Hank

Well, that may be a bit hard....after the initial onslaught (I like that word - it connotates terror, mayhem, outright brutality!!!), in a few days I might be able to rotate my good shoulder around to take a selfie of my upper back....or not - we'll have to see if The Cat makes a 2nd or (hopefully not!) 3rd appearance before the a/c unit is scheduled to arrive next weekend. Anything is possible on The Admiral's Quarterdeck between now & then.

Ken, Well, not surprising - everything that we had planned to go to or attend is now dead for 2020. IMPO, I think the press has wrung the country out and thru the wringer on the virus issue. Common sense and practicality in how you conduct yourself have flown out the window in the midst of the power struggles going on on all sides. On the shop - I did it...pulled the trigger! It's currently 86 in the shop today and really won't get better w/o an a/c in place. So, end of next week we'll see what happens! Hank

Grant, Ken, Jack - Thanks for the Positive responses!!! Yes - I hear you loud and clear, just a matter of "pulling the trigger". Today is supposed to be back up in the 90s, and that might do it for me. Ken - I went to Mars Hill College back in the mid-60s and came back to finish after my Navy duty (70-72), so I'm well aware of the types of weather one encounters up in WNC!!! Hendersonville, BTW, is one of our favorite towns to visit - the Apple Festival is one of the better fall attractions in that area. Stay tuned for further advisories, etc.

Grant, First, thanks for the kind remarks about the shop!!!! Now, on to the important part of your comments - "I'm sure the Admiral will understand" - you see, this is where most modelers make a BIG mistake and then find themselves in: 1) The O.R. 2) The O.R. Recovery Room or worse (and we can't go THERE!!!) well....Davy Jones Locker Most times, The Admiral (which for purposes of explanation is a general term) could be of good humor and go along with my normal expenditures, time spent away from her, you know - activities within the general scope of the G.A.M.A. (General Articles of Matrimonial Agreement). However, last weekend I made (yet another ) mistake of picking the Sunday night movie to be watched after evening chow had been cleared away and the 8mm projectulator had been removed from the Entertainment Locker and set up. I chose Mel Brook's History of the World Part 1. This was a ginormous mistake on my part - after watching all that Roman orgy and French Revolution B.S., she has been on an out-of-control freak rampage terrorizing the quarterdeck, slashing with The Cat at this & that - just Hell all over! I, on the other hand, was caught laughing my butt off at the "They all jump Queen" scene and (need I spell it out??) my movie, liberty card, and gedunk privileges are now subject to Wed. p.m. Admiral's Mast. Caddy Wagon may be in port for some time to come.... Now, sailors (as a rule) never, NEVER heed anyone else advice, much less their own, so.......in all likelihood I'll slip up and order the a/c FULLY EXPECTING that the floggings, beatings, keel-hauling, etc. will continue unabated until her better judgement and sensibilities return to their (somewhat) normal state of being.

Roger, Point well taken. And...that's only one side of the "library" area of the shop!!!! BTW, thanks for the kind remark!! Hank

With the refund of the Black & Decker taken care of from Amazon, I'm now dithering about purchasing another portable a/c - I have the make/model picked up, just somehow have a hard time hitting the "place order" button!!! Same goes for a part that the manufacturer says I need to repair my Frigidaire Mini-Fridge. The part is $95.00 & change and I'm hesitant to order it. If it was $25.00 I wouldn't feel so bad, but with tax, etc. it will come in over $100.00. Yes, cheaper (if it works) than replacing the fridge, but .....!!! I don't think the Freon needs charging as it does get cool, but doesn't freeze (upper box) or get cold (lower box). The a/c unit will run over $500.00 so these two expenses are worrisome to say the least. Repairs to NEW JERSEY during her Pier side Availability have been made and she's now been relocated to her new homeport: So, after doing a bit of preventive maintenance on my drill press (and ordering a missing part), I'm getting the workspace (Laydown Area #1) ready to begin on my USS STODDARD project. Once I have all the plans/photos/info sheets, etc. on hand for beginning super detailing the bottom of the hull, I will be able to start. I need to build a shallow cradle to hold the hull upside down so I can work on it - that will come next. Maybe by then I will have made a decision or two on the above discussion...

Quite nice shop!!! Now, I guess it's time for both of us to go to work, right???

Amazing how much we FORGET vs how much we retain, right??? Hank

Keith, Just saw this build, etc. Good work!!! And I esp. like your mate, Emma!!! Could pass for one of our past cats "CJ" - domestic short hairs are quite the "Cat's Meow!!!". Also appreciate the historical content of your build - good to know how these ships came about! Hank

Tim, Well, this is just an opinion and certainly not in contradiction with any previous replies. During that time period, many vessels were "tallowed" - i.e. a mixture of rendered animal fats that produced a thick coating and applied to bottoms of ships to prevent rot, insect boring, and other destructive elements from wreaking havoc on a ship's outer hull planking. When appllied, it looks like a yellowish/white/tan/gray color depending, I guess, on the consistency of the mixture. You used to be able to buy Tallow Coat enamel paint which was a color that came somewhat close to this for wooden models. It was under the brand Floquil Marine Paints #818672 - I still have 4 or 5 bottles, but their present condition is anyone's guess!!! I used this for both my Armed Virginia Privateer model and Royal Caroline as both were ships of the pre-copper period (1768 and 1748 respectively). Here is a photo of AVS to give you an idea of the color: I concur with other replies as to how thick to apply the coating. On AVS, I did not take this into consideration and the hull planking does show the individual lines. On Royal Caroline, I did put enough on to cover all the hull plank seams and I think this would be advisable. Hope this helps, Hank

Gentlemen, A very Interesting topic - I was esp. interested in that Noah Brown & Sons also built PEACOCK, 1813 sloop of war. But, moreover, I've learned quite a bit re. the PdN history - at least this small portion of her history - Thanks all! Hank

Dr. Per, Thanks for the nice comments. Re. the stand that PEACOCK resides on - This will answer both of your questions: There WAS a mini-fridge under the far end of the stand. However, it was not working properly, has been moved to the Surplus Yard for replacement. As such, the stand is self-standing without the fridge under it. Once I've replaced the fridge, I will brace that end with a small block of wood (already waiting deployment) that will further support that end of the model's display case. Hank

Thanks, Mark!!! Yeah, don't know when the refund will happen, soon I hope - so I can go ahead and complete the a/c end of things.

This afternoon, well actually 10 minutes ago, in spite of the heat, I went out and did a bit more arranging while searching thru books for some schooner info a fellow modeler called me about. Arranging successful! Schooner info NOT!!! I may go back out this evening when things are cooler and tackle the workbench again. Here's the sitting area as of this afternoon: After a good vacuuming, the rugs should look nicer and work until I can afford nautical themed décor for this area. The squiggly crap doesn't do anything for me!!! I think interior-wise things are getting close to being usable. I doubt there will be a commissioning gala with COVID lurking around the corner, so I may just begin using the shop without further fanfare. Although, that doesn't seem fitting.............

Ken, Wish I'd been that smart!!! OK, yesterday and this a.m. I did the floor painting and the heat is back!!! So, I finished the front area a little bit ago and have taken up residence in the cool of our sun room. I'll probably check on the shop after lunch, close the door and pick up tomorrow morning. In any event, the floor is finished with the exception of a small amount of touch up here & there on the baseboards, etc. Here is the shop area as of last evening: I'll be back sorting, etc. and cleaning off the work surface. Still quite a few things to get arranged.

Used (somewhere, not on me!!!) but in perfect working order - 4 scissors and 4 hemostat clamps. I have way too many of these and they need to find a good workshop to move to. Price - $20.00 includes shipping within continental U.S.A.

Almost brand new set of 4 Headstock Drive Centers for a #2MT Lathe. These fit lathes equipped with a #2 headstock/tailstock. 3 of 4 are unused, still in orig. wrappings. Comes with a wooden box. I sold the lathe a couple years ago and have no further use for these. The set includes: 5/8" dia headstock spur center for narrow spindles 1" dia headstock spur center for standard spindles Live ball bearing tailstock center with cup and point Hollow center for drilling 5/16" through hole Price - $35.00 includes shipping charges inside U.S. only.

FYI - I checked out the Sausalito Historical Society Marinship Exhibit website - the movie Tanker (1944) is a must if you're interested in auxiliary ships, etc. It's around 3/4 hour in length, color, and shows from start to finish how these Liberty Ship/Tankers were constructed. I'm going to look at the other references Bob has provided sometime today. Hank

Bob, I will indeed check out those additional links you've provided; Thanks! I was not aware of them. I'm not positive, but I think the various windlasses/winches that each class of ship carries on board are based on the amount of load (tons) that the particular unit is expected to lift, so they would be rated to carry xx amount of tons load. It's possible that Liberty/Victory ships were similar in windlass size or model, but tankers might be different due to the loaded capacity of the ship when fully laden. In any event, it wouldn't surprise me if there wasn't a table drawn up which (like ballistic tables or Logarithm tables) spelled out what was to be used in a given situation, etc. The photo and story behind it of your relative's "ride" in 1898 is very interesting - I can certainly see why you wish to build a model of that particular ship - the colorized photo is wonderful!!! Ships from that era simply make good models because of all the intricate details they display! You will indeed need detailed drawings of all of her deck levels and equipment. I would think a model of 1:200 scale would be a very nice size (37+/-") (38 7/8" @ 1/192 scale). A 1/144 scale would give you a monster - 4'-3"+!!! I do hope you are able to build one to your satisfaction. Hank

Roger, Thanks! That is now Superior Lidgerwood Mundy. I may contact them and see if they might have any detail drawings from back in the 30s/40s that they could provide, etc. I've read mention of the Grey Steel & Black Oil book, however it being more historical in content, more than likely will not look for a copy at this time. Details/Drawings - that's the pursuit!!! Hank

You're smart!!! I ended up after an evening of disassembly on the back deck looking like a combination of Bozo, Freddy Kruger, & The Joker all in one. NOT again!!! Hank

Pat, Thanks! Yes, I would like to find the manufacturer(s) but this also is almost impossible at this point. Sometimes, with that information, a modeler can research a company's historical records for old, out of date product drawings and plans. In really rare cases, a patent drawing assigned to a company can be found with all information needed - but, that's a slim chance at best. This is one of the reasons to possibly visit NARA II in College Park, MD, spend a week or so making lists and copies of every naval shipbuilder's supplier for a given time frame and copies of all equipment drawings if you're able to (or taking a flat bed scanner with you and scan all documents on site, which is allowed). Hank

Actually Bob - No! Not good to go. With NARA closed, I'm not sure written requests are even being answered at this point. However, I am checking with one of the regular USN historian/modelers who makes a couple trips a year (Rick E. Davis) who is also a friend, and see what the current situation is there. Re. the Maritime.org documents - most of their manuals are 1990s/2000 vintage which doesn't help at all. The operational manuals don't give either scaled or dimensioned drawings, just diagrams. As for NMM or NSM drawings in the U.K., that (as you've noted) can be a very expensive proposition if you choose to purchase. I'm wondering, however - did LUCANIA have a sister? If so, that might be a fairly accurate alternative. And Yes! most draftsmen show items such as winches/windlasses, etc. as blocks with maybe an extended drum on the plans. Their details are minimal, usually only showing possibly a scaled footprint for its location. Hank

Bob, Thanks so much!! I do have the BoGP for the CIMERRON class T3 from Maritime. I am aware of NARA links as you've posted - they are, as are most gov't facilities, shut down now. I have two different sets of T2/T3 plans on order from a couple sources; it's the smaller equipment details that plans rarely highlight that I'm interested in finding. I will, however, check out the Bureau of Ships archives you've provided web address for. During my two WestPac cruises, both ships I served on were duly refueled by T3's still in service as well as a couple of the newer SACRAMENTO class AOEs. Thanks again, Hank

I am looking for any detailed drawings (scaled plans w/dimensions, etc.) for deck handling equipment used on U.S. Navy Fleet Oilers (Cimarron/Ashtabula Class) during the late 1930s - 1940s. Specifically T-3 Tankers. Parts would include: Deck Winches Anchor Windless Stern Windless Cargo Winches Fairleads Any other misc. fittings (pulleys/blocks/etc.) Thanks, Hank