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

[NavyShooter]

Phil, that's amazing brass work!  Well done good sir!

 

You have the 'heat shield' part of the grenade lockers right - having been an ammunition custodian on a modern warship (Halifax Class) all of our upper deck lockers had a heat shield which was normally painted white that was stood off a couple of inches from the lockers to provide shade and natural cooling.

 

Originally, as fitted, the ships didn't have these heat shields, and we ended up having to put shot matts on top of some of the lockers and put a fire-hose spraying a light amount of water over them to provide some cooling while in the Persian Gulf back in the 2001 time-frame. 

[Dr PR]

Brad,

 

Thanks.

 

If you look closely at the blueprint drawing for the grenade locker you will see that the heat shields actually had chamfered edges, about half an inch (12 mm) angled 45 degrees from the larger surface. At 1:48 scale that comes out to about 0.010 inch (0.26 mm) wide chamfers. I have a photo etch metal bender and tried to make the bend in some 0.003 inch (0.08 mm) brass, but it wouldn't grip the metal tight enough and it kept slipping out of the bender. So we will just have to imagine the chamfer.

 

In hind sight I should have used 0.010 inch (0.25 mm) brass for the shields, and then I could have filed the chamfer on the edges. Maybe next time!

[Jim Lad]

She really comes alive with all that beautiful detail, Phil

 

John

[KeithAug]

All the deck stuff is wonderfully done Phil, very impressive.

 

[Dr PR]

Thanks everyone! I am working on the searchlights for the O2 level - photos soon.

 

 

[Dr PR]

SEARCHLIGHTS

 

One of the challenging things about modeling ships is trying to keep up with changes that were introduced over the life of the vessel. There were a lot of changes on the Cape over the years. The position of the searchlights was one of those changes.

 

 

When the ship was commissioned in 1959 (left above) the searchlights were mounted on the open wings of the bridge. But by 1969 (right above) the searchlights had been moved to the O2 level above the pilot house. This freed up room on the bridge wing and placed the searchlights higher where they would be more effective. You can see a lot of other changes that had occurred during the 10 year period when the Cape was in service.

 

The Cape had a number of modifications that never made it to the USS Cove MSI-1. The searchlights were never moved to the O2 level on the Cove. Notice that the vertical ladder from O1 to O2 level was moved aft on the Cape, and the life rails on the O2 level were different than on the Cove. The whistle was moved from the O2 level directly over the open bridge (where it would have been annoyingly loud) to a higher position on the mast.  A voice tube was added on the O2 level to communicate with the helm.

 

This is a kit of parts for one 1:48 scale 12 inch (305 mm) searchlight, flanked by pieces of another assembled unit. The hardest part of the assembly was the  base, where soldering each of the four support pieces to the tube and base plate risked unsoldering all the rest.

 

The largest brass tube is 5/16 inch (7.9 mm) OD and the third (inner) tube is 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) OD, or 12 inches at 1:48 scale. Most of the flat parts are 0.005 inch (0.13 mm) brass sheet, but the yoke was made from 0.010 inch (0.25 mm) brass. Most of it is soldered together, but I did use CA gel in a couple of places.

 

The shutter assembly (lower center) was a bit tricky. Six narrow strips of 0.005 inch brass were overlapped and soldered to the back of a thin ring cut from a 7/32 inch (5.6 mm) tube.

 

Here are some photos of the complete assembly. After it is painted I will put a circle of clear styrene in front of the shutters. The parts rotate around the offset vertical mount in two places, and the light rotates around the horizontal axis. The assembly is 1.375 inches (35 mm) high, or 5' 6" (1.7 meters) high in 1:1 scale.

 

Edited Saturday at 05:56 AM by Dr PR

[Coyote_6]

Just more "wow" Phil.

 

Everytime you break out the brass, snips, and solder it's just more wow.

 

Each one is a model unto itself, and enough to hold one's interest for more than a bit.

 

Well done sir!

Edited Saturday at 04:18 AM by Coyote_6

[bdgiantman2]

Great progress on your model of USS Cape, Phil! This has been a fun project to follow. Just out of curiosity, it looks to me like the original searchlights had a larger diameter than the ones on top of the bridge when you were serving on her?? Perhaps the newer technology was brighter at a smaller diameter than previous decade?

 

Brian D

[Dr PR]

Brian,

 

The photo of the ship in 1959 shows the searchlight with a bag over it. If the light was facing the camera the bag width would be more like the wider mounting than just the front opening. And if the light was sideways to the camera the bag width would be even greater. You can't really say much about the size of the light from the photo. However, the blueprints are unambiguous - it was a standard US Navy 12 inch searchlight (it was the light opening at the front that was 12 inches, not the overall dimensions of the light).

 

I looked at photos of the Cape taken in 1969 and compared the diameter of the light opening to other things of known width, The light opening comes out to about 12 inches. So I am pretty sure they were the original lights that had been moved.

 

Furthermore, these were off-the-shelf searchlights dating from WWII or before, and the same things were used on just about all US Navy ships. I have photos of the lights on the USS Oklahoma City CLG-5 taken in the early 1970s and they are identical to the lights on the Cape. I wouldn't be surprised if the Navy is still using the same thing!

[Jim Lad]

Quote

I wouldn't be surprised if the Navy is still using the same thing!

Perhaps the old adage applies, Phil - if it ain't broke, don't fix it! 🙂

 

That's beautiful work on the searchlight (as usual)!

 

John

[Dr PR]

The searchlights are finished - except I forgot to paint the shutter handles black!

 

 

Now what?

 

The last major details on the O1 and O2 level are the life rails, and then the windows and awning frames over the open bridge. But these will be very delicate so I will save them for last. I think I will work on the mast. It has four stays that fit inside the life rails (they fasten to ring bolts like the one on the O2 level to the right of the sailor by the searchlight).

 

I think one of these after stays may be a problem. It attaches on the O1 level immediately in front of the port life raft cradle. Photos show it just barely clearing the large vent duct forward of the life raft, but it looks to me that it might rub against the duct. I think I mounted the duct in the precise location shown in the blueprints - but the gap between the duct and the stay will be very close. I may need to relocate the duct.

[Dr PR]

I suspected that I might have to move the vent on the port O1 level because a mast stay would rub against it, and I was right.

 

 

Four stays support the mast. Two anchor forward on the O2 level and two aft on the O1 level (red arrows). The port aft stay passes very close to the vent Although I think I placed the vent and the stay belaying points where the blueprints showed them, the stay rubbed against the vent.

 

To check the run of the stays I had to make some of the mast fittings where the stays belayed. This was a bit more complicated that I first thought. The mast stay "tang" was part of a more complex assembly with the "masthead rail" that supported an antenna. Additional belaying points for he yard lifts were also included, plus a mount at the mast top for the radar.

 

For this test I tied heavy thread to the stay tangs. I plan to use Beadalon stranded beading wire for the stays - depending upon whether I can solder it or if CA glue will hold it. The stays will have a splice around a shackle at the top, or a special crimped on fitting (the photos appear different from the blueprint). There is an insulator spliced in the middle of the stay. At the bottom end will be a turnbuckle and a shackle to the eye bolt on the deck.

 

 

Here you can see how close the stay passes to the vent - after the vent was moved. You can see some scratchers in the deck paint where the vent was formerly glued down.

 

In this photo the thread is looped through the eyebolt from the inboard side, pulling the thread closer to the vent. The turnbuckle should pull directly inline with the eyebolt, making a bit more clearance. Even so, the clearance between the stay and the vent will be only about a millimeter (0.040 inch).

 

Now that I have started on the mast I will go ahead and finish it. I have already made the mast collar that fits around the mast at the O2 level.

 

 

Edited 9 hours ago by Dr PR

[Jim Lad]

Phil, don't forget a millimeter clearance at 1:48 is about two inches in real life - plenty of room!

 

John