Calling all Fletcher-class (DD-445) fans

[Rick E Davis]

Sundowner,

Hopefully this answers your question.

STRONG (DD-467) was delivered to Boston with the original one level higher "tub" location. Boston Navy Yard modified the ship to the lower standard tub between 53 and 54 mounts and also installed the fantail twin 40-mm mount. STRONG was the first FLETCHER that was modified to the new Four 4-40mm configuration at Boston. Photos of STRONG are few, and none are really close-up views of this area, but from what there are it seems that STRONG may not have been modified "exactly" like the following Bath Iron Works built ship ... at least initially. But, I think the configuration utilized on the BIW-built units is likely to be close enough given no conflicting information. The image below shows this installation before the Mk 51 director was installed. The director was suppose to be a Mk 49 director, but wasn't available. When the Mk 51 was installed a platform was added to the top of the Mk 49 "riser/foundation" and the MK 51 installed on it in many cases. Some ships had a solid shield installed around the Mk 51, while others only had railing installed (sometimes covered with canvas). From the few available photos, STRONG had railing installed much as her sister TAYLOR (DD-468) ... see the attached view. This platform for the Mk 51 director, for TAYLOR and several BIW sisters anyway, followed the outside rim of the bulwark around the twin 40-mm and director foundation, but was squared off at the aft end to allow clearance for the twin 40-mm mount. This director platform was adjusted on later FLETCHERS to allow for greater clearance. If you look at close-up shots on FLETCHERS during the war, this platform varied a lot.

Here is a plan view drawing of the installation, a close-up of STRONG before the director was installed, a close-up view of the TAYLOR, and an overhead view of FOOTE (DD-511).

[sundowner]

Thanks Rick.
That info has helped me alot. I did not realise that it followed the Bulwarlk around the outside of the 40mm will have to modify that on my model.

Thanks again Rick without your wealth of knowledge a lot of modellers would be left in the dark

[GOKU]

Good evening.
It participated from Japan.
This site serves as a reference very much.

It is a destroyer of the Fletcher class loaned to Japan after World War II that I made.
This is a kit made of Lindbergh.

The image was up-loaded.
http://album.yahoo.co.jp/albums/my/235781/

"DD183 ariake" and the name were given in Japan.
Arms are made simple and the conning tower is enlarged.
Mast and the radar installation are changed after this.
In addition, the prow was used to test [barubasubau].

Let's know the past, and use it in the future.
good weekend.

[ussvf17]

Fletcher fans who visited the USS Sullivan:

Did anyone have pictures of her forward 5inch loading room. I saw a Youtube clip of it so I know it is open to the public. I visited USS Cassin Young and USS Kidd but neither ships open the forward loading room to the public. Thanks in advance for your help.

Sam

[oneslim]

Sam,

Here is the link to my visit in 2009:

http://www.modelwarships.com/features/s ... /index.htm

Bob W

[les]

USSVF17 said:

Did anyone have pictures of her forward 5inch loading room. I saw a Youtube clip of it so I know it is open to the public. I visited USS Cassin Young and USS Kidd but neither ships open the forward loading room to the public. Thanks in advance for your help.

Volunteer to go to a Kidd "Field Day" and you'll probably be able to get all the pictures you want. The experience is well worth it. See their website on how to volunteer.

[ussvf17]

Thanks Bob!!! Only part I am not sure is the fan room space between the door and the handling room.

Les, I hear you. May be I do that for my 40th B-day. I would love to help out the ship but I need to save for the airfare and hotel.

I wish USS Cassin Young has a one day pr weekend program similar to USS Kidd.

[les]

The Kidd's Field Day is actually about 4 days. They start on Thursday and it ends at noon on Sunday. Food is included and you sleep aboard ship. A great time!

[Cliffy B]

Gentlemen, I am in a bit of a pickle here and could use some help. I have a photo of USS Monssen (DD-798) wearing Ms. 3?/6D alongside BB-64 in 1944. I know the first digit of her hull number is obscured but the only other Fletcher with "98" as their last two numbers is USS Philip (DD-498) and she never wore a dazzle scheme so it has to be Monssen.

I looked up the camo sheet for said pattern and ran into the a fore mentioned issue; which measure is it, 32 or 33? The sheet leaves that out and only calls out BK, 5-0, and 20-B. The final color is either 5-H or 5-L. I'm working on a painting of the two ships alongside each other and need to know which color to use. This photo is the only one I could find of her in this pattern.

Anyone have any shots of her in this pattern and/or from 1944? I have one other of her in Ms. 21 in Feb 1944 that shows her with 10 torpedoes and 5 twin 40mms. I believe from the camo photo that she's still in this fit, right?

DD-798: Photo from Wisky's website.


Camo sheet:
http://www.shipcamouflage.com/DesignShe ... DD-445.jpg

Any and all help is appreciated.

-Mike

[Dick J]

I know the first digit of her hull number is obscured but the only other Fletcher with "98" as their last two numbers is USS Philip (DD-498) and she never wore a dazzle scheme so it has to be Monssen.

The camo is not the only difference between DD-498 and DD-798. DD-498 was a round-bridge Fletcher. The ship in your photo has a square-bridge.

[Rick E Davis]

Sorry. I don't have any views of MONSSEN in dazzle camo. C. Lee Johnson's "USN FLETCHER CLASS DESTROYER WWII DAZZLE CAMOUFLAGE" book doesn't have a photo of MONSSEN in dazzle in the book, but says she was in Ms 31/6d, not Ms 32 or Ms 33. Even though she is an original "Round-Bridge" unit, LA VALLETTE (DD-448) also wore Ms 31/6d for a short time, which I do have a poor image of.

As Dick said, MONSSEN was a "Square-Bridge" unit and yes she would have been configured with two quint TT mount, five 5-in guns, five twin 40-mm mounts, and seven single 20-mm guns. From the photo you have, she looks to still have a Mk 4 radar on the Mk 37 director and from her as delivered views, had a SC-2 air search radar. MONSSEN didn't return for an overhaul until the war's end and then was mothballed.

[Cliffy B]

Thanks guys! So the consensus is Ms. 31 then which calls for 5-H. Slight issue, some Ms. 31 designs had 5-H and some had 5-L. Any idea which 16D followed or should I just go with my best guess? Trying to tell the difference between the two in black and white pictures isn't exactly an exact science. Especially when both can look almost white under certain lighting conditions. That shot of DD-448 looks dark enough to be 5-H so I'll just go with that unless anyone can find anything that says otherwise. Thanks again

Rick,

Do you happen to have any photos of either Radford (DD-446), Jenkins (DD-447), or Hazelwood (DD-531) in their DASH configs; particularly Hazelwood (the prototype)? I'm feeling rather ambitious and want to take a crack at scratch building her and only have a few small photos and one good one to go by. Any and help is appreciated as always.

-Mike

[Rick E Davis]

Mike,

I'm not a camo expert. If there weren't reference books/websites on the subject, I wouldn't know one dazzle from another. Much less the colors used.

I have some images of all three FRAM II FLETCHERs (RADFORD, JENKINS, and NICHOLAS) and of the experimental configured HAZELWOOD. I "think" I posted images of these ships before, but where I don't know. If you need more images let me know or e-mail me.

DD-531 HAZELWOOD during June 1959, her DASH configuration was different from the "Standard" FRAM II mods.




DDE-449 NICHOLAS at Pearl Harbor post her FRAM II conversion on 12 July 1960.

[Cliffy B]

I'm not a camo expert either so don't worry about it Extra photos are always welcome, check your PMs. I want to build Hazelwood but shots of the other FRAM ships will help as well. I know they were different from the prototype but some parts are similar enough.

Thanks a million once again,

-Mike

[D-Boy]

Good evening.
It participated from Japan.
This site serves as a reference very much.

It is a destroyer of the Fletcher class loaned to Japan after World War II that I made.
This is a kit made of Lindbergh.

The image was up-loaded.
http://album.yahoo.co.jp/albums/my/235781/

"DD183 ariake" and the name were given in Japan.
Arms are made simple and the conning tower is enlarged.
Mast and the radar installation are changed after this.
In addition, the prow was used to test [barubasubau].

Let's know the past, and use it in the future.
good weekend.

Sir:

Nice to see your Ariake - I have the Pit Road 1:700 under construction, and just got the PE set, recently released. Thanks for posting pictures!

[veliko_pile]

Hi! I would like to convert my tamiya uss fletcher 1/350 to a Isherwood from the Iwo Jima battle, this photo inspired me:

http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/attach ... s-raft.jpg

I would need some references, for the MS 32/16d sheme, and mainly what modification do I have to made to convert from a 445 Fletcher?

Thanks

[Rick E Davis]

Actually starting from a Trumpeter 1/350 "THE SULLIVANS" kit would be less work.

The Tamiya kit is an early closed "Round-faced Bridge" FLETCHER. ISHERWOOD (DD-520) is a revised open "Square-faced" Bridge unit. The Trumpeter kit comes with options for the mid-war five twin 40-mm configuration and the late war Anti-Kamikaze configuration.

To convert the Tamiya kit would require a new bridge (or kit-bash and use one from a Trumpeter kit), conversion to a five twin 40-mm mounts configuration ... waist twin mounts and twin mounts forward of the bridge and a lowered mount between 53 and 54 mounts (the Trumpeter kit has most of the parts for the ISHERWOOD configuration), revising the platforms on the stacks ... moving the searchlights and platform to stack one and adding a Mk 51 director platform to stack 2, and seven 20-mm guns. A lot of work. It can be done, but depending on your skill set, could be overwhelming.

The photo you posted is of ISHERWOOD in Ms 22 ... NOT Ms 32/16d. But, ISHERWOOD was in Ms 32/16d during Iwo Jima and Okinawa operations.

For camo info go to ... http://www.shipcamouflage.com/warship_camouflage.htm ...

[veliko_pile]

coz I got the fletcher with the GMM set for 20 dollars. I would choose Isherwood only for that inspiring picture.

Are there some pics of the Fletcher moored in some port or near another DD? Since the Isherwood is too much work, I'd like to do a diorama.

[Rick E Davis]

May I suggest then that you consider this occasion for the FLETCHER herself. At anchor in Purvis Bay, Florida Island, Solomon Islands on 26 March 1943. She has the twin 40-mm mount on the fantail which is an optional group of parts in the FLETCHER kit. Basically this scene can be done "out-of-the-box" from the Tamiya kit, except for an additional 20-mm gun added to the centerline of pilothouse roof. She is painted in standard Ms 21 camo, common for the Solomon Island campaign.


FLETCHER (DD-445) on 26 March 1943 in Purvis Bay, Florida Island, Solomon Islands. The lighter areas on the bulwarks along the main deck are painted with primer.

[D Burger]

Rick...Thanks for all the great info and pics on the Fletcher class..I'm doing the 1/144 kit in Ms 21 as the above pic .... are the 20 and 40mm's painted in 5-N or 20-B ?