The Ship Model Forum

Hi Rick,
I have a couple question about the USS Gearing DD-710. I have a friend that only builds warship models in either 1/96, or 1/48 scale. He wants to model the Gearing after her aft TT bank was removed and replaced with another quad 40mm set up. The question is, at this time, how many 20mm single's and double's did she have? Were the single 20mm Oerlikons removed and twin's put in their place and if so how many did she have?

Thanks,
Roger DD-473/DD-555

There would have been twin 20-mm guns on the GEARING by then, particularly after the Anti-Kamikaze mods. The first few GEARINGs were completed with eleven single 20-mm guns, but they were soon replaced with ten twin 20-mm guns. Attached is an overhead view of USS ARNOLD J. ISBELL (DD-869) soon after completing in 1946. After the war, in about 1947, the number of 20-mm guns were reduced with one per side of the bridge being removed and all three mounts on the fantail removed to reduce manning requirements.

Thank you very much I really appreciate it Rick, I'll pass on the information. Great photo as well, you're the best!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

I have quite a few detail photos I shot of equipment and weapons on USS Laffey (museum ship in Charleston, S.C.). I'm happy to search through my collection for specific requests.





Rob

Rob, I have a request. Did you take any shots of the DASH hangar, specifically the interior? I was there several years back and completely forgot to photograph the interior Any exterior shots of that area would be nice too if you have them.

Thanks,
Mike

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Drawing Board:
1/700 Whiff USS Leyte and escorts 1984
1/700 Whiff USN Modernized CAs 1984
1/700 Whiff ASW Showdown - FFs vs SSGN 1984

Slipway:
1/700 Whiff USN ASW Hunter Killer Group Dio 1984

Hi Mike,

Unfortunately, the hangar area was off-limits when I was there, due to refurbishment work. I have a few external shots taken of that area from the dock, if they will help.

Rob

I thought I posted this in here somewhere, but guess not. Here's an album I took of a Turkish FRAMed Gearing, ex-Eversole: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 2129fb0cb3

No good photos of the inside of the hangar, sadly - I didn't think it would be a good representation as I thought it had been significantly modified for museum duty.

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That's one of the problems with museum ships. In a way, they are 1:1 models of working ships, and are often stand-off scale - even without the hatches and doors cut into them for the convenience of visitors.

Case in point: My father headed the crew that converted the mothballed USS North Carolina into a museum ship, 1961 - 1963. Because the ship had already been decommissioned for 13 years, with no plans to keep it in a ready reserve state, much of the equipment she carried in WWII had been shipped. What my dad's conversion crew produced for the 1962 dedication ceremony was what could be honestly described as an "attractive hulk." It was not restored to any particular historical configuration, so it's very difficult to use the ship as a basis for building a scale model. Every piece of equipment, weapon and structure has to be studied carefully, and compared with photos and drawings of the particular configuration a modeler is building.

That is not to say that a museum ship isn't valuable, from a model builder's perspective, but one has to pick and choose the areas of interest. For example, there are only 9 OS2U Kingfishers left in the world, and one of them is sitting on the stern of the North Carolina. Of course, it's out-of-place, sitting on the deck, because the catapults are long-gone.

I'm going to do the Dragon 1/350 Gearing as DD886 USS Orleck in her circa 1952 fit. I know the Mk.37 directors had a solid metal parabolic dish (checking at Michael's for something suitable), but what about the other radars? Anybody do them in PE for this kit??

Also, I swear I remember reading somewhere that Gearings eventually got 4-bladed screws because of vibration problems. Is that so, or did I make it up? If true, does anyone make them in 1/350??

Tks!

J

If you need photos of the Mk-25 radar and its support structure (the one on top of the Mk-37 director) I can take some shots of BB-64s this week. Let me know.

Not sure what else DD-886 was carrying at the time but SPS-6s exist in brass. Not sure which surface search that is though.

NavSource dates this one to 1951. Any ideas? SPS-4? SG-6? Don't think its a SPS-10 yet but can't tell.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/0588613.jpg

_________________
Drawing Board:
1/700 Whiff USS Leyte and escorts 1984
1/700 Whiff USN Modernized CAs 1984
1/700 Whiff ASW Showdown - FFs vs SSGN 1984

Slipway:
1/700 Whiff USN ASW Hunter Killer Group Dio 1984

ORLECK had SPS-6B/C radar antenna (could have had the SR-6B radar equipment hooked up to it, but it doesn't matter the antenna is the same), and the SG-1b radar with the newer parabolic antenna. SPS-10 wouldn't have been available until about 1956. Yes the Fire Control Radar on the Mk 37 director is the Mk 25.

I have photos of ORLECK dated 1951, 1953, and 1955. She had the same radar suite in all three photos and still was equipped with 40-mm guns.





I do have a photo of ORLECK dated in 1952 when she served as a helicopter "carrier".

Cool, thanks for that guys. Any idea who makes those in PE?? I'm assuming they'll be in somebody's generic radar PE set.

What about the four-bladed screws?

Also, does anybody make a 1/350 Hedgehog launcher box?

I don't know of anyone making an "off-the-shelf" Mk 10/11 hedgehog launcher in 1/350 scale. Scratch-building shouldn't be too hard.

I have seen SPS-6 antennas in PE sets, I just can't remember which ones.

I googled "SPS-6 radar 1/350 scale" and found several ... here is one, but there are others ... http://www.goldmm.com/ships/gmsamwss.htm ...

From such a generic set, you may find something close to the SG-1b antenna that can be modified for the job.

I don't know about four-blade props. There likely are aftermarket props. Ask on the main page specifically for four-blade props for the GEARING kit.

The G-Factor brass props are really nice, but they're three-bladed unfortunately, so not appropriate for any but the first few Gearings, and not appropriate for a Korea-era ship at all.

J

Someone posted (here and/or on Steelnavy) that they made props on orders ... but I can't remember who. That is why I suggest posting a request about four blade props in 1/350 scale specifically for the DML kit.

May be thinking of Keith Bender? memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8651

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Questions on the USS Orleck ca Korean War: Am I correct that I'm seeing a quad-40mm mount on the starboard side just aft of the aft funnel? I know that's the way she was built, but it seems like some Gearings had this mount removed later in their lives.

Also, were any 20mm's still fitted during Korea??

Tks!

J

During the "peacetime" years after WWII until the Korean War, the starboard 40-mm mount was removed from SUMNERs and GEARINGs as a "crew" reduction measure. But, was remounted with "war" footing. Some GEARINGS retained a few 20-mm guns at the start of the Korean War. The fantail and two of the abreast the bridge 20-mm gun mounts were removed after WWII and not returned. The last two twin 20-mm mounts on either side of the bridge were replaced with hedgehogs. All 20-mm guns were removed from GEARINGs pretty quickly, generally when the hedgehogs were added. The SUMNERs and GEARINGs were very crowded, so getting rid of the next to useless 20-mm guns made sense. Soon the 20-mm guns were removed from the FLETCHERs as well.

In the image of ORLECK I have dated in September 1951, she has no 20-mm guns. By that date she has the tripod foremast and hedgehogs.

Thanks Rick. So in the photo above, is the 40mm mount to starboard removed, but the tub remains??

No, the 40mm is there - look closely and you can see the four barrels and the cover over the breech end.

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