Calling all Fletcher-class (DD-445) fans

[kylewoody]

Quick question - I've been trying to figure out what this is. I circled it in red, I know there is a swivel chair there, but it also looks like an older target designator or something. Not quite a MK51 like later on either - those were for the 40mms which you can see in this pic the ship has only 20mm singles.



However, I do know other directors were sometimes used to control 5" turrets (a MK51 forward of the island on Essex would control the 5"ers in an immediate air to air type threat). This does not even look like that though. It is mushroom shaped with handles around it like a gun director though. I also don't believe it's the compass, but maybe I'm wrong.

Thanks!
Kyle

[Rick E Davis]

They aren't Mk 51 directors. Your "red circle" actually has captured TWO devices on the navigation bridge; the rounded dome device is the pelorus and the contraption behind it (there is another pair of them on the starboard side as well) is a sky lookout chair (actually there are two on the starboard side). A set of powerfully binoculars could be mounted on the frame so the lookout didn't have to try and hold them. Plus the thing allowed the lookout to call out accurate angle bearings and elevation angle to his sighting. These were moved further aft once the Mk 51 directors were added. Actually, I think there were TWO sky lookouts on each side of the open bridge and the forward pair were removed for the Mk 51 directors.

[kylewoody]

Thank you sir, fantastic! Makes sense.

Kyle

[Glen Genest]

Hope you will stop by and look.

[Jon C Ryckert]

I have searched the net with no luck for colored pictures and drawings of the cartoon characters and other artwork that was painted on the sides of the aft turrets of the USS Sigsbee. Does any one here have any idea as to better pics and colors of the artwork than what you can see in pictures taken just after the kamikaze attack?

[Rick E Davis]

Jon,

I don't know of any "color" photos of USS SIGSBEE showing the cartoons. I have a few B&W images, but they are not high enough res to make out the cartoons clearly. Here is the best I have taken of SIGSBEE at Pearl Harbor in Drydock showing mounts 53 and 54 (mount 55 already removed).

I know members of a DesRon 25 reunion group, if you would E-mail me I will forward your request to those guys. The guys I know (sons of DesRon 25 crewmen) have spent years researching photos and gathered some material from crewmen's own collections (and minds). If anyone has an idea of the artwork, they would.

USS SIGSBEE is a favorite of mine every since I got to see her in person at Philadelphia Navy Shipyard in May 1973, the only FLETCHER I got to see in her original WWII configuration.

Rick

[Jon C Ryckert]

Jon,

I don't know of any "color" photos of USS SIGSBEE showing the cartoons. I have a few B&W images, but they are not high enough res to make out the cartoons clearly. Here is the best I have taken of SIGSBEE at Pearl Harbor in Drydock showing mounts 53 and 54 (mount 55 already removed).

I know members of a DesRon 25 reunion group, if you would E-mail me I will forward your request to those guys. The guys I know (sons of DesRon 25 crewmen) have spent years researching photos and gathered some material from crewmen's own collections (and minds). If anyone has an idea of the artwork, they would.

USS SIGSBEE is a favorite of mine every since I got to see her in person at Philadelphia Navy Shipyard in May 1973, the only FLETCHER I got to see in her original WWII configuration.

Rick

P.m. sent to you Rick. Thank you

[Guest]

Hello everybody, first post newb here...

I am researching my father's ship to facilitate building a model. I am using the Trumpeter square bridge in 1/350 as the base. I am new to ships but otherwise a lifelong modeler. I found this site and registered due to this thread in particular. I am astonished by the depth of knowledge regarding this subject and hope that this will be my grail moment.

I need a basic understanding of the configuration of the USS Lewis Hancock DD-675 as she sailed out of Newport in Sept 1952. The Trumpeter kit is quite good for "late war" and would be fine to represent her as she sailed from San Diego to Newport after recommissioning. I know the ship was in Newport for nearly a year for refitting / modernization. The photographs I have obtained of her Korean deployment all show the tripod mainmast and circular fire control radar as opposed to the square birdcage style. I also understand there were two hedgehog devices forward, I presume below the bridge. I know the ship had the forward torpedo launchers removed and replaced by 40 mm tubs. I know the tubs remained but cannot verify if the guns remained. other concerns include the existence and configuration of depth charge racks and 20mm tubs on the aft deck near the racks. Like I said, I could really use some help with the overall configuration of the ship.

That said, are there any commercially available conversions that I might find helpful? I'm not convinced I have the skills needed for the mast.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

[Rick E Davis]

Bob,

Welcome aboard.

USS LEWIS HANCOCK (DD-675) was configured in the so called "5-Gun" configuration in September 1952. The Trumpeter kit would be a good start for your model.

First off, LEWIS HANCOCK didn't have an overhaul/mod at Newport, because Newport wasn't a yard she was strictly a base. She was modified at Boston Naval Shipyard in 1952 from her WWII configuration to her 1950's configuration. She actually had a two step yard period, which was unusual. LEWIS HANCOCK was updated to the 5-Gun mod 21 February to 24 May 1952 at Boston; getting the tripod and hedgehogs before the bridge. But, her WWII Mk 12/22 radar atop the Mk 37 director remained. She operated for a short period in this configuration, training and shaking down the new configuration and then returned to Boston for more work. At the second yard period 23 July to 27 August 1952, repairs and additional upgrades, including the Mk 35 radar replacing the WWII Mk 12/22 radar, were done. When she departed the Boston Naval Shipyard, she still had her WWII SC-2 air search radar and retained it for a few years. After leaving Boston she would have gone to Newport, RI.

Sorry, but there is no way to get around scratch building a tripod foremast. Someone who built a post-WWII GEARING class destroyer built a tripod mast, I can't find the link to his build where he described his tripod build including scaled dimensions. I'll keep trying.

These two images show LEWIS HANCOCK during her May to July 1952 period and after her second period. These two views show her configuration fairly well.

[Langenberg]

Rick,

I am most grateful and profoundly impressed. Your post has answered all kinds of questions for me. It seemed every time I found a picture of Lewis Hancock she was in a different configuration only months apart. A two step re fit explains a lot!

I have spent hours online and have never seen those two photographs. Thank you!

At this point I'm pretty confident in her armament and the basic layout. Would you have anything that would give me more detail on the mast(s)? Particularly where the two legs of the tripod enter the ship and perhaps anything on the stern mast with the two domes?

My father reported to the vessel fresh out of the academy, and is likely aboard in those two photos. They sailed from Newport through the canal to Japan, then on to Korea. They returned via Singapore, India, Yemen, Suez, Med and back to Newport. As a certified landlubber, and having toured the Kidd, I marvel at the vessel and the men (boys) that sailed them.

Thank you again.

[Rick E Davis]

Bob,

You are welcome, these images came from NARA, College Park, MD.

The legs of the tripod were anchored on the 01 deck (one above the main deck). The fore leg actually went through the main deck down to the next deck, but every kit I know of anchors it to the main deck. The aluminum tripod mast was a standard design used on many FLETCHER-SUMNER-GEARING class units. So, finding views is fairly easy in various photos.

I don't have scanned plans for USS LEWIS HANCOCK herself, but the attached drawings are from a sister 5-Gun FLETCHER more or less in the same timeframe/configuration except for the Air Search radar (she retained the SC-2/3 which was the same one she had in WWII) and the Surface Search radar (which is shown on these drawings as SPS-10, but she still had the WWII era SG-1b with an updated antenna in 1952). Sorry, I don't have a top view of the mast platforms available right now. They didn't include those in the Booklet of General Plans where these drawings came from. I added a couple of typical tripod views. The first has the antennas LEWIS HANCOCK had in 1952. The last one is of LEWIS HANCOCK in 1956. Hopefully they give you an idea of the size of platforms.

These plans actually date from 1955, so some details will very from what you can see in the photos. These cropped views of the mast and bridge area show the major features that were altered to get to the "more or less" standard 5-Gun configuration (some 5-Gun units retained a pole foremast). The so-called 5-Gun configuration really was a variant of the very late WWII Anti-Kamikaze mod with updated sensors and hedgehog ASW forward fire rockets.

In 1952 LEWIS HANCOCK would still mounted six twin 20-mm mounts. They were removed in 1953 as a weight and crew saving measure.

The stub mainmast is the WWII era ECM mast, I think it is in the Trumpeter kit. How good it is out of the box from the kit, I can't recall right now. Many people replace it with photo-etch.

[Langenberg]

Rick, that is simply magnificent! You have done more for me in a 24 hour period than I have for myself in several weeks. I am sincerely grateful.

I don't intend to try to replicate every rivet, frankly it seems to me there is a finite level of detail achievable in 1/350. But for the first time since I hatched this idea, I have achieved clarity in this ship's configuration and therefore can visualize the construction sequence. The modifications to the Trumpeter kit are relatively minor save the mast and I think I have a good concept of how to tackle that. I will post pics of the finished product. I definitely owe you a beer or three!

Bob

[Rick E Davis]

Bob,

The amount of detail/accuracy that you want to put into your model is up to you and is fine. I just provided a better idea of what your Dad's ship looked like on his first cruise.

[Langenberg]

Thought I might share some progress here. Again, the value of information provided by Rick has been priceless.
I am using the Trumpeter kit as the basis and have used the stacks from the Tamiya kit, photo etch from multiple sources and have augmented the kit main mast to create the tripod mast. This is my first ship model since I was a teenager (many years ago) and find that there is a great deal of forethought required to plan the build and subsequent paint. the model is stacked up for pictures but the deck levels remain unglued and removable. I have studied another section of the site for instructions on simulating water and have given that a try too. I would welcome and hints, tips or criticisms. If this post needs to move to another section the mods should feel free.

[Crockett]

Somebody PLEASE tell me where I can get 1:144 figures as shown in one of the photos shown on this forum.

[Rick E Davis]

Try this link from on this forum ... viewtopic.php?f=16&t=94080 ...

You could try "Googling" ... "1/144 scale naval figures" and/or "1/144 scale USN figures" and find what is available.

[Langenberg]

Rick, please accept my sincere thanks for all of the information. While not perfect, this is my version of the Lewis Hancock.

[Rick E Davis]

Bob,

Looks pretty good with the scratch-building required and Trumpeter kit limitations.

Your scratch-building skills are excellent.

[mstoltz]

I am gearing up to build a 1/350 model of the USS Black (Fletcher class). I will use the trumpeter Sullivans kit. However I would like to try and capture the Vietnam war configuration. Google has good history up not much regarding the fitting of the ship at that time. It appears the forward torpedo tubes were replaced by a pair of 3"/50. The aft tubes were updated to a pair of mk46 triple tubes. The 5"/38 mount, 3rd from rear was replaced with a 3"/50. Also, on one photo it almost appears there are a pair of hedgehog launchers adjacent to the bridge. I suspect this must of been a common 1960's fitting, but I can't find much info. Can somebody direct me to more information?

[Rick E Davis]

You have some work to do to get to USS BLACK's 1960's configuration. USS Black (DD-666) was one of the units updated to the so called "4-Gun" mod in the early 1950's. Not all FLETCHERs recommissioned for the Korean War were updated to this configuration, but by the Vietnam War, most FLETCHERs still in Active Service were 4-Gun units. As you have found this involved removing the amidships 5-in mount (called the 53 mount) and adding three twin 3-in RFG mounts. During 1960-63, the remaining quint Mk 15 Torpedo Tube (TT) mount was removed from ACTIVE FLETCHERs and replaced with two triple Mk 32 (not Mk 46 ... that may have been the torpedoes used, the MK 32 TT could launch Mk 43/44/46 torpedoes) ASW TT mounts. You will need to locate three twin 3-in RFG mounts and Mk 32 TT mounts as after-market items, right off hand I don't know where those are readily available in 1/350 scale currently.

Yes there were two hedgehogs mounted before the bridge. Also, her radar suite would have a SPS-6C radar and a SPS-10 radar. Plus she would have had a then current ECM suite. None of which will be in the Trumpeter kit.

Besides the photos at Navsource.org that David posted, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) website has some photos of BLACK ... http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-u ... /dd666.htm ...