Hr. Ms. O 19 1938 by Piet - FINISHED - scale 1:50 - submarine of the Royal Navy Netherlands in service 1939 - 1945

[hexnut]

New lid looks great.  That is good news--if Remco did your graphics, they are almost by definition, superb.  White is indeed a tough color for decals, basically 3 options:

1) use white decal film, match background color as close as possible and trim very carefully. (I have done this successfully, but it can be time-consuming)

2) find someone with an old ALPS printer or silkscreen to do a custom run.($$)

3) get I.N.T.'s made (rub-on transfers, also can get expensive.)

 

Good luck on the bow draft numbers--the good thing about no research sources, is that artistic license then prevails...

[Piet]

Thanks bob, on the new lid.  I think too, it's a keeper.

I'll use the ones Remco made, they are superb and hoping that I don't screw it up. 

 

Here are two pics with part of the draft hummers.  You can see how hard it is to read because of the resolution.   I think there is a software program that fills in the missing pixles, not sure though.

 

 

My father is on the boat during the launch.

 

Cheers,

[Piet]

Hello everyone and thanks for visiting.

 

Today was more of  a prep day to paint the starboard side but I needed first to drill the small holes in each lid.  I laid out the pattern on each lid and then pricked dimples in the right places with a sharp awl.  This made the drilling easier, not slipping all over the place.  

I also made a "fixture" of sorts to do the port side, I forgot that before I painted that side.  Domkop me 

 

I guess it'll be ready for the green tomorrow if the weather is warm enough.  I also put another coat of red on the bottom andI need to wait for the primer coat and the red to cure before I can mask and paint it.

 

As soon as the green paint is cured I can mask the sides so I can paint the deck but first I need to cement the torp loading dolly tracks to the aft deck though.

 

Here is a shot as it currently is with the new lid in primer.

 

 

Cheers,

[mtaylor]

Looking fit and proper, Piet.   Have a question.. the mines were loaded through the top doors.  Were they deployed from them?  Or dropped out the bottom? If out the top, were they ejected with compressed air or some other method?

[Sjors]

First cotton cannonballs and now mines......dangerous !!!!!!!!

 

Looks great Piet !

 

[popeye the sailor]

nope!   I totally agree with showing the shortcomings...........the new lid looks great!    well worth the effort      I like the overview of the tower........you really have out done yourself !   great job!   looking forward in seeing the upper hull paint.

[42rocker]

Such a Great story and build. Great job.

 

Later Tim

[Piet]

Hello Mark and thanks for dropping by and your kind words.  Hmmm, dropping mines, very good question.  Not having the drawings of the hull and ballast tanks I'm going out on a limb and guess that they were deployed from the bottom.  At least that's what my common sense engineering mind would think.  When we consider possible rough seas when on the surface that would make it a rather hairy operation.  It would also allow the mines being deployed while submerged.

I would say, no compressed air but just good old gravity.

On the other hand there are tracks on the starboard side for the torpedo loading dolly and that thing had a hoist arrangement on it.  But that leaves the question, what about the port side, no rails there?  

 

My short answer is, I really don't know for sure right now.  Perhaps Gino can shed some light on this.

 

Hoi Sjors, good to hear from you!  Well, not only mines but 5 inch shells, 40 mm AA shells and 21 inch torpedoes.  She was a lady that could and did bite.  No "cottoning" with her my friend    You can have your cotton cannon balls, rather dainty, eh what?    

 

Hi Popeye, thanks for dropping in and your kind words.  Yeah, I always wonder about some of the builds that never show a boo boo and a pile of discards.  The ultimate discard was with Mark Taylor, took a lot of guts.  If I can only concentrate and pay attention more often then my rate of boo boos will go down     Glad no one can hear me when I screw up, it's then "oh shoot" and I can't spell worth a hoot either     Talking about paint - - - check the next post 

 

Cheers,

[Piet]

First of all, thanks to everyone for visiting and clicking on "like."

 

Today I cemented the torpedo loading dolly tracks to the starboard side of the deck going aft.  I used N scale flex track for the rails.  I think I mentioned in a previous post some time ago that the actual tracks were U channels where the wheels for the dolly fitted inside the U.  This was to prevent the dolly from tipping when hoisting the torpedoes from the dock.  In any case, these'll have to do - - - I won't be making the dolly anyhow - - - he says with a straight face

 

With the tracks now cemented on I can paint the deck grey in preparation for the wooden deck slats.  But before I can do that I needed to paint the starboard side green above waterline 7, the demarkation between red and green.

 

Sooooh, I took the boat outside and masked her off and wiped the white primer with some enamel thinner and then proceeded with the painting.  I first sprayed  few light coats on till tacky and then a fuller coat.  Let this get tacky and repeated that three times.  I then removed all the masking and brought the boat back inside and on the build dock to let the paint cure where no dirt could settle on the still soft paint.  

This was all done before lunch.

 

After lunch I rotated the build dock so i could drill the gezillion holes in the port side mine bun lids.  That in itself was a tedious and exacting job but it seems to look okay.  Now I have to repaint that area, which is no problem, just masking out at the skin plate seams and the wale.  That'll we do tomorrow.

 

Okay, I have made a few shots from different angles, yuns are probably sick and tiered seeing the same profile pics   

 

Starboard side masked, ready for paint.

 

All masking is removed showing the freshly painted starboard side.

 

I took the model to the front of the garage and set het on a plastic container for a few shots.  I'm thinking of a painting of her and am looking for ideas.

 

 

 

 

Here I am approaching in my P-38 for a buzz job   

 

As the lookout may see the bow plowing through the seas 

 

Cheers,

[JPZ66]

Piet,

 

What an amazing build and an even more amazing history that led you to this point. The model looks fantastic. Your father would be proud indeed ! Can't wait to see the completed model.

 

Cheers,

Joe

[Jim Lad]

You seem to have had a sudden explosion of completeness, Piet!

 

John

[michael mott]

Catching up Piet, Very nice. I like the green paint, as well.

 

Michael

[PacificCrossRoads]

Hi Piet. Gorgeous! 

Soon I will also show you my result ...

[mtaylor]

Holy cow.... that looks fantastic. 

 

I would think out the bottom to lay the mines.  Those appear to be the kind that a few seconds or minutes after release, the mine is released from the carrier and floats upward while the carrier and it's weight go down to anchor on the sea floor.  

[Remcohe]

Great progress Piet!

 

One of the drawings shows a lot of mechanics in the mine tube but I cannot make out whether it was released from the bottom or mechanically hoisted upwards in the tube. But the drawing suggest lids at the bottom too.

 

 

Remco

Edited February 4, 2014 by Remco

[harvey1847]

I was missing that old good blue plastic container...

 

Do you use spray cans or an airbrush? There is a shot that actually look like two subs in one, one on the top of the other. The lines are simply beautiful Piet.

 

I have saved the pic of Rotterdam, the one of your father on the deck... Have you considered to make a dockyard like that? I know, I know... More work, more work but with your skills I see it possible...

 

Almost done Piet, almost done... closer closer...

 

Best wishes!

 

 

Daniel.

[popeye the sailor]

ohhhhhh,  wait a moment.......got to pick up my jaw,  it's on the floor!   WOW!   this really puts a positive look to the build.....she looks superb!  you've done a great job!

[Gino den Ridder]

Piet,

 

I impressed! The green really makes the boat 'pop'. It looks great!

 

To solve some mysteries...

 

The mines were loaded from the top, and launched from the bottom. Of course this happened while submerged. One of the crew members once said that he was terrified during a mine laying operation; in shallow waters with all the noise they were making while dropping mines.

 

Then, for the lettering...Check these photos:

The boat at its commissioning in den Helder. 

 

Surfacing in 1943 (Loch Long) You can see that even during the war the O19 lettering on the bow was still present!

 

Hope that helps,

 

Groetjes,

 

Gino

Edited February 4, 2014 by Gino den Ridder

[PacificCrossRoads]

Hi Piet. 

Now we wait on you Hr.Ms. Java!!!   

[Piet]

Wow, I'm overwhelmed with the responses and all those who visited and "liked" my progress, thank you all.

 

@ Joe JPZ65: Thank you very much for your kind words, and Yes, I like to believe that my dad would be rather pleased with my efforts and hopefully not much criticism   I also like to see the finished product    But it's coming closer.

 

@ John (Lad) :  Thanks for visiting John.  Yes, sometimes a little paint may seem that giant steps have been taken but still a lot of works is ahead.

 

@ Michael:  Thanks also for dropping in, and yes, the red and green really make her rather unique.  I also like it.

 

@ Boris: Hello Boris and thank you as well for your kind words and I can't wait for yours!

 

@ Mark:  Thank you Mark for your compliments!  Well, I have to admit of being a dummy or domkop for not going to my drawings.  They are right behind me and as soon as I saw Remco's post I slapped my forehead   And also Gino's comment, it makes absolute common sense that the mines had to be deployed from the bottom.  More about this most likely in a follow-up post with pics.

 

@ Remco: Thank you my friend in adding that drawing.  Like I mentioned to Mark, I'm so forgetful lately and feel stupid in not remembering that I have these drawings you got for me from the Navy Archive.  I looked at them closely and yes, there are openings in bottom part of the ballast tank / mine bun area.  I also see doors at the bottom and the mine securing mechanism.  btw, that drawing was the original Navy version dated 1934 for the O17.  This was later modified by ir G. de Rooy as the final design and build as such.  Looking at the two versions de Rooy's design makes a lot of sense.

 

@ Daniel: Thank you for visiting and thanks for your kind words.  Well, that blue bucket was handy for taking pictures, I really have to find something more suitable   I used RustOleum spray cans, the old rattle cans    The area to be painted es just too much for my little airbrush and too small for my high capacity industrial spray guns.  No, I am not considering the actual build dock or slipway.  Reason is two-fold, 1. when the boat was launched she was not completed that was done later.  So, my model will be as she was when completed and on her way to the DEI (Dutch East Indies) when my father served on her.  2. A moot point but yes, too much work.  

Yes, she's coming closer to completion but there is a lot more work to be done yet.  Hatches,  torpedo loading gantries, the dingy and rigging and not to forget, the deck-launch torpedo assembly.

 

@ Popeye:  I hope you didn't hurt yourself with dropping your jaw to the floor   Thank you very much for your compliments!

 

@ Gino:  Thank you my friend for your accolades, appreciate it very much.   Yes, as I mentioned above, I was being dumb in not remembering those drawings Remco send me.  I also remembered that I was not planning on making the bottom drop-down doors.  That would have been really the cat's meow but also a lot more work.  

The original plan was to just build the O19 too look as close as possible from the outside by using the model drawings for the O21 and guessing the shape of the mine bun area.  Then Remco sweet talked the archive folks in getting inside a making copies of the lines drawings.  Then it just evolved from there.  He also got me some more drawings as I went along to get more details.  However, the basic hull was already build when I decided to add more of the details, which actually made the build more difficult and challenging.  If I had to do it over again I certainly would do things different with the express purpose of a lot of detail  that i am now not doing.   

As it is right now I have already far exceeded my original goal and am very satisfied with the result.

 

The lettering I am looking for are the load draft numbers, Remco made me the bow numbers too. 

 

Cheers to all,

[Piet]

Okay, to show everybody the design details for deploying the mines, I'll add a few copies of drawings for yuns to get a good idea.

 

There are still a few questions I have about the actual design inside the ballast tank but for our purpose that's not an issue.

 

There is a lot of detail on the drawing Remco posted with his comment and I could decipher most of the language, which helped my to get a real good understanding of the design and the mine securing mechanism.

 

Okay, here are a few pics.

 

This is the body plan of the original Navy project for a mine laying sub they designated as the O17.  This was in 1934.  That's 80 years ago - - - and the year I was born!

 

This is the revised body plan by Engineer G. de Rooy.  This is what was used to build the K XIX, later renamed to O19.

 

This is the same copy Remco showed.  It's rather small and I had this drawing blown up and printed out by a local printshop.  There is a lot of detail on these pics that makes it very clear how it was done.  You can also see that it was from the original Navy plan but on the bottom on the left drawing you can see the redesign by de Rooy.  I have enlarged that portion and is shown below. 

 

This is another drawing showing the bottom of the ballast tank / mine bun area having a hole in it.  It also shows the original Navy project before de Rooy's changes were made.  

 

Admittedly I have not done any research on how mines were deployed and activated but my guess is that  the mine assembly, i.e. the mines with the sinker were dropped as a unit and upon hitting the seafloor the sinker would release the mine which then rises up tethered to a cable.  Doing it as Mark mentioned would not work for submerged deployment of the mines, it would be like instant death to the sub. 

 

Cheers,

[mtaylor]

Piet,

 

I believe you're right about the mine having to hit the seabed. That would make perfect sense. I was thinking of the type laid by certain surface ships and wasn't thinking about a sub moving slowly while submerged. 

[Piet]

Hello Mark, yeah, common sense I guess but I should really dig into the issue of deploying mines from a submerged vessel for curiosity sake.  I'm an airplane guy not much on ships except for the engine room, had schooling in that.

 

Cheers,

[realworkingsailor]

Waaay back I posted a picture I took of a naval mine:

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1375-andys-maritime-adventures-season-ii/page-54

 

Although this one came from a surface vessel, the principle is the same.

 

Andy

Edited February 6, 2014 by realworkingsailor

[PacificCrossRoads]

Hi Piet. I'll probably little sad ... :-( 

You forgot to make the tube galley on the cabin ... 

But, I think it's not a big problem for you ... :-) 

Unfortunately, I later noticed this item ... 

Wishes. Boris.    

 

 

[Piet]

Hello Andy, thanks for the mine pic.  That looks like a monster - - - won't fit in that little old sub though 

I have the actual drawings for the Vickers mines for the O19 and O20.  I'll have to model a few, one for in the bun and one for the display stand.  I may have to make an extra anchor too for the display stand.

 

Hi Boris, no, I didn't forget the tube thingies on the side of the bridge.  I have the picture on my workbench with a note to me to make and add them and also those little black square thingies    There are a few other things as well I need to make and install.  I can just remember to look at my notes - - - if I can remember where I put them 

Thanks for noticing it and reminding me - - - I need al the help I can get in remembering things   

 

Talking abou forgetting things - - - I forgot to mention yesterday that I had painted the deck and con sides light grey!  I put all the hatch doors in temporarily so I can paint them at the same time and also to close off the compartments below them to keep the paint out.  It really looks great now, I'm very happy.

 

Most of the time yesterday and today I spend cutting the 1 X 1 mm deck slats.  I took the batch I made and brushed on the teak dye and then brushed on the poly urethane to seal them.  Tomorrow they should be ready to glue them on to the deck.  Another tedious job.  However, this may not be done till after lunch - - - I have a doctor's appointment in the late morning in Ormond Beach.

 

  

[Piet]

Hey Boris - - - see what I have done this afternoon - - -

 

This shows the conduit with the box temporarily put into place for a fit look.  I made one for each side 

After some adjustments they are glued in place using ca and they need some paint.  I still need to add the black squares yet.

 

This shows a small supply of 1 X 1 mm slats for the deck.  I started with the aft deck and glued only a few.  More to come Sunday, I think.  If the weather is good I need to do some yard chores   

 

Cheers,

[Jim Lad]

Crikey, she's looking good, Piet!

 

John

[jud]

The mines used were made by people who knew what they were doing and what was needed to lay them safely. Most had a one hour delay before they were armed, giving the mine laying vessel time to clear the area. Some could be set for delays much longer if needed. Most were designed to disarm themselves if their mooring cable was broken and the mine floated to the surface, don't think anyone trusted that safety device and sunk floaters with rifle fire.

jud

[popeye the sailor]

looking sweet Piet!