herask

Thank you guys.4
After several unsuccessful attempts is stern completed. The lower filling parts I had to make four times😡.

MIDSHIPS RADAR TOWER
 
This tower originally carried a radar antenna, but it was removed to reduce topside weight. The basic structure was similar to the forward radar tower.
 


 
The tower rested upon the top of the O3 level radar room. Well, it was a radar room while the 3D radar antenna was on the tower, but after the antenna and associated radar equipment were removed the compartment became an office with very good heating and air conditioning. The large vent stack on the starboard side of the compartment was Charlie Noble. The arms extending from the deck house sides were the rests for the stowed boat booms.
 

 
The platform at the top of the tower carried four 35 foot whip antennas and a few other smaller antennas. A short stub mast carried the ship's Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) antenna in the dome. It was used by helicopters to determine the range and bearing to the ship. It was also used by other ships to facilitate rendezvous. Another mast at the forward edge of the platform carried a few more antennas and the ship's AN/URD-4 radio direction finder at the top that was used for search and rescue operations. This mast was hinged about half way up so it could be folded sideways. There were a few bridges the ship might have to pass under that were lower than the raised mast.
 
Phil

MIDSHIPS SUPERSTRUCTURE

 
Like the forward superstructure, almost everything from CL-91 was removed amidships, leaving the aft smoke pipe and its supporting structure. Then a new superstructure was built around it to support the new midships radar tower.
 
The blueprints for the original CLG conversion included a 3D radar on top of the tower and more antennas on a platform just below the top. It had large double level boat davits port and starboard midships that each housed a 28 foot personnel boat on the bottom level, and a 26 foot motor whale boat above that. It also included double nested boats on the boat decks, with two 40 foot utility boats on the port side and a 40 foot personnel boat nested over a 40 foot utility boat on the starboard boat deck.
 
The ship was very top heavy and rolled badly in even moderate seas. After a year or so in service the ship went back into the yards for a 15 month overhaul to reduce topside weight. The 3D radar was removed and replaced by the SPS-30 3D radar on the after tower. Most of the other antennas at the top were moved to lower places on the forward radar tower.
 
The double level boat davits were removed and replaced with one single level gravity davit on the starboard side that carried one motor whale boat. Two of the 40 foot utility boats were eliminated, and one 28 foot personnel boat (the Captain's gig) was nested over the remaining 40 foot utility boat on the port boat deck. Only the 40 foot personnel boat remained on the starboard boat deck. No other CLG was modified to this extent.



 
 
 
 
 
The forward part of this superstructure contained living quarters for the CPOs and the trash burner. The aft part was a collection of shops and offices. At the aft end of the deck house were two kingposts port and starboard. Each had a large boat boom that was stowed along side the deck house when not in use.  Between the kingposts, to the port of the ship's center line, was a small cabin to control the FAST crane (described later in the after superstructure section). Three winches were located on the O3 level aft of the compartment below the tower.


 
 
 
Two topping winches (left above) were used to raise and lower the boat booms. The burtoning winch (right above) was the heavy lifter that was used for highline transfers (described later in the after superstructure description).
 

The image above shows the starboard boat boom with rigging to the topping winch on the O3 level. Below the boat deck with the 40 foot personnel boat was the starboard boat winch on the main deck. Another boat winch was below the port boat deck. Cable from these winches was rigged to blocks at the end of the boat booms. Boom vangs (lines to swing the boom out and back) were rigged to the sides of the superstructure and to positions aft on the missile house. The boat winches raised and lowered the boats, but the booms could also be used to lift objects like vehicles, boats or supplies onto the top of the missile house. For in port missile transfers the boat booms lifted missiles and boosters from the pier or from barges and lowered them onto the missile house strike down elevators (described in the after superstructure section).
 


 
The boat winch (left above) and motor whaleboat winch (above right) were modelling projects in themselves, as were the other two winches. I found patent drawings for the whaleboat winch, but the other three winches were drawn from photos and dimensioned sketches I made on the USS Little Rock CG-4 museum ship. If I believed in conspiracy theories I would swear that the complex mass of piping on the valve block of the boat winch was designed by a diabolical engineer who knew that someday some ship modeller would try to replicate it!

 
 
 
 
The whaleboat davits were a mystery. They were single bank, double arm trackway gravity davits. They weren't on the original Clevelands or on the CLG conversions so they aren't in the blueprints. The Little Rock still has the original CLG two level davits, so my visit there was no help. I looked in all sorts of Navy training manuals and on line sources, and found no pictures or descriptions of these davits. Fortunately I had several good high resolution photos I made of the stowed whaleboat, so I could use photoguesstimation to figure out the dimensions.
 
The davits allowed the boats to be launched without power, using gravity to lower the boat. When stowed, the boat rested upon a strongback that was lowered prior to launching.
 
 
 

Launching the motor whaleboat proceeded in several steps. First the straps that tied the boat to the davits were removed to allow the boat to swing free. Next the strongback below the boat was lowered. Then the davit arms were released to slide down the trackways and into position over the side. Then the crew got in and grabbed the rope loops hanging above the boat - just in case something went wrong and they needed to get back aboard. Then the boat was lowered into the water, using the brake on the whaleboat winch to control descent. Recovering the boat was just the reverse procedure, but using the whaleboat winch to haul the boat and davits back into the stowage position.
 

The starboard boat deck (left above) was almost the same as shown on the blueprints, with minor changes. The 40 foot personnel boat rested in a cradle and was tied down when stowed. The port boat deck (right above) was modified significantly when the upper 40 foot boat was replaced by the 28 foot personnel boat. The 40 foot boat rested in a cradle similar to the one on the starboard side. The cradle for the 28 foot boat was hinged to the superstructure on the inboard side. After the 28 foot boat was removed the cradle could be swung up and latched to clear the way for lifting the 40 foot boat.
 
Phil
 

Gaetan, the second photo can easily replace the one on the cover of Ancre's 74-gun ship publication. found my new desktop image...

Gaetan, the second photo can easily replace the one on the cover of Ancre's 74-gun ship publication. found my new desktop image...

Gaetan, the second photo can easily replace the one on the cover of Ancre's 74-gun ship publication. found my new desktop image...

Gaetan, the second photo can easily replace the one on the cover of Ancre's 74-gun ship publication. found my new desktop image...

Gaetan, the second photo can easily replace the one on the cover of Ancre's 74-gun ship publication. found my new desktop image...

amazing!!

amazing!!

I finished the top mast. Then suddenly I started to grave for some rigging. Few hours later the beast was rigged!
Tried to get it as accurate as I could with the reference I had available. Also rigging being one of the things I strive to get better aswell!
Maybe some mad rigging project next who knows!
 







 
Also finished the Harpoon launchers if you didn't notice!
 

Only small work on the Missouri this weekend.
 
I attended Nordic challenge model show today here in Finland. Last time I brought a model to a show was back in 2004 so it was long time due.
I brought my Uss James E Williams to the show and it was recieved amazingly well!
 
I placed 1st in ship class and also got named Best Ship, Best of Show and Best Model chosen by IPMS Finland.
About 350 models were in the contest (not many ships though 🤔) and the quality of all the models amazed me.
 
Standing proudly!
 

 
More pics will prolly come up in the following days here!
 
http://www.pienoismallit.net/tapahtumat/2018/nordic-challenge/kuvat/

And just some overall shots.
 
The bridge didn't sit perfectly (had some warp on the other side) and needs some minor filling and fixing but nothing too serious.
 

So been grinding this whole weekend.
 
Some minor details and the MK 37 directors missing.
 
Sorry, the lights were almost out of batteries so the pictures aren't as sharp as I wanted them to be but here we go...
 





 
 

Some finished 5" turrets.
 




 
I also made some home brew floaters in the baskets. The Tamiya one is pretty crude replication of them with a tarp on top of them.
Also wanted to depict them without the tarp on top of them. I made some "bedrolls" from masking tape varying in different sizes.
They were painted and placed in the baskets and added some arresting wires.
 



 
The netting in the aft also recieved some arresting cables. I used infinis super fine (0.065 mm) brass rods for this.
 

 
And some overall shots. Started to add railings. I first painted them dark gray. After cutting out of the fret I modified them to match all the deck details and cut the bottom run away. Then stanchions were brush painted and glued down.
 



 
 

Finished the antenna.


Then worked some details on the bow area.


And finished the weathering on the other side aswell.

Finally basic painting and decals finished!
 
This time I was surprised how the dry trasfers worked! A bit of issues here and there but all in all they went down nicely without destroying too much!
 
Next step is to weather the hull so I can move on to detailing the deck!
 

And here's the infinis harpoon launcher!
 
About 50 pieces of PE and builds up nicely!
 



 
And some painting and detailing going on with the middle tomahawk pad.
 

No worries guys!
 
Well here they are and in comparison! Judge for yourself, I myself am pretty satisfied with the end results.
I did add some mix and smash to the Infini set. The launcher base isn't provided so I added one from sheet styrene.
Also the front door face got some details cut out from the Veteran ones. I think they look a like now a bit more and should work out ok!
 
So here's the finished Infini one!
 




 
Veteran closed one!
 

 
Next to each other!
 

 
And in context!
 

So some mail arrived!
 
Like I mentioned, this image made me order some infini launchers!
 

 
And some madness did I get!
 
The infini set is just unbelievable! Though it's not for the faintest of heart! One launcher is about 100 pieces of PE and the smallest ones are tiny. More like new level of tiny I ever encountered! This will put your dexterity and mental toughness to the test. I spent about 4 hour getting everything as best as I could, there's a few bits I'm not too happy about it but the set comes with 2 launchers so if I feel too unhappy about it I can always make a another one.
 

And a llittle bit more!
Middle tomahawk part primed. Rest of the details will be added after painting.



 
And finished the aft funnel!
 

Some more progress on the aft tomahawk platform.
 
Some minor details will be added before gluing it down but otherwise finished.
 

Hi all added some damage to the superstructure 






Trouble with doing a wreck is now I have to find out what the inside of that turret that's had the armour blown off looks like.

Hi all well I thought I could use this as the submersible used to light and film her, unfortunately it is totally out of scale so i will have to find something else, although I see that the effect will work quite well.

Hi all added some salt then a light grey wash to kill some of the colour, then knock some of the salt off add another thin sandy wash, knock some more salt off then a thin black wash. I feel it's getting there now.