USS Cape (MSI-2) by Dr PR - 1:48 - Inshore Minesweeper

[Dr PR]

One coffee cup coming up!

 

First I drilled out a piece of 1/16 (1.59 mm) brass tubing to about 0.050 inch (1.3 mm). Then I drilled two 0.016 inch (0.4 mm) holes for the handle. The handle is 0.012 inch (0.3 mm) brass wire. The wire was soldered into place and the interior filed to remove the wire stubs.

 

 

Then the cup was cut off from the tube, polished and painted. The paint needs to dry more before a second coat is applied.

 

 

Here is the 1:48 scale 3 inch (75 mm) cup next to the real 1:1 thing. I calculate it will take about 120,000 "cups" from the scale cup to fill the real thing.

 

 

 

 

And here is the navigator's cup on the chart desk.

 

In the real Navy you would never place a coffee cup on the chart desk. But the Cape was McHale's Navy, and we went by Cape rules.

 

The really difficult part was painting the Navy seal on the cup. That took a steady hand!

Edited 8 hours ago by Dr PR

[JacquesCousteau]

Very impressive! How did you manage to paint the seal? Is your brush made of a single bristle?

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

You could make it easier to do these details in 1:24 😉 

[Jim Lad]

I agree with JacquesCousteau - very impressive!

 

John

[bdgiantman2]

Great progress, I like the bridge details and the upper level plans shared on here. I thought Navy mugs were supposed to be without handles?? Or was that older times?

[Dr PR]

I don't recall mugs without handles, so that must have been before my time.

 

If I was working in 1:24 the model would be 4' 6" long (1.4 meters). As it is, at 1:48 it is 28 inches (711 mm) long and pretty large.

 

 

 

 

And I must confess, I didn't paint the Navy seal on the mug - that picture was a Photoshopped fake.

 

Here is the real 1:48 coffee cup on the chart desk.

[JacquesCousteau]

1 hour ago, Dr PR said:

And I must confess, I didn't paint the Navy seal on the mug - that picture was a Photoshopped fake.

That's what I get for not zooming in more.... Still an excellent mug!

[Coyote_6]

Now it looks propper Phil!

[wefalck]

Did you use china-mugs in the navy? Thought it would be enamelled metal to reduce the risk of breakage.

[Dr PR]

The dinnerware (cups, plates, bowls and mugs) were all ceramic.

[CDR_Ret]

22 hours ago, Dr PR said:

In the real Navy you would never place a coffee cup on the chart desk.

That was true as well in our operational spaces on a submarine. Cupholders were provided near any flat surfaces. However, in the Wardroom and Crew's Mess at sea, tables were covered with Naugahyde, which was somewhat padded, so plates and cups didn't slide with rolls, and angles and dangles.

 

Terry

[Canute]

Now you need a Chief to carry that mug. 😁

[Dr PR]

More fiddly bits.

 

 

The binnacle was turned out of a piece of 1/4 inch (5 mm) aluminum rod - part of a small wind chime (I didn't have a brass rod the proper diameter). The dome was shaped using a hand drill and files. The binnacle on the ship had two sliding doors that closed in front of the compass rose. To simulate this I carved the aluminum with a #11 blade and a tiny chisel made from a dentist's tool. It was a slow process! The two thin brass rods sticking out were for the two knobs.

 

On the right the binnacle is in position in front of then helm. It was painted with the brushed bronze paint I used on the propeller. A few other small details can be seen. The voice tube from the bridge hangs over the helm station. The tachometers for the engines are on either side of the helm, and a sound powered phone call station is at the lower right. A phone hand set and a few more pieces will be added beside the binnacle and above the windows.

 

 

 

Here is the lee helm or Engine Order Telegraph (EOT). It is made from 11 different pieces. It is 1.14 inches (29 mm) high from the base to the top of the handle (a bronze belaying pin). That is 4 feet 6 inches (1.4 meters) at 1:1 scale.

 

I buffed it up good and then applied a layer of clear acrylic varnish to keep the shine. However, it appears the varnish may have reacted with the brass, and it is a lot duller a day later!

 

I don't know if the EOT was ever used. The ship had a throttle beside the binnacle that the helmsman could use to control the engines. However, I do recall using standard engine orders - Ahead/Back 1/3, 2/3 and Full - when pulling away from the pier, so maybe it was normally used. The throttle might have been used to change propeller speed a few RPM in station keeping while sweeping mines.

 

 

 

The 6 inch (150 mm) CO₂ bottle was turned from a 0.185 inch (4.7 mm) brass rod. The cone is styrene rod.

 

I still have 14 more pieces to go on the forward bulkhead and side bulkheads of the pilot house.

Edited 7 hours ago by Dr PR

[Jim Lad]

Looking good, Phil!

 

John

[Dr PR]

Terry,

 

The wardroom tables on the USS Oklahoma City CLG-5 had smooth plastic tops covered with table cloths. The tables were supposed to be bolted down, but some had been repositioned without fastening. This wasn't a problem until we were chassed out of White Beach, Okinawa, buy a typhoon that made a sudden appearance (before weather satellites). While turning to put the wind on the starboard bow (northern hemisphere) we took some 30+ degree rolls. This was while the wardroom was seating for Sunday morning brunch.

 

I had been topside taking photos of the storm and had just stepped up to the wardroom door when the ship took its heaviest roll. There were crashes from one end of the ship to the other as equipment broke loose from bulkheads and furniture slid around. This is what I saw when I opened the door - breakfasts and broken dishes on the floor and people and furniture sliding around on spilled sugar and cereal.

 

 

The South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin were hit by a series of storms that lasted a month and a half. We rode through five typhoons and a tropical storm in three weeks (and dodged two others)! After Okinawa we gave up and went to Yokosuka, Japan, for repairs.

Edited 7 hours ago by Dr PR

[Dr PR]

Ken,

 

It would be appropriate to have a Chief for the coffee mug (I don't know if I ever saw a Chief without one). However, the highest ranking enlisted man on the Cape was a 1st Class Bosun's Mate.

Edited 4 hours ago by Dr PR