Calling all Wickes-class & Clemson-class "Four-Piper" fans

[sammuel]

Just found out from some line drawings I found and talking with an old salt in San Diego, they are discharge ports and just forward of the holes, should be an intake port. I have a pdf of the line drawings if any one wants them. Just PM me.

Sam

[Fletcher]

Tracy, thanks for the link. Those are some interesting looking intakes.

Sam, I am also reworking the deck. I removed all of the deck components except the 2 main super structures, engine hatches and torpedo launcher pedestals. I have sanded it flat and plan on plating over it using .010 and .005 styrene in a pattern that replicates the deck plating on the real ship. After that, i will scratch together all of the little details.

Post photos as you progress please, I will do the same once i have the deck underway.

Thanks

[steve skinner]

I am working on the ward dd 139 in it's 1918 configuration. I'm using the blue jacket kit, but I'm kit bashing. I have a photo of the old girl to go by. I'm not sure what goes on the aft deck house besides the search light. I'm a huge fan of 4 pipers.

[Tracy White]

Do you have the Leeward Communications "USS Ward Fires First Shot" book?

[Fletcher]

FYI....In case you didn't know, B&D Barrels has 2 sets of turned barrels for this kit. One is a replacement for the kit guns, and one is a complete barrel for a scratch built gun. Go to this link and scroll to the bottom. http://www.bdbarrels.com/

[sammuel]

Group;

According to AOTS, the line drawings shows three holes on the side bottom of the hole. I under stand that they are water intake port and discharge ports.
1. What was the intake and discharge for? I know water. But for the engine?
2. How many ports? Two or three on each side.

I found a line drawing of Wicks class converted into a mine sweeper. the darwings show one intake and one discarge on each side.
I will be adding them to my kit, just need to know how many holes I need to make.

Cheers

Sam

[Tracy White]

Not engine, but boilers.

[sammuel]

Tracy;

Thanks for that info. What about the number of them. Two or three?

Cheers

Sam

[Tracy White]

You've got the same plans I do, and I'm not near my AOTS book to look it over.

[Fletcher]

I believe there was one intake and one discharge on each side as shown in the Minesweeper drawings. The few pics I have seen of these out of water leads me to believe there are no more.

[Fletcher]

Does anyone have photos of the front and rear wall of the Gallery section of the ship? I found a picture of the destroyer being built, and it appears the Gallery was walled off, at least in the front anyway. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[sammuel]

No luck on my end. I just serched about 200 ships and photo's and could find only one that the galley was closed in the aft end. It was a concerted Wicks / Clemson made into a mine sweeper. I will keep looking.

Sam

[Tracy White]

It varied by ship; best I was able to find were some of the overhead shots taken at Mare Island during overhaul.

[Fletcher]

I too scoured many photos and found very little. About every shot I got at the aft wall, they were all enclosed. I only have one good photo of the front wall of a ship under construction, and it too is enclosed. I think for sure I will enclose the back wall, I will keep looking for info on the front.

BTW, I am buiding the Reuben James circa 1939.

Thanks for the help.

[DanCinSD]

I also have searched all Wickes and Clemson class DD pictures on Navsource...... took a while!
I saw nothing usable for that section of the ship.... There are not that many pictures taken from on board the ships. I did find nice shots of the bow, stern, torpedo tubes, midships deck (looking aft) masts, rigging, weapons, stacks, props and shafts, rivets, bridge inside and out...... but the elusive galley area is not to be found...... yet!

AOTS Campbeltown drawings show things that go in that area... refer, veg. locker etc, but, what do they look like?

I am planning a "generic" 1920's ship and later to build USS Hovey with the twin 4" mounts from the Revell kits.

[Rick E Davis]

Maybe this will help. Most of the images I have of Flush-Deckers are during WWII ... and it seems no two were alike. Some units started out with "open" galley side walls that could be covered with canvas (I know of at least one destroyer in 1940 still with open sides), but appear to have been walled in on most units by the 1920s.


Here is a close crop of one of the Honda Point destroyers showing the forward bulkhead of the galley area.




Here are two close-crop images of Flush-Deckers during the great destroyer "swap" of 1930 when worn-out destroyers were tied up with a unit from mothballs and then the crew from the "active" destroyer moved equipment to their "new" destroyer. Quite a process. Some of the units seen here are minelayers.






Here is an onboard view of SCHENCK (DD-159) on 7 September 1943. SCHENCK like REUBEN JAMES was one of the "six 3-in gun ASW Escort" conversions. SCHENCK lived long enough to have the 50-cal MGs replaced with 20-mm guns. Note that an extension was added for the 50-cal/20-mm guns before the waist 3-in guns.

[steve skinner]

blow the whistles. I just finished my model of the U.S.S. Ward DD139 in it's 1918 configuration. It turned out perty well and if I can figure out how to get photos on this site I will do so. After 3 years it is done! I got some help from this site. thank you all for your help.

[sammuel]

Steve;

Congrats!!!!! I look forward to seeing your photos. Im still working on mine. Its a slow build due to all the research and scratch building I have to do. Im having a blast.

Sam

[Rick E Davis]

Here is an undated photo of one of the few Flush-Deckers to see service during WWI (it is amazing now few out of 273 destroyers built in the three sub-classes were even commissioned before the war ended), USS RATHBURNE (DD-113). Note; that she is either painting into dazzle or out of it, her hull number is applied below the bridge, and the matting applied to her bridge. RATHBURNE was built by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, commissioned on 24 June 1918 and served on convoy missions from July to November 1918.

[Tracy White]

The paint on the aft stacks looks nicer and less weathered than the fore stacks, so I'm guessing she was painting out of dazzle.