The Ship Model Forum

During World War 2, for the US Army a large series of coastal freighters were built to several, but similar designs.

Lists of ships:
http://shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/armyfreighters.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/14/14idx.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/30/07/07idx.htm

Something about their WW2 service (Coast Guard-manned):
https://media.defense.gov/2017/Aug/08/2001789794/-1/-1/0/FS%20VESSELS_WORLD%20WAR%20II%20COAST%20GUARD.PDF

Some general information:
https://web.archive.org/web/20120212220235/http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/rj/fs/fs.htm

After WW2, these ships served with the US Navy e.g. in Korea and Vietnam. They also served for several other navies after the war, e.g. the Canadian, French, Japanese, Philippine, and South Korean.

There is a hull available in 1/700:
https://www.shapeways.com/product/RKWBTQ6AQ/1-700-scale-uss-deal-akl-2

Some drawings of the Design 381 can be found here:
https://www.stellamaris.no/chapter10.htm
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~slowbell/misc/trough27.htm

There were a lot of interesting conversions, e.g.

Banner class "environmental research ship" (spy ship), e.g. USS Pueblo (AGER-2) (ex USAT FS-344)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2)

Missile range instrumentation ships (several for USAF and one for NASA), e.g. USNS Range Recoverer (ex E 42 183 ex USAT FS-278)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Range_Recoverer_(T-AG-161)

USNS Range Recoverer (conversion of USS Deal)

Torpedo Research Vessel, IX-306 (ex Col. Francis T. Ziegler ex USAT FS-221)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/46/46306.htm

Research vessels, e.g.
NOAAS George B. Kelez (ex USNS AKL-30 ex USAT FS-400)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOAAS_George_B._Kelez_(R_441)
RV Alaminos (ex USAT FS-227)
RV Trident (ex USAT FS-206)
RV Pillsbury (ex USAT FS-529)
RV Yaqlina (ex USAT FS-210)
RV Alexander Agassiz (ex USAT FS-208)
L.F. Marsili (ex Ruth Ann ex USAT FS-212)
http://nettuno.ogs.trieste.it/jungo/storia/NAVI.html

Pirate radio ship, Olga Patricia (ex USS Deal ex USAT FS-263)
https://www.stellamaris.no/chapter10.htm
http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/sre1.htm

Oildrilling ship, e.g. Caldrill I (ex USS Ryer ex USAT FS-361)
https://www.netwasgroup.us/offshore/background-and-history.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ryer_(AG-138)


And a lot to fishing vessels...

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This class of ships also included USS Hewell (AG-145), who served as USS Reluctant (AK-601) in the 1955 movie Mister Roberts. There was a Hollywood prop added to the ship as the deck where the palm tree stood.

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On the workbench:
1/700 HMS Swiftsure - Combrig
1/700 CGC Chelan - White Ensign
1/700 HMCS Forrest Hill - HP
1/700 Ulsan - Kobo Hiryu
--and dozens more

Maxim,
Have you been able to find a good source for drawings of the 381 class? The best that I have found is on this fanpage for the Mister Roberts movie. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page:

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~slowbell ... ough27.htm


Dave

Thank you for the link with the drawings!

Unfortunately, I have only found these:
https://www.stellamaris.no/chapter10.htm

I am still searching for the differences between the different designs, especially Design 381, Design 330, and Design 427.

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Thanks! This turns out to be a really interesting topic about small ships. I still haven't found drawings, and even the photos show differences that may be due to late-in-life conversions than to original design differences.

I find a whole lot of information at https://web.archive.org/web/20120212220235/http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/rj/fs/fs.htm, although not specifically side-by-side.

Navsource provides a bit at http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/14/14idx.htm, although the photos are not always "as built". And Navsource includes many on the AG page at http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/49/49idx.htm, but they are not described by design number. The Army page at http://www.navsource.org/archives/30/07/07idx.htm is promising, but I am still not seeing photos of a 427 as built.

As near as I can tell, the 330-D and 381 differ by the location of the mast and possibly the length of the fo'c'sle, and the 427 design seems to have no raised fo'c'sle.

Thanks for bringing these to light.
Rick

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On the workbench:
1/700 HMS Swiftsure - Combrig
1/700 CGC Chelan - White Ensign
1/700 HMCS Forrest Hill - HP
1/700 Ulsan - Kobo Hiryu
--and dozens more

Hi Rick,
thank you for the links!

Perhaps, the Design 427 had always the fo'c'sle extended back to the bridge to provide additional room for the repair workshops?

The converted Design 427, I had seen, also had that extended fo'c'sle. The design is described at navsource as "Design 427 (officially Vessel, Supply, Aircraft Repair, Diesel, Steel, 180')".

Cheers,
Lars

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I received my Diehl from Shapeways today. Was very excited. When I unwrapped it, I was surprised at how big the ship was; nearly destroyer size. When I measured it out, it turned out that they had sent me a 1/350 model instead of the 1/700 that I had ordered. Now looking forward to it even more.

The AKL should make a nice companion piece to the Battlefleet Models USS Mettawee.

_________________
On the workbench:
1/700 HMS Swiftsure - Combrig
1/700 CGC Chelan - White Ensign
1/700 HMCS Forrest Hill - HP
1/700 Ulsan - Kobo Hiryu
--and dozens more

There is also a kit by Kami de Koro Koro in 1/700:

The minesweeper tender Nasami (MST-471,ex-FS-408)
https://www.hobbyland.jp/shop/shopdetail.html?brandcode=000000084792&search=%BB%E6%A4%C7%A5%B3%A5%ED%A5%B3%A5%ED&sort=

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Tonight I saw a movie (a fluff movie) about a dinner cruise ship, and it looked familiar. After a bit of poking around, I found the website for the MV Pacific Yellowfin, and it turns out to be a real-life charter/cruise vessel, based just across the border from me in British Columbia.
https://pacificyellowfin.com/

The charter company provides some info about the ship, and there is more info at https://classicyacht.org/boats/pacific-yellowfin, where we learn that the ship is a 114' FS277 design, and there is a drawing of the ship, answering some of our earlier questions about the 114' ships. She looks like a fun project, either in her wartime appearance as a small Army freighter or as a modern charter vessel.

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On the workbench:
1/700 HMS Swiftsure - Combrig
1/700 CGC Chelan - White Ensign
1/700 HMCS Forrest Hill - HP
1/700 Ulsan - Kobo Hiryu
--and dozens more

Interesting find! Thank you!

According to her history, she was once also a research vessel.

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Yes I remember the ship (don't remember the name) based at Keyport Naval Torpedo Station. This was allegedly the ship used in the Mr Roberts movie, according to local legend. I have no confirmation of this. My dad used to fly in a helicopter and film "torpedo wakes" . I think they used the sound range over at Dabob Bay (Hood Canal) for this.

Tom

There is another kit of a Design 381 by Kami de Koro Koro:

Japanese minesweeper tender Miho (ex FS-524, later the Philippine BRP Mangyan (AS-71):
https://www.hobbyland.jp/shopdetail/000000093441/10410000/page1/order/

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