WW1 Torpedo boat destroyers decks

[WW1 TBD Decking]

I am building a 36” model of the “C” class HMS Violet (1898-1920) and trying to find out if the main deck was planked or covered with Corticene or just steel. If it was just steel, what colour did they paint it? As a boy in the 1940s and early 1950s I used to play on her rusted hulk where she was beached on the river Forth in Fife. By then the decks were just steel with no traces of any covering or paint. If anyone can help my research I would be very grateful

[Jim Lad]

Hello and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

Perhaps you might like to put a post in 'New Member Introductions' to introduce yourself to us.

 

You might also consider a building log of your model so that we can enjoy it along with you.

 

If you simply Google HMS Violet you'll find quite a lot of good images of her.  Those images clearly show that here main deck wasn't planked.

 

John 

[Keith Black]

Welcome to MSW, I hope you're able to find answers to your questions regarding the decking. 

[wefalck]

Not sure, whether this was also correct for the RN, but in other navies at the beginning of the War, they ripped off deck-planking and Linoleum, particularly also on interior decks, in order to reduce fire hazards. This certainly did not improve the living conditions, but in war-time there are other priorities.

 

Steel decks were typically painted in oil paint mixed with sand in order to improve the foothold during wet wheather. Or they used some wild concoctions containing cement, marine-glue etc. with coarse sand.

[WW1 TBD Decking]

On 9/6/2021 at 10:55 AM, wefalck said:

Not sure, whether this was also correct for the RN, but in other navies at the beginning of the War, they ripped off deck-planking and Linoleum, particularly also on interior decks, in order to reduce fire hazards. This certainly did not improve the living conditions, but in war-time there are other priorities.

 

Steel decks were typically painted in oil paint mixed with sand in order to improve the foothold during wet wheather. Or they used some wild concoctions containing cement, marine-glue etc. with coarse sand.

This is really useful - there are almost no photographs of these ships showing the decks. The one I did find  shows a section of the deck by the stern and is not really clear enough for me to be sure. If the deck was painted do you know what the colour might have been?

this is the link.   https://images.app.goo.gl/GKMi83CfhygrXeTQ7

 

thanks 

[WW1 TBD Decking]

On 9/4/2021 at 11:06 PM, Jim Lad said:

Hello and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

Perhaps you might like to put a post in 'New Member Introductions' to introduce yourself to us.

 

You might also consider a building log of your model so that we can enjoy it along with you.

 

If you simply Google HMS Violet you'll find quite a lot of good images of her.  Those images clearly show that here main deck wasn't planked.

 

John 

Thanks John but Googling HMS Violet was the first thing I did but got nowhere. There are a lot of TBD models - including the original builders (Doxford) model but i do not think they are necessarily accurate. Most show oak planking or Cortiscene but The metal deck of the hulk in the 1940/50s had nothing that I remember, but my friends and I were not interested in that sort of detail!!! So the search goes on.

 

George

[wefalck]

I don't know for the RN boats, but he German ones were originally painted black and later in the War in dark grey. I would assume that the decks assume after a short while a dark grey colour, similar to older tarmac, due to weather and wear.

[Jim Lad]

Below are two of the many photographs of HMS 'Violet' that are on line.  They both clearly show the main deck (possibly paled grey) and the spar decking of the bridge.

 

John

 

[lmagna]

Don't know if it is considered a "source" but here was someone's interpretation.

[Jim Lad]

Lou, that looks like it's a builder's model - very classy and beautifully finished, but like all of its genre, not necessarily to be relied on for accurate finishes (check out the polished vents and guns, for instance)

 

John

[bruce d]

Hello George, welcome to MSW. Perhaps you already know this but the Tyne and Wear Archives ...

https://twarchives.org.uk/

... hold a collection of photographs of torpedo boats etc and may be able to help. Even if Violet s not among the photos you may see her contemporaries. Ignore their website search function, it doesn't seem to look at the photo collections so I am afraid you will need to contact them for access terms.

 

Also, in case you do not already have this, Violet was involved in a collision with the drifter 'Angelina' 22 September 1918. The records of this accident are held at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) Archive ...

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-ukho-archive

... under the file reference HD/1918/3710. Again, do not rely on the site search facility, I suggest contacting them and qouting the file number to see if it contains photographs or reports of potential use.

	HTH, Bruce

[WW1 TBD Decking]

15 hours ago, lmagna said:

Don't know if it is considered a "source" but here was someone's interpretation.

 

3 hours ago, bruce d said:

Hello George, welcome to MSW. Perhaps you already know this but the Tyne and Wear Archives ...

https://twarchives.org.uk/

... hold a collection of photographs of torpedo boats etc and may be able to help. Even if Violet s not among the photos you may see her contemporaries. Ignore their website search function, it doesn't seem to look at the photo collections so I am afraid you will need to contact them for access terms.

 

Also, in case you do not already have this, Violet was involved in a collision with the drifter 'Angelina' 22 September 1918. The records of this accident are held at the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) Archive ...

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-ukho-archive

... under the file reference HD/1918/3710. Again, do not rely on the site search facility, I suggest contacting them and qouting the file number to see if it contains photographs or reports of potential use.

	HTH, Bruce

Bruce

I have seen this and it is definitely a builders’ model, specially for sales and marketing purposes! I have tried contacting the current  builders but no joy.  

[shipman]

Imagna, hi.

Where did you find that photo of the builders model?

It's worth remembering these models do not generally represent ships as built, fitted and in service.

Lovely things never the less.

[bruce d]

2 hours ago, WW1 TBD Decking said:

Bruce

I have seen this and it is definitely a builders’ model, specially for sales and marketing purposes! I have tried contacting the current  builders but no joy.  

Hello George,

Bit of confusion here, it was Lou who posted the builders model picture.  My post was about potential archival sources.  😉

 

Regards,

Bruce