Kevin

Good evening everyone, welcome to my new build
 
This is HMS Fife, a County Class Destroyer, built in the 1960's during the cold war, I personally served on her from 1978-1980 during which time we made the news around the world after we were turned around from going home and went back to give aid to the island of Dominica after she was struck by a tornado
 
 
 
 
 
 

I will use this page for now as an index
Stage 1 – superstructure in card https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/16352-hms-fife-by-kevin-fleetscale-172/&
 
Stage 2 Making the main dec khttps://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/16352-hms-fife-by-kevin-fleetscale-172/&
 
Stage 3 After superstructure and hanger in Plasticard  https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/16352-hms-fife-by-kevin-fleetscale-172/&page=2
 
 
 
 
 
 

Design and construction
Fife was the first and only British warship to bear the name, for county Fife. She was a Mk2 Guided Missile Destroyer (GMD, also referred to pre-1975 by its then US Navy/NATO designator DLG (Large Destroyer (USN 'Frigate') carrying long range surface to air missiles for area defence; post-1975 DDG, 'destroyer' with similar characteristics). The Mk2 designator refers to her primary armament, the Seaslug Mk2 missile. The weapon had begun development in the early fifties and entered service in the Mk1 GMDs like Hampshire. By modern standards the Seaslug is a huge missile with one sustainer rocket motor and 4 disposable boosters. The missile was a so-called 'beam rider'. It was launched from a huge rail launcher in the stern and boosted into the guidance beam from the fire direction radar which pointed at the target, a high altitude supersonic attack aircraft. Once in the beam the missile would fly at supersonic speed to the target where a proximity fuze would detect the target and detonate the continuous rod warhead.
The ship was ordered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 26 September 1961. The keel was laid on 1 June 1962 by Fairfield Shipbuilding and the vessel was launched 9 July 1964. Fife was commissioned 21 June 1966 with the pennant number D20.
Royal Navy service
In 1969, Fife took part in a group deployment around the world. She left Portsmouth on 1 April 1970 and sailed to Safi in Morocco; the first visit by a British warship for over a 100 years. Then to Lagos in Nigeria just at the end of the Biafran War. From Lagos to Simon's Town in South Africa. The gates of the former British Naval base still bore the royal cypher, VR. From Simon's Town, she briefly took part in the Beira Patrol off the shores of Rhodesia after Prime Minister Ian Smith declared Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence. The Beira Patrol was a naval blockade to enforce economic sanctions on the errant regime. From there she crossed the Indian Ocean and stopped off at the NATObase on the island of Gan en route to Singapore. There she spent 6 weeks in an Assisted Maintenance Period (AMP) before heading for the South China Sea to conduct the first live firings of the Sea Slug Mk2 area protection anti-aircraft missile. The ship had been refitted in Portsmouth to accommodate a larger war-load of missiles and this work was completed in Singapore where she took on live missiles. The trials were successful against US targets from bases in the Philippines. After this she went to Hong Kong and Kobe in Japan for Expo 70, before heading to Pearl Harbor on Hawaii and then on to Long Beach in California and Acapulco in Mexico and via the Panama Canal to Puerto Rico and on to the Mediterranean. She visited Toulon and spent time in Malta and Gibraltar before returning to the UK. Whilst in Hawaii, the Royal Navy abolished the rum issue. As a result, Fife became the last ship in the Navy to issue rum by virtue of being the furthest west in the Pacific. The Hawaiian media came on board and were quite bemused when the ships Senior Ratings staged a mock burial at sea, complete with a Pipers Lament provide by the ship's pipe and drum band and pall bearers dressed in black.
Her Commanding Officer for this voyage was Captain David Scott, who had been the 1st Lieutenant of Seraph in the Second World War when the submarine penetrated Tokyo Harbour and sat on the bottom, carrying out reconnaissance of the Japanese shipping there.
She had 'B' turret removed and replaced with four Exocet launchers in the mid-1970s. In 1977, she attended the Silver Jubilee Fleet Review and formed part of the 2nd Flotilla.[1] In 1979, Fife provided assistance to the Caribbean island of Dominica after the island was severely hit by Hurricane David. She was under refit during the Falklands War and did not take part in the conflict.
 
Refit 1986
In 1986, Fife underwent a refit to convert her into a mobile training ship. The removal of her Seaslug missile system and its large magazine was completed in June 1986, which created space for extra messdecks and classrooms for officers under training. One messdeck still used hammocks and these officers are possibly the last men in the Royal Navy to sleep in hammocks; they were told so at the time. In early September 1986 she undertook a Dartmouth Training Ship (DTS) deployment to the Caribbean Sea and Florida, returning to Portsmouth in late November. She was accompanied on this deployment by the frigates Diomede and Apollo.
A "hut" was built where the Seaslug launcher had once stood, aft of the helicopter pad. This grey box was a navigation training classroom and attracted much attention from a Russian Kashin-class destroyer, which regularly "buzzed" Fife for some close quarter photographs.[citation needed]
Her second Dartmouth Training Ship deployment in January 1987 took her via Brest into the Mediterranean Sea, in company with Intrepid. Her final voyage in the Royal Navy was to lead a Dartmouth Training Ship deployment to North America, in which she and Juno sailed into the Great Lakes. On her return to Great Britain in June 1987 she landed the officers under training at Dartmouth and then proceeded to Portsmouth where she was decommissioned after 21 years of service.
Chilean Navy service
The ship was sold to Chile on 12 August 1987 and renamed Blanco Encalada. She was taken into refit at Talcahuano on her arrival and, taking advantage of the removed Sea Slug, her deck was extended aft and a new, larger hangar constructed. The rebuild was completed in May 1988. In 1996 Blanco Encalada's Sea Cat launchers were removed and she was fitted with the Barak SAM.
Blanco Encalada was decommissioned from the Chilean Navy on 12 December 2003 and was sold for scrap in November 2005. She was broken up by Turkish shipbreakers Leyal Gemi Sokum in 2013.
 
This is how she looked in the Chilean Navy

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening every one, I have put quite a lot of time into this build and hope to have her finished within days now, (subject to change) Im quite pleased the way she is turning out, hope everyone is having a great Sunday
 

Lots achieved today, she even has props fitted, but apart from small weapons to be painted and fitted,and some radar sets I will now concentrate on weathering her for the next day or so and then finish her off with the rigging, have enjoyed this build, and have other projects lined up like the 1/200 USS Hornet and 1/200 Sovremenny, but it looks like i am now back in the mood to push on with the Victory 

Good evening CDW 
I have the Victory on a long term hold, whilst I decide what to do with her, the 1/72 SD14 cargo  carrier in card another 1/200 Trumpeter which i will be doing next the Russian Destroyer Sovremenny which I dont have a build log for, This has been my teach myself how to use a air brush build, BUT i have a new build on order, it is a 1/72 County Class Destroyer Hull from Fleetscale, I will scratch build the Superstructure and purchase the fittings kit to go with it this is a vessel i served on during 1978-1980 HMS Fife 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  187 kb · Done
   
 

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening everyone, LOL i dont post for months then here I am two days running
 
Rigging one of these is for me a bit hit and miss, I don't have enough research books to see where all the lines are secured to, I f i get another day on her tomorrow, i should have have most of it done, it is an elasticated line in to thicknesses EZ line i think its called
 
dont show so well with this backdrop, on top of the rubbish bin
 
 

 

 

 
 

Good evening every one, I have put quite a lot of time into this build and hope to have her finished within days now, (subject to change) Im quite pleased the way she is turning out, hope everyone is having a great Sunday
 

Lots achieved today, she even has props fitted, but apart from small weapons to be painted and fitted,and some radar sets I will now concentrate on weathering her for the next day or so and then finish her off with the rigging, have enjoyed this build, and have other projects lined up like the 1/200 USS Hornet and 1/200 Sovremenny, but it looks like i am now back in the mood to push on with the Victory 

Good evening, Im still adding loads to the build, but can see the end in sight and actually have a completed builds portfolio to my name LOL most of the armament is made and in paint, then wethering and rigging, hope to complete her within a couple of weeks
 

Good afternoon 
Apologies for my absence, i have been contemplating walking away from the hobby, but decided against it, I dont know why i have lost interest in so many things and ............
anyway im here and the Bismarck has been progressing she has some teeth now with the big guns in place, the ships  boats will hopefully be in place in the next week or so 

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening CDW 
I have the Victory on a long term hold, whilst I decide what to do with her, the 1/72 SD14 cargo  carrier in card another 1/200 Trumpeter which i will be doing next the Russian Destroyer Sovremenny which I dont have a build log for, This has been my teach myself how to use a air brush build, BUT i have a new build on order, it is a 1/72 County Class Destroyer Hull from Fleetscale, I will scratch build the Superstructure and purchase the fittings kit to go with it this is a vessel i served on during 1978-1980 HMS Fife 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  187 kb · Done
   
 

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening everyone, LOL i dont post for months then here I am two days running
 
Rigging one of these is for me a bit hit and miss, I don't have enough research books to see where all the lines are secured to, I f i get another day on her tomorrow, i should have have most of it done, it is an elasticated line in to thicknesses EZ line i think its called
 
dont show so well with this backdrop, on top of the rubbish bin
 
 

 

 

 
 

Good evening every one, I have put quite a lot of time into this build and hope to have her finished within days now, (subject to change) Im quite pleased the way she is turning out, hope everyone is having a great Sunday
 

Lots achieved today, she even has props fitted, but apart from small weapons to be painted and fitted,and some radar sets I will now concentrate on weathering her for the next day or so and then finish her off with the rigging, have enjoyed this build, and have other projects lined up like the 1/200 USS Hornet and 1/200 Sovremenny, but it looks like i am now back in the mood to push on with the Victory 

WOW  I spent many years loving the Devonshire class  even went over her at Pompy as a lad.
 
OC.

Well done mate! Great achievement 

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening everyone
 
Here is something you don't hear often form me
 
The Bismarck is finished 
 

Good evening everyone, LOL i dont post for months then here I am two days running
 
Rigging one of these is for me a bit hit and miss, I don't have enough research books to see where all the lines are secured to, I f i get another day on her tomorrow, i should have have most of it done, it is an elasticated line in to thicknesses EZ line i think its called
 
dont show so well with this backdrop, on top of the rubbish bin
 
 

 

 

 
 

Good evening every one, I have put quite a lot of time into this build and hope to have her finished within days now, (subject to change) Im quite pleased the way she is turning out, hope everyone is having a great Sunday