tomwilberg

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

While you mention the "MEMPHIS BELLE"...
 
Once upon a time, about 2005 or so, some B-1 where visiting NORDHOLZ AFB (near Cuxhaven). One of them was named after that famous B-17 that nearly got chewn up by the personal Focke-Force while attacking the Focke-Wulf factory north of Bremen.  The Bone was complete with the correct nose art and so on.
 
Back then, parts of the factory were still in place and could be easily identified. It came that I got the Belle's driver to talk to. I asked him, if he is aware of the very special place to his bird, nextby. No. He knew a bit about the B-17 Belle, but not much. OK, I told him, what nearly killed the crew and the bird on her last operational flight. The movie about that was impressive enough (btw: I knew EVERY B-17 on show there...  :-) ). So I provided the right vectors to have a glance at this very special place. In the evening, the B-1 departed back to Britain and then back home to Georgia. Going out on Burners, one Bone diverted 110° left en route no the north of Bremen...
 
Now in 2020, most of the old factory buildings and space are gone and it is not easy to tell, where that factory was located. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

Sorry to step in late...
 
the base mentioned earlier is RECHLIN. It is located about 100km northwest of Berlin just south of the Müritz lakeside area. Still, it may be visited and it has got a small museum on that spot.
 
There is a story about test-flying that particular B-17 (and lots of others)
Hans-Werner LERCHE
Testpilot auf Beuteflugzeugen
One of the episodes in there is how he flew the B-17 to Vienna in order to show it around to the fighter jocks and others. I remember what wrote about scaring the sh*t out of a pilot doing training on FW Stösser ...
If there is an English version available, I don’t know. Since it was published by Motor Buch, it might have come from Motor Books in the US.
 
whoever is interested in more: The German modelling magazine MODELL-FAN had quite number of documentation about “Beuteflugzeuge” .
 
greets
thomas

Sorry to step in late...
 
the base mentioned earlier is RECHLIN. It is located about 100km northwest of Berlin just south of the Müritz lakeside area. Still, it may be visited and it has got a small museum on that spot.
 
There is a story about test-flying that particular B-17 (and lots of others)
Hans-Werner LERCHE
Testpilot auf Beuteflugzeugen
One of the episodes in there is how he flew the B-17 to Vienna in order to show it around to the fighter jocks and others. I remember what wrote about scaring the sh*t out of a pilot doing training on FW Stösser ...
If there is an English version available, I don’t know. Since it was published by Motor Buch, it might have come from Motor Books in the US.
 
whoever is interested in more: The German modelling magazine MODELL-FAN had quite number of documentation about “Beuteflugzeuge” .
 
greets
thomas

Sorry to step in late...
 
the base mentioned earlier is RECHLIN. It is located about 100km northwest of Berlin just south of the Müritz lakeside area. Still, it may be visited and it has got a small museum on that spot.
 
There is a story about test-flying that particular B-17 (and lots of others)
Hans-Werner LERCHE
Testpilot auf Beuteflugzeugen
One of the episodes in there is how he flew the B-17 to Vienna in order to show it around to the fighter jocks and others. I remember what wrote about scaring the sh*t out of a pilot doing training on FW Stösser ...
If there is an English version available, I don’t know. Since it was published by Motor Buch, it might have come from Motor Books in the US.
 
whoever is interested in more: The German modelling magazine MODELL-FAN had quite number of documentation about “Beuteflugzeuge” .
 
greets
thomas

Sorry to step in late...
 
the base mentioned earlier is RECHLIN. It is located about 100km northwest of Berlin just south of the Müritz lakeside area. Still, it may be visited and it has got a small museum on that spot.
 
There is a story about test-flying that particular B-17 (and lots of others)
Hans-Werner LERCHE
Testpilot auf Beuteflugzeugen
One of the episodes in there is how he flew the B-17 to Vienna in order to show it around to the fighter jocks and others. I remember what wrote about scaring the sh*t out of a pilot doing training on FW Stösser ...
If there is an English version available, I don’t know. Since it was published by Motor Buch, it might have come from Motor Books in the US.
 
whoever is interested in more: The German modelling magazine MODELL-FAN had quite number of documentation about “Beuteflugzeuge” .
 
greets
thomas

Sorry to step in late...
 
the base mentioned earlier is RECHLIN. It is located about 100km northwest of Berlin just south of the Müritz lakeside area. Still, it may be visited and it has got a small museum on that spot.
 
There is a story about test-flying that particular B-17 (and lots of others)
Hans-Werner LERCHE
Testpilot auf Beuteflugzeugen
One of the episodes in there is how he flew the B-17 to Vienna in order to show it around to the fighter jocks and others. I remember what wrote about scaring the sh*t out of a pilot doing training on FW Stösser ...
If there is an English version available, I don’t know. Since it was published by Motor Buch, it might have come from Motor Books in the US.
 
whoever is interested in more: The German modelling magazine MODELL-FAN had quite number of documentation about “Beuteflugzeuge” .
 
greets
thomas

Sorry to step in late...
 
the base mentioned earlier is RECHLIN. It is located about 100km northwest of Berlin just south of the Müritz lakeside area. Still, it may be visited and it has got a small museum on that spot.
 
There is a story about test-flying that particular B-17 (and lots of others)
Hans-Werner LERCHE
Testpilot auf Beuteflugzeugen
One of the episodes in there is how he flew the B-17 to Vienna in order to show it around to the fighter jocks and others. I remember what wrote about scaring the sh*t out of a pilot doing training on FW Stösser ...
If there is an English version available, I don’t know. Since it was published by Motor Buch, it might have come from Motor Books in the US.
 
whoever is interested in more: The German modelling magazine MODELL-FAN had quite number of documentation about “Beuteflugzeuge” .
 
greets
thomas

Druxey,
 
that much I know about the danish archive, the less I know about the NMM archive.
I wasn‘t able to locate those. So, thank you very much.
 
 
Best regards
Thomas
 

Wood plan of Cruizer Class Sloop needed
 
Hi
I have been contacted, if I had something to identify a possible cruizer sloop wreck. 
So, does anybody know of a „wood plan“ of a cruizer class ship?
I mean those cut through plans were one could see the internal woodwork from?
 
A ship‘s lines plan does not tell much, if you have a worn out shipwreck to identify.
 
Any hints most welcome
Thomas

Druxey,
 
that much I know about the danish archive, the less I know about the NMM archive.
I wasn‘t able to locate those. So, thank you very much.
 
 
Best regards
Thomas
 

Wood plan of Cruizer Class Sloop needed
 
Hi
I have been contacted, if I had something to identify a possible cruizer sloop wreck. 
So, does anybody know of a „wood plan“ of a cruizer class ship?
I mean those cut through plans were one could see the internal woodwork from?
 
A ship‘s lines plan does not tell much, if you have a worn out shipwreck to identify.
 
Any hints most welcome
Thomas

Druxey,
 
that much I know about the danish archive, the less I know about the NMM archive.
I wasn‘t able to locate those. So, thank you very much.
 
 
Best regards
Thomas
 

Keith,
as uninspiring the website of the vendor looks, the better is the plan set.
I find the plans very much complete, it meets certainly high standards.
As far as it comes to my opinion, I would say the plans may complemented with some photos, may be from Beken of Cowes or others, like you have it, and that should do for an almost perfect model even in larger scales.
 
Greets
Thomas
 

Keith,
as uninspiring the website of the vendor looks, the better is the plan set.
I find the plans very much complete, it meets certainly high standards.
As far as it comes to my opinion, I would say the plans may complemented with some photos, may be from Beken of Cowes or others, like you have it, and that should do for an almost perfect model even in larger scales.
 
Greets
Thomas
 

Keith,
as uninspiring the website of the vendor looks, the better is the plan set.
I find the plans very much complete, it meets certainly high standards.
As far as it comes to my opinion, I would say the plans may complemented with some photos, may be from Beken of Cowes or others, like you have it, and that should do for an almost perfect model even in larger scales.
 
Greets
Thomas
 

Michael,
I am sorry it took me some days to see your thread.
 
I see you are building the GERMANIA NOVA.
I do not know, how much it differs from the original.
 
There is a quite good set of commercial drawings in 1:50 scale available from the original GERMANIA, 3 sheets.
Vendor is HARHAUS MODELLTECHNIK in Germany. http://www.harhaus.de
The description can be downloaded here: http://www.harhaus.de/hmhh12467.PDF
 
I do have the plans, too.
Once upon a time I felt to build a model of this awesome racer. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

Michael,
I am sorry it took me some days to see your thread.
 
I see you are building the GERMANIA NOVA.
I do not know, how much it differs from the original.
 
There is a quite good set of commercial drawings in 1:50 scale available from the original GERMANIA, 3 sheets.
Vendor is HARHAUS MODELLTECHNIK in Germany. http://www.harhaus.de
The description can be downloaded here: http://www.harhaus.de/hmhh12467.PDF
 
I do have the plans, too.
Once upon a time I felt to build a model of this awesome racer. 
 
Regards
Thomas
 
 

AFTER SUPERSTRUCTURE AND TOWER
 
For the CLG conversion everything above the main deck aft of the midships superstructure was removed. The triple 6"/47 turrets #3 and #4, dual 5"/38 gun mounts #54, #55 and #56, the aft Mk 34 and Mk 37 directors and the deck houses around them, and the aircraft catapults and crane were scrapped. In their place a huge armored missile house was built on the main deck and a new after superstructure and tower were built on top of the missile house. The entire after deck house was part of the Talos guided missile launching and guidance system.


 
 
The missile house contained the Mk 7 Guided Missile Launching System where the missiles were stored and serviced. The house was made of 1 1/2" Special Treated Steel (armor plate). Including 46 Talos missiles and boosters the house added 400,000 pounds on the main deck. This didn't help stability problems!
 
Missiles were prepared for launching inside the house and then moved onto the Mk 7 launcher rails, passing through armored blast doors in the end of the house. The upper doors carried spanner rails to mate the launcher rails to the launching system rails inside the house.
 
For more information about the Talos launching system go to this link: https://www.okieboat.com/Talos launching system.html

The deck house on top of the missile house contained Weapons Control, where the Talos system was operated, and radar rooms for the SPS-30 3D height finder radar, the two massive AN/SPG-49 missile tracking radars and the two AN/SPW-2 guidance transmitter antennas.
 
Talos was a long range (130 nmi.) Mach 2.7 missile designed to intercept aircraft and missiles at altitudes from 50 feet to 75,000 feet. It had an anti-surface ship capability, and an anti-radiation (radar) ARM capability. For these missions it carried a conventional expanding rod warhead. It also had a 2 KT nuclear warhead that could be used against air, surface and shore targets.  For more information aout the Talos missile see: https://www.okieboat.com/Talos missile.html
 
Talos was the first anti-aircraft missile system designed by the US Navy, beginning in 1945 before the end of WWII. The program actually spun off the shorter range Terrier missile which was the first to enter service. Talos was a massive system that was installed on only a few cruisers. It was replaced by the newer AEGIS missile system.
 
You can see the stowage locations for the two 7th Fleet 28 foot personnel boats and their cradles.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
There were two of these little snaking winches, port and starboard,  that were used to haul the 28 foot personnel boats and carriages around the top of the missile house. It was the smallest of the ship's winches, with just an electric motor and gear system and no hydraulics. I modeled it from photos and dimensioned sketches made on the USS Little Rock CG-4 museum ship.
 
It was also used to transfer missile warheads into the missile house through hatches in the deck at the rear of the missile house.
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
The after radar tower was much simpler than the other two towers. It was positioned above the radar room for the AN/SPS-30 3D height finder and air search radar. In addition to the SPS-30 antenna an AS-791/UPA-43 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator antenna (below left) was mounted on a platform wing. It was slaved to the SPS-30 to allow IFF interrogation of targets.  An AS-979A/UKR telemetry antenna (below right) was mounted on a platform extension at the rear of the tower platform. I think (but I am not certain) that this was the antenna used to receive telemetry information from Talos missiles in flight. The missiles sent back airspeed, altitude, fuel consumption, wing motion and radar proximity fuze information to allow analysis of the flight.
 

On the ship's centerline on top of the forward end of the missile house was a large contraption called the Fleet Active Shuttle Transfer (FAST) crane (below). It was designed to operate with similar equipment on replenishment ships to transfer Talos missiles to the OK City's missile magazine. It was capable of transferring a missile or booster every 90 seconds. The operator worked in a small booth at the aft end of the midships superstructure on the O3 level.


Missiles would arrive on a shuttle that rode a highline strung between the FAST crane and the FAST system on the replenishing ship. The missiles and boosters were attached to strongbacks carried by the shuttle. The FAST crane would capture the shuttle and strongback, A pantograph arm on the FAST crane lowered the strongback and missile/booster into position above a strikedown elevator (yellow in the images above). The elevator captured the missile and the strongback was released. Then the missile was lowered into the magazine at the forward end of the missile house. The pantograph arm raised and sent the strongback and shuttle back for another load.
 
That's the way it was supposed to work. In reality the FAST crane was a piece of junk. It was exposed to the worst of weather conditions and the complex hydraulic and electrical system failed during transfers more often than not. The real problem was not with the machinery - the Navy did not have enough trained personnel to maintain it. Many complex systems were introduced into the navy in the 1950s and 1960s - nuclear submarines, nuclear powered ships, nuclear weapons, sub launched ballistic missiles, surface to air missiles, jet aircraft with complex avionics systems, air to air and air to surface missiles, and many new types of radars. There were not enough intelligent people joining the Navy and not enough training facilities to train them. First priority went to nuclear submarines and the air wings. There was a chronic shortage of trained personnel on all other units. We just didn't have enough trained men on the OK City to maintain the missiles, launching system, radars, guns and other systems to spare anyone to baby sit the FAST system.
 
The FAST crane was removed in late 1971 and only the kingpost at the center remained. We used the FAST kingpost and burtoning winch for underway replenishment of missiles and powder for the guns. The FAST crane is the reason I decided to model the ship as it was in the summer of 1971, just before the FAST crane was removed. I wanted to model it.
 
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