Gary

[Captain Morgan]

I would agree the item is most likely some sort of portable coming to put over hatches. On submarines we had plastic covered coming on the natchways in port to prevent damaging the face of the hatch (sealing surfaces) We also had an entry cover somewhat similar to that over our AMR hatch so when it rained it didn't just fill up the drain under tha ladder in AMR1.

[Devin]

Thanks for the info guys. I still haven't been able to find any drawings of that thing, but I did pick up a paper model of the USS Monitor and it has one of them in the kit, so I'll use that as a template.

-Devin

[Rusty White]

n/t

[ar]

Many years ago I was commissioned to build a model of this vessel for the author Clive Cussler.
He informed me that the funnel bands were a bright red.
May I ask from where did your data come from on the funnel bands? I ask out of small interest.

[Rusty White]

Many years ago I was commissioned to build a model of this vessel for the author Clive Cussler.
He informed me that the funnel bands were a bright red.
May I ask from where did your data come from on the funnel bands? I ask out of small interest.

Most of the research for the Cairo (including the colors) was provided by the Vicksburg National Military Park where the Cairo is on display. The City class vessels resembled each other so closely that colored bands were used on thier stacks for identification. The colors were:

Cairo: gray
Cardondelet: red
Cincinatti: blue
Louisville: green
Mound City: orange
Pittsburg: brown
St. Louis: yellow

Hope this helps.

[Devin]

I've been working on this kit for a few months now. I'm trying to have her done for MosquitoCon, which is two weeks from yesterday. It's going to be close. Anyway, a few photos of the 1/96th scale Old Steam Navy kit in progress:

Here's the deck lifeline stanchions. I drilled all of the mounting holes by hand because I wouldn't have been able to get the alignment exactly right with the drill press. Some are out of vertical alignement, but I can rectify that when it's time for final assembly.



Next is the base of the gun turret. It was all smooth resin. I chose to use scribed styrene to give it wood planking. When working with these ships you see very few external photos, and absolutely no interior photos. For interior stuff I'm going to artists drawings from the period. A few showed the turret deck bare metal, a few showed wood planking. I like the look of wood.



Finally a shot of Weehawken overall after I primed her yesterday afternoon. Some minor spots to fill and sand. Then it's time to scribe the deck plating lines and attach the details before a final primer coat and then painting.



-Devin