Hr. Ms. O 19 by Piet - 1939 - 1945, scale 1:50, submarine Royal Navy Netherlands - Finished

[Piet]

Thanks all y'all for the likes, it's really appreciated.

 

@ Ian, thanks for looking in and yes, she's a large model but that'll make it easier to do some detail work on the outside.

 

@ Sjors, well, not quite WF but should I have modeled the ship yard as well    Not 

I'll continue to fine tune the deck structure frames, been whittling at it this pm and it's coming along quite nicely.  Unfortunately or fortunately, I'll have take a break for two weeks.

 

 

Just to let all yuns know that the Admiral and I will be driving up to Pittsburgh, PA next Tuesday morning at oh dark thirty.  We are attending our grandson's High School graduation.

It's 900 miles and it'll take us 13 hours, about, depending on traffic and road construction.  I may not post any new stuff but will be visiting MSW to look at what all yuns are doing.

 

I'm also going to drive to Cleveland with the grandson to visit the USS Cod that is docked there.  That's the sub that rescued the crew of my father's sub, the O 19, when it ran on Ladd Reef in the South China Sea in July 1945.

I'm exited and will chat with the curator and get the grand tour.  Many pics will be taken, for sure. 

 

Cheers to all and keep modeling,

 

[Sjors]

I wish you a save drive and a lot of fun with your grandson Piet,

 

Don't stay away to long and I expect a few pictures.

 

[Kevin]

have a safe trip

[Edson-BSB]

Very beautiful work !! 

 

Impressive the narrative of the research and the difficulties encountered. I sense a lot of it on the skin.

 

I am following your posts closely.

 

Sincerely,

 

Edson Reis

Brazil

[Edson-BSB]

Dear Sir,

 

I am impressed with your work on the O 19 model.

 

I I always wanted to build the O 20, but I did not know where I can buy the plans of this submarine.

 

Sir, can you help me? Could you sell me a copy of your plans?   

 

Please, ...   

 

My email is edsonlsreis@globo.com

 

Thank you for your attention.

 

Cordially,

 

Edson Reis

Brazil

Edited June 11, 2013 by Edson-BSB

[PacificCrossRoads]

Hi Edson. I got the plans from Piet. This is a very nice and kind person! I am soon going to build a model of the O-20 scale 1/350. I will be glad to cooperate with you and Piet. Best wishes. Boris.

[Piet]

Hello Edson and Boris,

 

Edson, I'll be happy to help you with whatever plans I have to produce a decent model.  I cannot send them via e-mail because most are just too large and scanning them in is not practical.

I also cannot sell them to you but I'll make paper copies of whatever I have and mail them to you as I did for Boris.  Send me your mailing address via a personal message and I'll do that as soon as I'm back home again.

Right now I am at our daughter's house near Pittsburgh, PA to attend our grandson's High School graduation.  We'll be going back to Florida next week Thursday and I'll put a package together for you starting the week after.

These drawings are all in different scales but I hope you have enough background in ship plans to figure out how to arrive at the scale you have in mind.  I had to do the same and it worked out just fine.  The stats are in my intro pages and I'll also attach a note about some of the issues with different drawings you will have a problem with without an explanation.  If you have any questions about any part of the build and or the boat please let me know.  I have many photographs of the actual build that may aid in your understanding.  I can give you also the URL where you can find and download these photos.

The cost for printing is really not that much and so is the mailing, thus don't worry about payment, I do it with pleasure for a fellow sub enthousiast.  My father had his hands in the O 20 as well, concerning the work quality, so there is still a connection between him via myself.  A shame she went missing in 1942 with all the crew. It is surmised that she hit a mine while submerged.  

He also visited the Polish submarine "Orzel" when she was being build and pointed ouy a few problems to the Polish crew.  Overall he liked that boat very much.  Quite an interesting history about that sub.  She was also lost without a trace somewhere in the North Sea.

 

Hey Boris, good to hear from you and I hope all is going well.  Thank you for your kind words, you make me blush

 

Cheers,

[Paul Salomone]

Hello Piet,

Wow, now that is a beautiful hull. Your woodwork and finish is quite impressive. We all know that wood can be problematic.  The whole structure is now taking shape. I must find some time to fit in a WW1 German sub as well. The subs of that era were a wonderful sight even if the hull was nearly totally submerged.

Well done.

[Piet]

Hi Paul,

 

Thanks for dropping in and your encouraging words, really appreciated.  Yes indeed, wood can give us some problems and I did encounter a little in the beginning.  But then again, I assume that paper, card and styrene can also pose a few problems.

I'm looking forward to your WW I German sub build, they were awesome.  

 

Okay, we are back home now since a week from our sojourn to Coraopolis, PA, a town west of Pittsburgh, PA to visit our daughter and be present at our grandson's High School graduation.

 

As I may have mentioned before, I planned to visit the USS Cod in Cleveland, Ohio.  That sub was the one that was called to assist the Dutch sub O 19 getting off Ladd Reef.  The attempt failed and the Cod took the O 19 crew on board and had to destroy my father's beloved O 19.  Remember that they were in enemy waters even though the war was winding down.  This event was in july 1945, thus just one month away from the end of hostilities.

Because the USS Cod has a close relationship with my father's boat I Just had to go and see and touch her.  So, I took my grandson Troy with me, he too wanted to see the sub.  The curator, Paul Farace, promised us a special guided tour, which he did.

 

I mentioned a few of the things my father was involved with with the build of the O 19 and some of the escapades during his early years with the KM (Royal Navy).  Like when my grandson saw the torpedo tubes it reminded him of the story I told him about his great grandfather going out of his sub when she got tangled up in fishing nets when submerged.  Yup, he was also a trained Navy diver and he thought nothing of it to don the "third lung" and go outside.  He went through the stern tube and cut the boat loose and freed the props.  Then got back inside.  This was before he got married to my mother when he was a "wild and crazy guy," to coin a phrase.  There is nothing like a visual image to drive a point home.  Needles to say our grandson is duly impressed with his great grandfather.

 

This is the URL with the true story of the rescue attempt by the USS Cod.  Copy and paste the URL in your web browser and watch the sad end of the proud O 19.

 

I hope you wont mind a few pics of the Cod with a few items the crew managed to take off the O 19 before destroying her. 

 

This is a panoramic shot my grandson Troy made on his dangfangeled new Samsung Galaxy 3 of the USS Cod in Cleveland Ohio.

 

This is a picture of the bow tubes in the USS Cod.  Now my grandson could visualize his great grandfather going outside his "netted" submarine.  A story come alive, somewhat.

 

This is your's truly, the Flying Dutchman, in the engine room aboard the USS Cod.  These diesels still run and purr like kittens!  No, they didn't fire them up for us.  They have some water in the case oil, which is not too good for the bearings.  However, once most of the water is sucked out then the engines should be run and brought up to temperature.  This will allow the water to evaporate and breath out of the engines.  That's what we do with aircraft engines too.

 

This is the pendant from the O 19 and given to the crew of the USS Cod.  This pendant was made by one of the O 19 crew members.

 

This is the brass plaque attached to one of the O 19's bulkheads after her refurbish by the Scottish Dockyard.  After the Dutch submarine supply ship was destroyed by the Japanese with all the spare parts and etc., all the Dutch subs had to be refitted to English standards so they could continue with their battle against the enemy.  The so called deck torpedo launcher was also removed but they did not reinstall the doors.  

 

Traditionally the conning tower shows the ship's decorations and enemy ships sunk.  You'l notice a tipped cocktail glass with the letters O 19 below it.  This is to commemorate the party the crew of the O 19 gave to the crew of the USS Cod for their rescue.  This was apparently the mother of all parties in the annals of naval warfare!  Both boats served the allied effort with honor and distinction. 

 

Cheers.

[mtaylor]

Piet,

 

Thanks for sharing this.  It makes history come alive for those us without that personal connection.  I can only wonder what that visit did for you and your grandson. 

[WackoWolf]

Piet,

 

   Thank you very much for sharing the pictures with us.

[realworkingsailor]

How nice, that relatively close to home, you have a constant memorial in one way, to your father, that will allow you and succeeding members of your family, keep in touch directly with your history. Safely preserved, hopefully for many more generations to come.

 

Andy

[trippwj]

Piet -

 

Thank you for sharing that with us!  What a wonderful way for your grandson to become more familiar with what your Dad accomplished!

[Piet]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and the "likes."

 

@ Mark, This visit was quite emotional.  Many memories flooded back into my mind.  My father did give me a tour on the O 19 at the end of 1940.  With the photographs I have obtained of the O 19 build and now actually touching a real sub made these memories come to life.  My grandson?  He wants to become a van Warmerdam and plans to apply for a name change.

 

Well, I have resumed working on the deck frames.  They are still just pinned with one pin and loose.  I have now temporarily pinned a 1.5 X 6 mm slats to the top sides of the deck frames to check the alignment and form.  There are only a few minor adjustments to be made but overall she's taking shape.

When I am satisfied I'll cut the corners out of each frame on the top and bottom to glue 3 X 6 mm slats into these cutouts for support of the 1 mm plywood for the side plating and the deck plating.

 

When the O 19 was originally build the deck frames were attached to the pressure hull with steel angle clips welded to the skin plates. There was a slitted opening between the hull and the deck structure to allow the water to drain away when surfacing.  I don't have a clear picture from the original build but have attached a few that may give you an idea.

 

Side view of hull with the check strip pinned to the upper part of the deck frames.

 

Bow side view with the check strips pinned to the upper part of the deck frames.  The typical Dutch upward curved bow can be seen taking shape. 

 

Head-on bow view with the check strips pinned to the the upper part of the deck frames.

 

Hull with main ballast tank and mine tube compartments.  The deck frame clips are difficult to make out but are just above where the ballast tank frames are joined to the pressure hull.

 

This is a close-uo of one one of the pressure hull plates with ballast tank and deck frame clips attached.

 

Another close-up view of the pressure hull and main ballast tank frames.  The deck frame clips should be just above the ballast tank frame attach points.

 

Cheers,

Edited February 22, 2015 by Piet

[Piet]

Hello everyone,

 

Well, today is our Fourth of July celebration and after doing a little yard work I managed to do some more work on the O 19.

I cut the corners out of all the deck frames to receive the reinforcing strips.  This also allows a firm glue foundation for the side plates and the deck plates.

 

After this was done I drilled two additional holes in each frame for bamboo pins to attach the deck frames more securely to the hull.  

 

I was able to complete just half a dozen and transferred the locations of the extra pins to the top of the hull and drilled the receiving holes.

 

The pics below show the progress.

 

Looking aft starboard side.

 

Looking aft port side.

 

Another view looking aft port side.

 

Here I am drilling the extra two holes for pins to help secure the deck frames to the hull.

 

Frame 117 is just entering all three holes in the hull for a show and tell.

 

 

Cheers,

[Adrieke]

very nice . once you are done it wil make it easy to glue them all nicely in place

[ianmajor]

Piet,

 

Great progress. I love the view along the hull, particularly from ahead of the bows. Very dramatic....... 

 

.....and thanks again for the background information on the prototype. It is absolutely fascinating,

[popeye the sailor]

nice shots of the upper section......now she's really taking shape.  the dowels are going to make it quite strong.   .......some really nice progress!

[Paul Salomone]

Hello Piet,

 

Superb woodwork and finish. Just cannot wait to see it ready.

[runner63]

Beautiful ship sir, I will follow with interest.

 

runner63

[Piet]

Thank you all for your kind words and likes, it really means a lot to me!

 

All the deck frames are now solidly pinned and glued to the hull    Today I proceeded to install the port side stringers.  They are cut from 1/4 inch poplar to 3.5 X 6 mm.  I used 1 mm wire brads as a clamping method and set the brads with a steel punch so I won't ware out my sandpaper    Frugal Dutch     No, not really because I need to have the sanding block make contact with wood to get a true shape.  The brads prevent that from happening.

So far it looks good but there are a few spots I need to shim a little.

 

As mentioned before, the purpose of these stringers is to give the 1 mm plywood side and deck panels a continues glueing surface.  The gap of the lower stringer is larger then necessary and of no concern because the 1 mm side panels are the ones that need a smaller gap between the it and the hull.

 

I'm now ready to turn the build board around so I can work on the starboard side.  I may or may not put the side panels on.  I need to go back to the stern section and make and install the diving planes, rudder and propeller shafts.  After that's done then I won't have to worry about damaging them later and can do almost everything else without lifting the boat out of the jig again, except for the finishing plating and painting.

 

Okay, here are a few pics of what was done today.  Pictures, yes pictures!  We know there is another Dutchman who likes to see pictures 

 

Head-on bow view.

 

Head-on stern view.

 

Bow side view.

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Sjors]

Thank you Piet         

 

Nice progress !

It's gonna be huge !!!!

 

Edited July 9, 2013 by Sjors

[Kevin]

starting to look like a vessel of war now - well done

[popeye the sailor]

the bow shot looks great............it's really beginning to come together now!!!! 

[Piet]

Hello all and thank you Popeye, Kevin and Sjors for stopping by the boat yard, really appreciate it.

 

I have completed the roughing in of the deck structure.  The photos revealed a few ares that need some minor trimming but overall I'm satisfied.   We are talking of fractions of m m's but it's important for the side panels to lay nice and flat and even.

It seems that my VOC ship is taking a backseat but I'll get back to it shortly.

 

I took a bunch of pics from different angels, primarily to see where I need to do some shaving with sandpaper.  I made a 10 inch sanding block that seems to work really nice.

 

Final check for level of all the stations of the deck frame.  I have put 4 brass nails in the side of the hull at water line 7, two on each side.  This allows me to check the hull for level and consequently also all the structures and components for level.

 

Kinda like a bird's eye view of the completed deck structure. I already suspected a few areas that needed some trimming and the photos confirmed it.  I'll note them and sand them down a little.  

 

A shot along the port side from the bow.  The dark area on the center of the top stringer seems a little high but that's an optical delusion 

 

A shot along the starboard side from the bow.  Same optical illusion is seen here.

 

A bird's eye view of the completed deck structure from the bow.

 

A profile shot of the port side.

 

Cheers, 

[WackoWolf]

Wow. This is really starting to take shape. Keep the pictures coming.

[Piet]

Thanks everyone for your likes and Wacko Joe, thanks for dropping in, yes, she is coming along fine. 

 

Today I tweaked the few small areas and carved to aft part of the deck fairing out of a piece of solid pine. May take a pic tomorrow after my dental visit and lunch.

Am ready to put the side panels on

 

In the meantime here are a few shots to compare sleeping accommodations between the O 19 and the Gato class sub USS Cod.

 

This is the Non Com Officer's quarters on board the O 19 at the time of her build.  For locating the area go back to the first pages of this log.  Most bunks are stowed.  I am assuming that the table and chairs are for the publicity photo, I can't imagine having them taking up so much room.  But on the other hand it is possible that the top of the table can fold down.  Perhaps Gino den Ridder can shed some light on it.  

That contraption you see hanging from the ceiling should be the deck-launch torpedo aiming device.  That was quite an elaborate contraption and difficult to use.  That whole affair was removed from the O 19 when it was in overhaul and refit in 1944 in Scotland.  In any case, this would be the compartment where my father had his bunk. 

 

This is a photo I took when visiting the USS Cod in Cleveland last month.  It appears to be the regular crew accommodations. 

 

This is also a pic I took on the USS Cod and it appears to be the officer's accommodations.

 

The officer's quarters on the O19 were pretty good compared with the older boats but not as nice as on the USS Cod.

 

Cheers, 

Edited April 30, 2014 by Piet

[ianmajor]

Piet,

 

At first glance I thought the first photo was of the inside of a railway carriage. It gives an idea of how cramped the accommodation was.

[Piet]

Thanks for your "likes" folks and Ian, yeah, cramped indeed but this was the largest, most modern and most comfortable sub going.  Then to think that I was actually in this boat sometime at the end of 1941 at an open-house visit.

 

Okay, I took a few pics of the stern deck fairing this afternoon.  I'll also indicate where the stern tube doors are located and compare my build with photos of the original build of this sub.  I hope you like the photos of the original build.  It does bring back memories

 

side view if the stern fairing, annotated where the stern position light will be.

 

side view of the stern with annotation where the stern torpedo tube doors are.

 

Stern view with the aft deck fairing installed. 

 

This picture was most likely taken in 1943 when the O 19 was overhauled and refurbished in Scotland.  I shows the aft deck fairing best.   

 

This picture was taken at the commissioning of the O 19 in 1939.  It also shows the aft deck fairing and all the other "stuff" that needs to be installed yet.  The bulged areas on the sides are for the diesel engine exhausts.

 

This picture was most likely taken when docked at the Naval Base in Den Helder in 1939 just prior to sailing to the Netherlands East Indies with my father on board.

 

This was just prior to the launch in 1939.  I indicated where the stern torpedo tube doors are located.

 

another view of the O 19 on the stocks just prior to launch in 1939. Here too I indicated where the stern torpedo tube doors are located.

 

Stern tube compartment during early stage of build

 

This is the stern tube compartment of the O 19 at the final stages of the build.  My father would have been present at that time of the build of the O 19.

 

Stern tube compartment during intermediate stage of build.

 

This shows the framing of the stern torpedo tube compartment.

 

Cheers 

Edited May 5, 2014 by Piet

[Gino den Ridder]

Piet,

 

The deck torpedo tubes weren't removed from the O19 in 1943. Pictures taken on Ladd reef show that the tubes were still there. Furthermore, on of the photos show that they were swiveled out, so the mechanism underneath (known as the Christmas tree) wasn't removed. It was a source of nuisance for the crew, since apparently it was always leaking when in use.It could be that it was more or less de-activated in the 1943 maintenance. 

 

The tables inside the O19 were, as far as I can find, part of the boat. There are photographs of a Christmas party being held inside the boat, at which crew members sit at a table. whether or not it was collapsible I can't say, but there is a high probability that they were.

 

 

Groetjes,

 

Gino