USS ST LOUIS by thorn21g - 1:24 - POF - Civil War Ironclad - Gateway Model Shipcrafter's Guild

[J11]

Gentlemen your team craftsmanship is extraordinary.  Please keep us updated.

[BrianFisher]

This has been a treat to follow! I've always been interested in the history of the Pook turtles, and seeing one made in such detail is really eye-opening. I think everyone with an interest in ACW naval history greatly appreciates the amount of research and effort you guys are putting into this model.

 

Out of curiosity, where did you get the layout for the lowest deck (cargo hold) from? I've been trying to find a deck plan of this area for a while, but all the blueprints/cutaways I've found only go down to the gun deck and no lower.

[johnhoward]

Brian,

Sorry that this response is so late but although I performed the bulk of the research for this model of the USS St. Louis, I am no longer participating in its construction and unfortunately apparently no one is updating the build log .

 

The basic plans we used are from the National Park Service "Historical Structure Report" and its attached set of approximately 20 sheets drafted by Ashley in 1981 which are probably still available on the Vicksburg National Park Service(NPS) Web Site for the USS Cairo.

Although we found numerous problems with these drawings, those of the "lowest deck (cargo hold) shown on sheets 5 & 6, although labeled "Gundeck Framing-Forward & Aft" actually contain the lateral & longitudinal bulkheads for the compartments in the hold which also support the beams for the gundeck.. The various compartments are labeled, probably by relating the artifacts still found in them and the original specifications for building the Seven City Class Ironclads. Sheets 3 & 4 show the actual internal flooring and support beams for the machinery mounted in the hold. A few photographs also exist of these areas during Eads construction, recovery operations and storage which our large scale model reconstruction plank-on-frame model helped to interpret.

I verified the reasonable accuracy of these drawings via the use of the NPS drawing VICK306-80024 titled "Torpedo Damage,USS Cairo, which was made by J. Smeal (?) in 1977 from the salvaged remains while in temporary storage at Ingalls Shipyard, Pascagula, Mississippi. The lower hull of the USS Cairo had been sliced into 3 major sections due to the 2 cables under the hull used to raise it from the river in 1963.  The lower floor of the hull had been preserved better since it was buried under the river mud but it still broke up into about ten pieces due to the weight of the mud still inside when recovered. This drawing was obviously used as a major resource for the NPS 1981 drawings. However, by the time the USS Cairo was reassembled and "barged" back to Vicksburg much more deterioration occurred.

An earlier NPS, Denver reconstruction survey of the "City Class Ironclads" in 1970, apparently performed by marine architects, contains a lot of useful information which helped us interpret and correct the later drawings but not for the lower hull.

I hope this information serves useful,

Johnhoward

 

 

 

 

[timboni]

Hi all,

 

Just letting  you know I'll be taking over the updating of this build log from Howie Smith. I'll be posting a number of progress notes, from early 2019 through the present, with pictures and captions by Howie Smith (aka John Howard) and Bill Kammermeyer, credited. Hopefully this will be a smooth progress despite Murphy's Law. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me at timboni@juno.com or call me at 314-761-5435. 

 

Tim Jovick

Secretary

Gateway Ship Crafters Guild

[BANYAN]

Thanks Tim, look forward to seeing the progress on this wonderful model.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Cathead]

Cool, looking forward to seeing more.

[Thistle17]

You all are to be complimented on your teamwork and excellent execution of this very detailed model!

Joe

[timboni]

Hi all, this is the first installment of our "catch-up" for our Build Log for the USS St. Louis. This is a summary for our work as of August, 2018. All of the text and pictures are by Howie Smith. I'm going to try to have these pictures with appropriate captions, so here we go! Would be glad for feedback, as this is my first attempt at contributing to this build Log. Apologies for any inaccuracies. My email is timboni@juno.com

Tim

As part of an overall review of our USS St. Louis ironclad topsides, we focused on the forward 45-degree casement sub-structure with the brass 42-pdr Rifled Cannon Barrel on its carriage dry-fit in the centerline gun port. (Photos 1 & 2).

We then proceeded to outline the remaining process for constructing the  removable center section of this casement which originally consisted of a solid stack-up of vertical beams(Photo 3) between the outer sides of the P & S  gunports covered by similar stacked horizontal beams, and then vertical iron armor plates, which totaled up to a thickness of 25-inches.

Our model will duplicate this construction on the starboard side past the centerline structure (Photo 4 ) and then diminish by layers on the port side to reveal the underlying structure. This section will remain removable to maintain access to the gun deck until final stages of model assembly.

We also reviewed the positioning of Vince & Tim’s galley stove and associated furnishings on the gun deck (Photo 5)

and Bill’s exhaust stack thru and above the Hurricane deck (Photo 6 &7).

 

 

This was followed by a second dry-fit of Bob’s port & starboard main steam engine cylinder wooden cores in the engine room,  on their support ramps (Photos 8 & 9).

 

 

The first stage of the bow casement, consisting of the vertical beams and gun port framing for the removable center section has been completed (Photos 10 & 11). The  red beam edging indicates intentional disruption of structural members to reveal underlying or internal model features  The second stage will consist of attaching a layer of stacked-up horizontal beams which include a similar diminishing effect as their ends near the port side.

 

We spent a considerable amount of time discussing Tim & Vince’s problems cutting out the thin triangular strips of .030” thick Fomica substrates for the pilothouse armor plates and after a few experiments, it was decided that rather than sawing or cutting, a belt sander was the best solution and Bill graciously agreed to provide them a 1-inch table model belt sander to use for this purpose..Vince and Tim have made excellent progress shaping and fitting the Formica substrates for the pilothouse armor plates (Photo 12). They also have added .002” thick copper foil to the substrates for one of  the octagonal  pilothouse’s sides as seen in these photos. The foil will be chemically blackened and secured in place using the simulated ¾” bolts and washers previously stamped from No. 18 Escutcheon pins.

The pilothouse has also been dry-fit to its location on the Hurricane deck to verify its proper relationships to the ventilation funnels, galley stove exhaust stack, skylight and forward casement.(Photos 13 & 14)

 

Bill has developed and fabricated a series of improved steam pipe shut-off valves and control wheels (Photo 15) which will be integrated into his steam distribution piping system

Activity will now shift to construction of the stern 45-degree casement and laying planking on the stern deck itself. As a pre-requisite, we decided to revisit the stern deck nautical operations, equipment locations, and  functional geometry  before  committing to casement and decking configurations. None of the existing published aft deck drawings appear to depict a completely satisfactory operating geometry that is also compatible with the few existing contemporary photographs. This includes the 4 mooring bitts, 4 tiller control chain rollers, tiller arc of travel , tiller support roller track and bulwark mooring line guides.

At the heart of this issue, it appears that the tiller was lengthened sometime during City Class ironclad construction but the resulting mechanism geometry wasn’t adequately documented.

Since the USS Cairo iron tiller(Photo 16) was recovered with the USS Cairo and a photograph of the USS DeKalb(Photo 17) locates the bitts, our stern deck reconstruction utilizes these two features to locate the remaining elements to establish rudder travel which was reportedly inadequate in any event.

 National Park Service (NPS) drawing dated 1967 for the USS Cairo (Photo 18) depicts a short tiller (Colored orange to which we have appended its actual length in green) and its resulting geometry.

Our reconstruction geometry is over-laid in red upon the NPS drawing dated 1981 of the USS Cairo (Photo 19) and depicts the maximum rudder travel achievable using the recovered tiller length and will remain the basis for our USS St. Louis model (Photo 20).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[timboni]

Well, OK, looks like I ended up with some duplicates of photos at the end of the posting. but if that's my worst sin, I"m OK. 

[BANYAN]

Thanks for the updates Tim, this is a very fine model and it is interesting reading how you research and approach the making of the various components - duplicate just allow usd to enjoy the detail and workmanship twice   to remove them simply edit your post, and in the strip at the bottom showing the thumbnails of all your  uploaded image files, simply click on the delete icon at the bottom of the thumbnail.

cheers

 

Pat

[the learner]

A most exquisite job on your group build. Hope everyone is staying safe today!

[timboni]

Hi all, hopefully this posting will go through; been having some problems getting the pictures to work. Apologies for the extreme delay, as my previous posting was back in January of 2019. The pictures below are from May of 2019. All pictures and text are by Bill Kammermeyer. And here we go!

 

Stern casement ceiling being installed. Glue , clamps and tree-nails hold the camber (90 degrees off).

 

Removing the interior tabs on all of the front casement timbers to allow it to be installed with the horizontal timber and armor plate in place.  As it was this was impossible due to the curve of the bow construction.  Bow casement ceiling (1st coat of white wash) has been installed. Edges at gun ports and cut outs to be finished later.

 

Gun port gauge to show the interior shape of the port

 

Fit of gauge in each gun port to insure uniform size and rectangular shape

 

OK, I'm going to post this and see if it goes through. If so, got MANY more pictures for you.

 

Tim Jovick

[Ryland Craze]

Nice work and the pictures displayed just fine.

[mbp521]

Tim, 

 

Thanks for the update. Things are coming along. This is an absolutely beautiful build. 

 

I recently started work on my scratch built USS Cairo and have been using this build as a guide. Y’alls research on this really helps answer many of the questions and roadblocks that I have been running into trying to get it right. 

 

-Brian

[BANYAN]

Looking forward to the further updates

 

cheers

 

Pat

[timboni]

A few more from May, 2019. Again, pictures and captions by Bill Kammermeyer.

 

 Uniform gun-port openings with sills installed. 

 

Time consuming task to make sure the gun-port sills were 45 degrees to the casement and that the gauge still fit flush.

 

Lay-out of tiller rollers on plans for the "iron" arcs that will protect the deck. 

After adjusting the tiller "hinges" and rechecking deck layout it was found that the full arc could be used.

 1/16" brass sheet with both arcs glued to it with rubber cement. The concave bottom will be cut and filed to the line first, then the convex top. This order gives me more grasping material. The 2 center cuts are easy but filing the edges is more difficult with less material to grasp.

Rear deck finished.

 

 

Crew and Officer heads, with and without hats.

 

Steam engines with valve lifters in place.

 

Bread and butter layup for cutter mold. Just sand and file the high spots down to the low spots and you have a hull.

 

Plank on Hurricane Deck header that will cover attachments off deck to casement and be a base for the hammock racks.

 

View of port side showing improved interior viewing modifications.

 

OK, next entries will be from June of 2019. 

[mbp521]

Tim, 

 

Keep them coming. Can’t wait for the next installment. 

 

-Brian

[johnhoward]

Tim,

Mission accomplished, you're doing a great job.

John Howard

[timboni]

Hi again all, and thanks for your patience. I'll be posting pictures and captions (most if not all by Bill Kammermeyer, noted by BK in the captions) from the June 2019 Gateway Shipcrafters. And here we go!

 

1/8” brass plate drilled with 3/16” holes to be re-drilled to 45 degrees later. Lower plate was an idea that did not work. (BK 05/06/19)

 

 Jig to redrill the holes at 45 degrees on my drill press (BK 05/06/19)

 

Jig used to form the bend in the 3/16 brass rod before tapering or the attachment of the end ring.  (BK 05/24/19)

 

Jig used to drill 45 degree angle holes in the casement service to produce an angle perpendicular to the waterline at a constant distance from the edge. (BK 05/23/19)

 

3/32 inch brass rod was bent and tapered at the ends as per the plans and rings were added to slots in the ends.  (BK 05/22/19)

 

Detail of taper process. Sides are sanded on belt Sander to match taper then top and bottom are likewise sanded. edges are rounded and fared into a taper. (BK 05/22/19)

 

 Eight 45-degree stanchion supports for the davits have been soldered at the proper angle.  (BK 05/21/19)

 

The stanchion as it appears in the pre-drilled hole on the casement. (BK 05/21/19)

 

The pre-drilled holes and the angled soldering of the stanchion sockets made for a very realistic result. (BK 05/21/19)

 

More from June 2019 coming in the next couple of days. Hope these are enjoyable and helpful.

 

 

 

 

[mbp521]

Tim,

 

Thanks for the update. I recently started my scratch build of USS Cairo  a few months ago, and the information and pictures that you guys have provided have been most helpful in getting my build under way. 

 

I am currently working on the gun deck features and was working on researching the make up of the walls that surround the engines and officer quarters. I figured that the walls around the engines were just to help with noise mostly since, judging by the plans, it looks more like a shield than anything else. Unfortunately the HSR “Gundeck Plan/Section” that I am using is rather vague but the walls look to be similar to those surrounding the boilers, although probably minus the louvered windows. I was just curious if you guys had a plan as to how you were going to build this section of the interior walls, or is this part still in the research phase. Or, am I totally reading the plans incorrectly and is there even a wall there?
 

Also scrolling through the build I haven’t seen any pictures or mention of the officers quarters. Was that part still being researched as well. I know that a lot of the information on this section of the boat is lacking due to the fact that most of this area was lost or destroyed during salvage operations. I’m just trying to get my head around the construction of these parts. Please forgive me if I am jumping way ahead in your build, there are just so many unknowns on this build and I’d like to get it as accurate as possible. 
 

You guys are doing a fantastic job on this build, and I can only hope that my version comes out half as good as this one. 
 

Looking forward to more updates.

 

-Brian

[timboni]

Hi all, finally getting around to posting the remaining pictures from the June 2019 Newsletter from the St. Louis Shipcrafters on the USS St. Louis. Sorry for the delay, and here we go!

 

The way the jig was used to drill a 3/16 inch hole equidistant from the edge of the casement at all Davit points. A 3/16 inch long drill bit used in place of the brass rod. (BK05/24/19)

 

.With the use of the jig, the stanchions were able to be aligned perfectly. (BK 05/24/19)

 

All four and a half surfaces of deck houses are finished to add visual appeal to the model. (BK 05/24/19)

 

Using a 1-in. belt sander, the front casement portholes are rough sanded off the ship. (BK 10/10/19)

 

The horizontal timbers are all fit in place and the port and starboard gun ports are filed smooth and true to the template gauge. (BK 10/10/19)

 

 

(Previous two pictures) Pear slabs are end glued to begin remaking the gun carriages.  (BK 05/30/19)

 

 Front of carriage locks are trimmed to plan dimensions. (BK 05/30/19)

 

When glue which joined the stacks of cannon carriage sides is removed at plan lines, the stack of gun carriage sides falls apart. (BK 05/30/19)

 

OK, that's all for now. The next Newsletter was not done until October of 2019, and those pictures and captions will (well, hopefully should) be coming soon. Any questions, feel free to contact me anytime.

 

Tim

[timboni]

()*%T&)(^#$+#@&(_*!^&!!! Did it wrong again, will duly download and copy/paste appropriate pictures. May take a day or so. Sorry folks, 'twill be done!

[mbp521]

Tim, what a cruel tease. 😜

 

It’s all good though. I think we’ve all been there at one time or another. Can’t let that computer get the best of you. 
 

Patiently standing by. 
-Brian

 

[timboni]

All right, here's all the pictures and captions duly redone from above. Grrrrr.....

 

The way the jig was used to drill a 3/16 inch hole equidistant from the edge of the casement at all Davit points. A 3/16 inch long drill bit used in place of the brass rod. (BK05/24/19) 

 

With the use of the jig, the stanchions were able to be aligned perfectly. (BK 05/24/19)

 

All four and a half surfaces of deck houses are finished to add visual appeal to the model. (BK 05/24/19)

 

Hammocks (160) are tied and ready to be fitted into the line of hammock stanchions on the hurricane deck (done by Vince and Tim, 05/10/19)

 

Using a 1-in. belt sander, the front casement portholes are rough sanded off the ship. (BK 10/10/19)

 

The horizontal timbers are all fit in place and the port and starboard gun ports are filed smooth and true to the template gauge.

 

 

(Previous two pictures) Pear slabs are end glued to begin remaking the gun carriages.  (BK 05/30/19)

 

 

Front of carriage locks are trimmed to plan dimensions. (BK 05/30/19)

 

 

When glue which joined the stacks of cannon carriage sides is removed at plan lines, the stack of gun carriage sides falls apart. (BK 05/30/19)

 

OK, hopefully this will be good. Again sorry for the clunkiness, working to get better. October coming next.

[mbp521]

Tim,

 

Beautiful work as always. Well worth the wait. 
 

Out of curiosity, what materials did you guys use for the hammock stanchions?
 

-Brian

[joep4567]

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL WORK!

[johnhoward]

Brian,

The Hammock Storage Stanchions were slices sawn from an aluminum rectangular cross-section extrusion, followed by removal of unwanted material to result in their, final "H" shape.

 

JohnHoward 

[mbp521]

5 hours ago, johnhoward said:

Brian,

The Hammock Storage Stanchions were slices sawn from an aluminum rectangular cross-section extrusion, followed by removal of unwanted material to result in their, final "H" shape.

 

JohnHoward 

John,

 

Thanks for the info. From the pictures they had the look of hammered iron, only the aluminum color was throwing me off. Good idea though to keep the shapes uniform. 
 

-Brian

[johnhoward]

Brian,

Regarding your question on the research for the officers quarters:

The research I performed several years ago concluded that the only built-in structural cabin was for the Captain and was installed immediately aft of the paddle wheel housing on the gundeck. A small scale floor-plan for this cabin is shown on sheet 12 of the Vicksburg Historical Report drawings and a more detailed floor plan is shown on earlier (!964 ?] National Park Service plans which Bill used to replicate it on the model. Sheet 12 also includes floor plans under the aft port and starboard casements on the gundeck for the junior officers and the medicine room. However, although the original Pook specifications call for cabins,  I think these were actually lightweight pole and canvas tenting, rather than permanent structures. My evidence for this includes the photographs of the 1964 USS Cairo remains while stored at the Oscacala{?) Shipyard, Mississippi, which show a perfectly clean gun deck and no sign that structural cabins ever existed. This was apparently a common Navy practice to permit quick tear-down in preparation for imminent action. In addition, there are displays at the Vicksburg USS Cairo National Park showing canvas tent type quarters with foldable camp style cot, chair and table furniture which fit nicely within the deck spaces available. (I got these photos from a "sister" model club which visited Vicksburg but wasn't able to amplify any further and our primary contact at Vicksburg, the museum curator retired and was apparently not replaced). The original divers on the Cairo may have reported seeing remains of cabins or maybe just piles of loose possessions such as trunks & bottles which gave the impression of cabins. I haven't revisited this issue recently however any additional inputs on this subject would be very welcomed. 

 

JohnHoward 

[mbp521]

John,

 

I very much appreciate the info on the officers cabins. It will come in handy when I reach that point of my build. 
 

If I may, I’d like to pose another question. I am at the point in my build where I am ready to paint my hull. I’ve done some research on this but keep coming up empty. The Cairo museum has a model on display that has the more modern looking red hull below the waterline and black on the rest of the vertical surfaces. I am wonder as to how accurate this paint scheme is. I like the look of the red hull, but I’d also like to keep my build as historically accurate as possible. Have you guy run across any information that would justify the use of red on the hull or is this one of those mysteries that may never be solved?
 

Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated. 
 

-Brian