Piet

My thanks of course to those who clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 53, which takes us to March 5, 2018.
 
No actual work was done on the ship this day. I needed to think about how to place the 15 cm guns. In order to know how both the Japanese flotillas and the ABDA fleet were situated in the afternoon of February 27 I reread the documentation by Jeffrey Cox in his excellent book "Rising Sun, Falling Skies . . ." and found on pages 288 through 291 with the course map of all flotillas on page 289. There seem to have been only a few opportunities for the ABDA strike force to have come into range for Admiral Doorman's 6 inch guns, as Jeffrey Cox states.  Okay then, that will be the moment of my diorama display, a westerly course. This means that "Java" was firing from her starboard side.
There were actually three Japanese flotillas, each consisting of heavy cruisers with their destroyer escorts. The two Japanese cruisers of interest are the heavy cruisers Haguro and her sister ship Nachi. It was the Nachi who fired the fatal torpedo that struck Hr. Ms. Java that night.
 
So then, I hope to be able to create realistic enough gun smoke effects from "Java's" starboard side and two splashes Japanese shells nearby. Well, at least that's the plan I have in mind.
 
The photos I'll attach below are the temporary placement of the completed 15 cm guns on the port side. The model just happen to sit that way on the table. I decided to hold off on cementing the guns to the deck until I ave installed all the railings and propeller guards. There is still some handling of the model till I can place her in the diorama sea. 
 

All ten of the completed 15 cm guns in a row, ready to be dressed, cleaned and painted.
 

Another view of the guns.
 

Closeup of a 15 cm gun on my left index finger, still in need of dressing, cleaning and paint.
 

seven of the 10 15 cm guns temporarily placed on the ship's port side.
 

Another view.
 

A closeup of port side.
 

One of Kevin Denlay's photos showing live shells with cordite
 

A frontal view of one of the 15 cm guns.
 
Cheers,
 

Hello everyone and my thanks to Ken, Lou, Marcus and Ken Canute for visiting and also my thanks to those who clicked the like button.
 
@ John, yes indeed Hobart was a lucky ship. I read her history as well as the other ships involved.  This led me to the Australian War Memorial to see if they have a few photos of Java in high resolution. There is one I plan to purchase because at the time it was taken my father was on board and may be visible on deck. One never knows, but at least I know he was there. I plan to frame it and hang it in my studio/office.
 
Yeah Ken Backer, most of the ships that were involved in that part of the world battling the Japanese onslaught in the Far East are not well known. The battles too are not well known. That's why it's called "the forgotten war."  Of all the people in the world here is a fellow in St. Petersburg, Russia, who took a great interest in the battles for British Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies. He set out to produce and market 1:350 scale models of all the ships involved. He is dedicating his efforts to all the men who fought in those battles.
 
Thanks Lou for following.  I have done the same thing when building the O19. The things I can remember about my father's exploits during his service for Queen and Country makes the build very personal. It jars my memory banks too, which is good exercise for my poor 84 year old grey matter. 
 
Hey Marcus, thank you. Yes, it's "pieter-peuterig werk"
 
And to Ken, instead of the usual response to "thank you" as "you're welcome" I'll say it as the Dutch do "graag gedaan" that translates as "delighted to do so."
 
Right now I am in a dilemma. I have a photo taken by Kevin Denlay of the #10 gun but he asked me not to show it to anyone other then my direct family.  I would very much like to show it because that was as close to my father's battle station I can get on the wreck. This gun is a real mess and at the forward end of the separated stern section.  The plan is to make a rough painted sketch of the photo. Reason Kevin doesn't want it to be made public is the quality of the picture. I respect him for that, even though the wreck has been removed from the sea floor.  So give me some time to make the sketch and show you all. 
Oh yeah, Kevin Denlay is the first diver who went down to the wreck when it was found and he and I have had quite a few discussions about it.
 
The next post will be coming shortly. I have been much too busy with other things. The interesting parts are yet to come.
 
Cheers,   

The finished 15 cm guns turned out okay, after I cleaned them up and painted them. I was going to post day 52 but thought to interrupt the sequence with something else. All this busy work with the guns reminded me of an event just a few days before "Java" was sunk. I remember my father telling us about a Japanese air attack during an action in the Gaspar Strait on February 14 - 15, 1942.
A formation of Japanese bombers did a bombing run but fortunately they missed, just barely. My father told us about how the captain looked up at the bombers through his binocs and as soon as he saw the bombs released he ordered the helm hard over and full speed ahead.  This was repeated several times till the Japanese finally gave up.
Having searched through the internet in the past years I have been able to find many photos of "Java" and few other ships of the ABDA fleet.  The Australian War Memorial has a collection. The ones available to the public are low res but it's something anyway.
 
I'll attach two of them below, both taken by the Australian Cruiser HMAS Hobart.
 

The attacking aircraft.

The caption on the photo is in Dutch but here is the translation: "Japanese aerial attack against "Java" during the actions in the Gaspar Strait from 14 to 15 February, taken from the Australian cruiser HMAS Hobart."  It may appear smoke coming from forward of the mast but the shops structure forward of the mast blends in with the smoke from the forward funnel. Yeah, the Japanese were close but no cigar for them that day.
 
Cheers,

Thank you John and Carl and those who clicked the like button. It's all much appreciated.
 
This post will cover days 50 and 51, which brings us to February 25.
I'll be working on the 10 15 cm deck guns. As mentioned before they need modifying quite a bit for me to point the barrels up for effective shooting. The whole gun and pedestal are molded in one piece and not usable this way, of course. Problem is that by separating the gun assembly from the pedestal I will destroy the pedestal.
I'll have to make a new pedestal and am using a small piece of 3 mm dowel for it. This'll have to be reduced in diameter and then tapered. A groove in upper end has to be  filed into the small end for the gun to lay in. A small piece of 0.5 mm plywood will serve as base to cement the new gun assembly and the shield to it.
Sounds simple but it is labor intensive.
The first thing then is snip the gun from the pedestal and then snip the barrel off. Next was to remove some metal from the kit supplied brass barrels and drill a hole in the gun receiver end. A dab of CA and push the brass barrel into the gun.
When the cement had cured enough to handle I cemented the gun assembly to the new pedestal.  Next was trying for fit to make sure that the shield would fit and the gun pointing up at about 40 degrees. This fitting process turned out to be a can of worms, holding three loose parts down to the table with one hand and manipulating the gun assembly with the other didn't work to well. I decided to cement the gun shield to the base plate first then I could fit and file the base at my hearts content. I was happy with the end result, the breach stuck out of the end a little and the barrel had a nice angle to it.
 
All this took care of the two days to get the first gun done. It least now I had a method and can continue with the other nine some other day.

Eight of the 14.91 cm guns for "Java's" main armament at the "De Schelde" shipyard, probably around November 1923. These Krupp guns were originally meant for the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein near Coblenz., Germany. Photo copy from the book "Hr. Ms. Kruisers "java" en "Sumatra" by J.Anten 
 

A detailed drawing of the 15 cm gun.
 
 

This shows the amount of men needed for one gun. There usually is a non-com or officer in attendance. The gunner is ramming a grenade into the breach while a sailor is holding a casing with cordite at the ready.
 
 

A copy from the installation instructions.
 
 

The particular parts in the kit to make up one gun. Removing the pedestal from the gun did cause damage to one small piece of the mold. This was not a hindrance because it cannot be seen anyhow once assembled. I placed the Exacto #11 blade next to it for size reference. 
 
 

This is the 3 mm dowel pte-tapered with a groove filed into it. To the right is the 0.5 mm plywood that'll form the base. The bun shield above it.
 

The new pedestal loosely placed on the base. The gun ready to loose its barrel. Needles to say that the pedestal needs to be trimmed. I did that after the gun was cemented to it and in further fitting.
 

The brass barrel ready to be cemented to the gun receiver. Yeah, it looks kinda untidy but must is not visible once the shield sits over it.
 

Here is the completed gun sitting on one of the shroud channels of my VOC ship "Surabaya."  Yep, a little dudty but I'll be starting with her as soon as "Java" is completed.
 
 

The completed gun temporarily placed in the #9 position. All the guns will be painted in middle grey when completed before they are cemented to the deck.
 
 

Thanks Carl and Denis for dropping by and your comments. Also my thanks to all who clicked the like button.
Yeah Carl, a typical pick for a photo op. There always was either a non-com or an officers to "supervise" but actually to "motivate" the crew. That reminds me of what my father told us. A couple of Indonesian sailors were painting a part of the hull from a scaffold over the side. He caught them napping so he cut one rope and they fall into the water. Great commotion because most the Indonesians can't swim. So my father threw a life preserver to them.
 
Today's post is for days 46, 47, 48 and 49 which brings us to February 22, 2018.
After a late start I tried my modified drill bit in my mini drill motor and it worked just fine, almost no wobble. So I commenced drilling the two holes in the gun receiver. I diluted my thick CA to make it less globby and cemented both barrels into the holes.
Next I cemented the crew seats to the platform and it to the plastic base. When the cement had cured I cemented the curved guide to the base and then the receiver with the barrels pointing skyward, scaring the Jap pilots - not. They cleverly stayed out of range.
 
Day 47: Completed the first Bofors gun by cementing the gun sight to the receiver and the railing to the platform. This pretty much finishes the first gun and is ready for cleaning and paint. I figured to wait with straightening the railing out till after the assembly is painted. The material of the PE is rather soft and delicate, the slightest touch causes a distortion.
 
Day 48: I was able to complete all four Bofors in the same method as my first one. They are now ready to be cleaned and painted but not today.
 
Day 49: Cleaned the Bofors with enamel reducer, air dried them and painted with rattle can grey primer.  After the primer had dried I painted all the Bofors with medium grey paint.  Scraped some of the brown deck paint from the AA gun deck for the guns. Instead of using CA I mixed up some two part epoxy cement. I wanted some extra time to position the guns just so. Instead of pointing them all in the same direction I decided in different sections of the sky simulating the guns in individual firing mode. It looks rather sharp this way and I am happy with the results. 
Okay, we are now ready to start work on the 15 cm canons. Not today but tomorrow I hope.
 

The gun barrels. At this magnification you can see the details clearly, quite well done.
 

The receiver being drilled.
 

The base. The center U shaped part is where the receiver will be cemented.
 

The gun-sight.
 

The crew platform and curved gun receiver guide cemented to the base with the rest of the parts to follow.
 

The proto type Bofors assembled and ready for dressing, cleaning and painting. I'll wait till all four are completed.
 

Four 40 mm Bofors guns. I staged them in different positions for an overall view. The railing is still in need of more adjustments.
 

The Bofors cemented to the AA gun deck
 

Overhead view.

40 mm shell boxes for the Bofors, photographed by Kevin Denlay. As previously explained Kevin is the first diver on Hr. Ms. Java's wreck. This location is on the AA gun deck.
 
Cheers,

This post takes us to Day 45, February 18, 2018.
 
This day I started with the assembly of the four 40 mm twin Bofors anti aircraft guns. Before I show and chat about the actual work I though giving you a little background history about how "Java" acquired these particular guns.
At the end of WW I the British Vickers Company developed a revolutionary new gun that could fire several rounds per second.  The sound of this rapid firing earned this gun the moniker "Pom-Pom." The idea was to lay a cloud of grenades in the air that made it a certainty of hitting an attacking airplane. This was good for that day because the airplanes were slow and flew low. It reminds of the flak idea used during WW II.
 
England made these gun available to any nation who wanted them. Even the Japanese acquired them for a while for their heavy cruisers Nachi and Haguro.
In 1937 the Royal Dutch Navy also acquired a set of six for the "Java" and "Sumatra," replacing the two 5.7 cm AA guns. The idea of "laying down a curtain of bullets" proved to be ineffective against the modern (for that day, 30s and 40s) aircraft and in 1938 both "Java" and "De Ruyter" replaced the Pom-poms with the 40 mm Bofors L.60 Hazemeyer-twin barrel AA guns. These are three-axis balanced to afford the gun freedom from the ship's movements and a steady aim on the target. They were centrally controlled via an analog "computer" of sorts but could also be independently fire at will. These guns were the state of the art at that time. I will depict my model in the independent controlled state. They could fire two rounds per second.
 
As good as these guns were there are a few disadvantages as well. !. the central control system. If damaged or failed it became a handicap and the guns must resort to manual control. "De Ruyter" experienced such an event during the battle in the Bali Sea earlier in February of 1942. A piece of shrapnel from a near miss of a Japanese bomb knocked it out.  2. Placing all four of these guns in one central location prevented forward firing due to the placement of the smoke stacks and masts. 3. The placement around the ammo supply tubes. This connected the AA deck with the aft ammunition magazine below it. This proved fatal when the Japanese torpedo hit the magazine. Fire and exploding shells came up the supply tube and caused heavy damage and death of the gun crews. 4. Enterprising attacking aircraft learned to rake the AA deck with great success. 5. With a central control system only one target could be aimed at, which hints at the old "cloud barrage" idea.
 
So then, having said all that we'll now commence with the build.
First order of business was to assemble all the parts for one gun that I'll use as a prototype. I will omit the shield in front of the gun because none of my photos show this installed on "Java." I will also try to cement the receiver with barrels pointing skyward.
In order to cement the barrels into the receiver I have to drill holes in the respective spots, next to each other.  Measuring the machined end of the gun barrels I selected a #85 drill bit. The problem is that it as way too small for the smallest collet for my pencil drill motor.  My Proxxon drill motor could be used but a little bulky and less control because I have to hold the receiver in my left hand and handle the drill motor with the right. So, I mixed some epoxy cement and dabbed it around the drill shank and let it harden up. I'll later smooth it out some to fit the collet. 
Next I pre-bend the aft railing and the receiver guide
 
This is all I could do today. Hopefully more tomorrow.

The AA gun deck with the four Bofors guns, looking forward. Here you can see the forward firing obstructions of the masts and funnels. This picture shows that the AA gun deck has a railing. The kit instructions show no railing and I'll go with that. It does have a raised side though.
 

The specific Bofors twin barrel gun on "Java."
 

A copy of the installation guide for the Bofors gun. #24 not used; #12 manual eye sight; #11 seat/foot rest; #15 crew platform; #16 receiver guide; #17 railing. I'll try to cement the lower railing rod to the edge of the platform.
 

Here are all pertinent parts laid out. The receiver is still attached to it's mold base and the part below it is the actual base. You can make out where the receiver is to be cemented to. Fortunately I don't have to modify it to cement the gun pointing up. At the ends of each barrel you can see the machined pins that'll be cemented into the receiver. That A looking thingy is the receiver guide that'll be curved. Next to it is the hand crank for moving the receiver up or down, I think. Above the receiver is the seat and footrest. The barrels actually have the recoil springs machined into them, really good.
 

The "Java" crew in action during a gun drill. A 5 man crew for each gun. You can see that no shield is used. There usually was a senior non-com or an officer on deck.
 

My modified drill bit, waiting for the epoxy to harden. A little filing and it should work.
 

The pre-bend railing, all the unevenness and wrinkles I'll try to straighten out as much as possible after it's cemented to the platform. This PE is very soft and the slightest touch moves it out of shape. Not easy to work with.
 

The gun-sight.
 
Cheers,
 

Thank you Denis and Carl. Hey Carl, I have never used this holy stone but a lot of polishing compound on airplanes though, does that count?? 
 
Okay, we are now at day 44, which brings us to January 29, 2018.
I finally tackled that difficult job, the ship's boats loading and unloading boom. Before cementing the boom to the mast I started with cementing the top most static support cable and the lifting/lowering pulley tackle rig. Then cemented the hook cable from the front of the boom with a piece of silk tread. I'll attach it later to the motor driven winch.
I did not have the PE cable assembly that runs from the end of the boom to the deck. Instead I used two silk threads for this that will be fastened to scratch build eyelets on the deck next to the aft vent pipes. This will be done after the boom is cemented to the deck. 
The PE boom swing tackle and hook will also be cemented on after the boom is secured to the mast. They will be fastened to the same eyelets for the mast side stays.
It was now time to cement the boom to the mast, which proceeded rather well in spite of all these loose pieces of rigging. Next came the task to secure all the loose cables and ropes to their assigned places.
It was now also time to paint everything in medium grey except the cabling is dome in dark grey.
 
Here I thought this was going to be a real challenge but it went surprisingly rather quick. Next up will be assembling the 4 Bofors. I'll have to kit-bash these because I want to have the barrels pointing skyward attempting tho get the Japanese observation planes but these clever guys kept out of range. 
 

This is a copy from my 1:50 scale scratch build drawing. It shows how everything runs from here to there.
 

This shows the boom cemented to the mast with all the loose rigging.
 

Here the installation is completed and painted.
 

A bird's eye view of the boat deck.
 

A close-up view of the boom and ship's boats.
 

Overall view of the jobs completed in the last few days.
 
Cheers,

Thanks Carl, yeas, she's slowly progressing. I am very close to getting to the current date. A few more installments. Currently I am still occupied with most in-house chores like cooking, dish-washing, floor scrubbing etc. besides the never ending yard work.  Gwen's hand is healing very nicely and can now straighten all her fingers out without them locking up. Still some discomfort when making a fist though, which is a good thing - - for me 
 
Okay then, today's post is for days 41, 42 and 43, which brings us to January 29, 2018.
On day 41 I started with assembling the seaplane loading/unloading gantries. First was removing them from the PE sheet with their associated PE parts. The gantry boom is etched in one piece and had to be folded double to make the complete beam. Another sticky job in not damaging the support cables that are part of the whole. Once I had them perfectly aligned I used a drop of CA to keep them together,
Next was cementing the traveling hook and pulley assembly for at the end and cemented them to the beam. I added a few strands of silk thread to the ends of the beams to simulate the mooring ropes, preventing the beams from swinging. These ropes will be fastened to the top of the rear funnel vent housing.
 
On day 42 I cut two small pieces of brass rod to simulate the observation plane refueling supply pipes at the sides of the hull and cemented them into place. Yeah, I had to scrape away some paint but I'll touch it up later.  there is a lot of touch-up work to do anyhow.  Looking at the 1:50 scale scratch build drawings there is a ladder from the deck down to the pivot part of the pipe so I got a piece from my spare PE and cemented that to the hull. My guess is for access to that point for the crew to attach the fuel hose and unlatch the pipe. There is also a gantry from the deck to the end of the pipe but I'll wait with cementing that on when I install the railing.
After lunch I installed both the aircraft loading gantries and started with the forward support stays. To simulate them being fastened to the deck I made two cleats and cemented them to the deck. No time to install the stays.
 
On day 43 I cemented both front stays. Them being from extremely thin PE it was a rather delicate operation but turned out rather good. Next I painted all the installed PE and some touch-up work.
 

A copy of my 1:50 scale drawing showing the aircraft loading gantry installation. This would be a rather fun project to tackle if I ever have the time to do so.
 

These are the main parts for the gantries. I have placed my Exacto #11 blade in te picture to give you an idea of size. I did not attempt to add the chains to the traveling hook assembly. I guess I could have used one of my hears - - -
 

This shows bothe gantries installed. Both the securing ropes will be replaced.

Both stays are installed and the securing ropes replaced, now they are taut. I guess You can also see the cleats I made for the stay.
 

Another look at the finished gantry installation.
 

This is that aircraft refueling pipe arrangement. That little bump below the ladder is a hinge assembly to allow the boom to swing out. Ah yes, I goofed on the ladder, that'll be straightened out before long and painted of course. According the drawings I have there is a rope attached to the pivot support brace at the end of this pipe to the ladder serving as a handhold. Seems rather tricky to walk across that pipe with the ship pitching.
 

Painted with some touch-ups.
 
 

Thank you Denis and Nils for your visit and comments. Also to those who clicked the like button, thanks.
 
Yes Nils, this scale has been a challenge, mainly due to the very delicate PE. I'm not afraid working at a small scale but this PE stuff is difficult.
 
Here is another photo of "Java" taken from the Australian cruiser "Hobart." This was most likely in Lampung Bay on February 14, 1942, one day before the action in the Gaspar Straits. (From the collection of J.A.Dorlas).

Cheers,

Nice recovery on the steps. I found out, if something bothered me and I did not fix it, every time I looked at my model it would be the first thing I would see. Once fixed, I was able to  move on.  You are making great progress. Nice job.

The case gets stronger and more stronger Jon.
With that information, I now feel compelled to provide for the safety of my crew.
I am a real “ People Person” to the core.
Dave
 

More digging: Per Fisherman Outfitter
How accurate / authentic the information is, I don't know. The choice is yours.
 
Jon

The life preservers of the time I believe we're not actually used on ships but on the land and thrown out to people in the sea during shipwrecks of the coast, there was recently a series on the BBC about shipwrecks and one of the episodes was on lifesavers that we're being invented at the time, they then moved onto the ships themselves when companies like Lloyds got involved and started setting up rules and regulations for all ships to protect life ( and insurance claims)
Regards
Paul 

That pretty much solves it for me Mate.
Thank you for all that effort.
Dave

I'll go with Yancovich.      I was just surprised.

Thanks for the feed back.
 
I got curious about the life preserver and found this at Nauticapedia:
So yes, the Constitution could of had a life ring (kisbie), but not until 1855 or later.
 
Jon

i would leave it and put a little sign on it saying ''artistic license''

Good question about the steps Jon.
The steps are hand cut from basswood.  The mistake I made with the first long solid piece, was that I failed to do the layout with the strip positioned at the exact angle of the bowsprit.  Everything looked great until it was positioned onto the bowsprit.
Part of the issue was that the angle of my bowsprit is not correct, as noted by the amount of exposure where it passes through the bulwarks of the bow and then through the deck planks.  This error is way beyond any possible corrections at this point.
So my only reasonable fix was to re-cut the steps to fit the angle of the bowsprit surface.
I do recommend a jig that will hold your strip of wood at the exact angle when laying it out.  I also suggest making the cuts on a wide strip and then ripping to the scale width after cutting, filing, and sanding.  Very careful measurement of the flats and risers being the key, I simply used a piece of paper as a spacer to make the measurements from one to the next.
Hope this helps.

Very nice recovery on the bowsprit steps. I have to admit, I'm very leary about making ladders and stairs. Consistency in the steps geometry is paramount. How did you make them? I checked back in your log to when you first made them and you didn't address your method. Were they hand cut? If so, that is some precise cutting; or did you use a milling machine? I have a long way to go before I get to that stage, but I'm already apprehensive.
 
Jon

Pat, Mark, Paul.... Yes, I saw that one coming.  It did occur to me whilst turning those  little rings.  Actually knocked off production at that point, but was having so much fun making them I guess I was compelled to finish the one I was working on.
So, naturally, I then had to see it on board.  It’s just hanging on a cleat with no glue.
At this point, I must admit, I’m a little torn between the obvious historic fact and the optics.
We all have to agree, they’re just “cute as a little button”.
Thoughts?
Dave

I'm with mark on that one, weren't invented then I don't think and would be a later addition maybe
Regards
Paul

Dave,
Love the step fix. But, I have question.... would the Constitution have had the life rings?  I thought those came about much later.

Nice adjustment Dave; they look good.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Bow Structure Progress....
I finally corrected an issue that has bothered me for months.... the bowsprit steps.  It was brought to my attention by a local modeler who asked me about the angle of the steps.
OK, so the flats of the steps were noticeably pitched at an angle that would not have served well for walking on.
 
So, I ripped them off and re-cut them.... much better.
I also painted the flats of each step.  Also note the gammon irons have been added (a royal pain in the butt).  I definitely think they should have been added before installing the heads.

Next, I created the little life ring - and added the three steps to the bulwarks.

Finally, I was able to fill in the opening above the bowsprit....
Think I'll move to the stern and begin detailing the stern bulwarks next.

Tried masking and painting Piet.... What a mess!
Just call me Sneaky Dave.