Calling all Fletcher-class (DD-445) fans

[snaphappy321]

Hi Rick,
I got the book a couple days ago and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Round or Square Bridge Fletcher Class Destroyers. I have seen many of the photos but there are some great ones I haven't seen. I'm happy to see that my favorite photo of the Bennett was in the book!!! As always, very clear and highly detailed images.

Thanks,
Roger DD-473/DD-555

[snaphappy321]

Hi Rick,
At the moment I'm attempting to scratch build the Bennett's Aft Mast. I have blown up and cropped the mast from the 8 Sept 45 high res image of the Bennett you gave me off of Puget Sound. When the cropped section is enlarged its very hard to see the details of the mast. I have two drawing of the mast one from Alan Raven's book Fletcher Class Destroyers and the second drawing from plans of the USS Kidd drawn by John B. Tombaugh.

Both drawings differ from each other and I was wondering if you have a clear photo of the mast. Here,s a look at the two drawings I have.

Here's a photo of what I have for the 40mm center-line mount.

[snaphappy321]

Here's a better image of the mount.

[Rick E Davis]

Roger,

Here is the best I can find right now. Top view is of BENNETT and the bottom is another view of a FLETCHER modified at MINY. Pick the drawing or parts of both that best matches.

[PeeJay333]

Roger,

Here is the best I can find right now. Top view is of BENNETT and the bottom is another view of a FLETCHER modified at MINY. Pick the drawing or parts of both that best matches.

Great photos! You are always so quick to reply, too, that I never cease to be amazed. SO looking forward to that "Square Bridge Book"!

Pete G.

[snaphappy321]

That's a great image of the TDY antenna. That will be a great help along with the drawings I already have. Thank you very much Rick, I'll do just as you mentioned, taking the best of them to make the Bennetts mast!!!

[Rick E Davis]

I couldn't take time to survey ALL of the late war RCM main mast installations, but the BENNETT (install done at PSNY) and the random MINY install looked to be basically the same design and manufacture methods. That tells me that BuShips sent out drawings for this installation. So the two images should give a pretty good idea of what is what. I didn't think either drawing was an "exact" match, so picking one made no sense when fairly good images exist of the mast. The antennas were made by another manufacturer and were "Government Furnished Equipment" (GFE) to the yard doing the install.

[snaphappy321]

Thanks for the information Rick, you are the most knowledgeable person I know to ask for help.

I wanted to share with you what I've done so far. The actual V shaped antenna isn't perfect and its probably over size as well, but its been quite a project so far. I have to say that the oval antenna is one of the toughest things I've ever scratch built to date. I'm making two complete masts one for the Bennett and the other is for the USS Kidd. Its also a 1/96 scale Fletcher that my best friend built as a static model a couple years ago.

This TDY antenna is dry fitted and it will be finished glued sometime later today. It freely rotates on the mast and I'm going to try and animate it using a mini servo if I have enough clearance between 53 which sits directly in front of the center-line mount where the mast is located.

What I've done is close to the photo, but its not exact. I still have to figure out what to use to make the outriggers that have the guide cables to support the top DBM Radar Dome. Let me know what you think.
Roger

[snaphappy321]

You can see that the TDY antenna I made is angled opposite of the photo. Mine resembles the drawing in that aspect. If I put the V shaped antenna on the other side so it looks just like the photo, I don't have the clearance for it to rotate as it should. Its close, but without having exact dimensions, its very difficult to scale it from a photo, not to mention that the bits I used are very small. For instance, all the wire used for the TDY is 0.015 inches in diameter. The styrene used for the V shaped antenna is .020 thick by .060 wide. The thin styrene strip by itself is very flexible and until it was all glued together is was very weak.

As I mentioned, its been a great adventure attempting to build the mast.
Roger

[Rick E Davis]

Looks pretty reasonable at this point, given you scratch built it without solid dimensions.

One common, the way TDY antennas were used. TDY was a Jammer. It would have been pointed at a radar source and left in that position to emit a jamming signal. It would seldom have been "rotating" like a radar.

[snaphappy321]

Thanks again Rick, I didn't think of that. Well, I guess it doesn't need to rotate. Even still, I will not glue it so it can't rotate, but I'll definitely scrap the servo idea.

[Rick E Davis]

This is a repeat announcement, but with some revised how to order info. The Destroyer History Organization (Dave McComb) had the BIW FLETCHER Class Drawings digitally copied at NARA from microfilm. The plans show most of the major configurations that the FLETCHERS were built to during WWII. Virtually every item needed to build a destroyer is shown in detail except the Government Furnished equipment (like weapons and senors).

After Dave McComb's death last July, his widow sent the master DVD to Tincan Sailors Organization and they are how selling the DVD's at the same price as before, for $30. Quite a reasonable price considering how much it costs to get digital copies made of full microfilm files.


Best ways to order one of these DVD are:
Call - 800-223-5535 or 508-677-0515
Email - tcs@tincans.org
Write - Tin Can Sailors, PA Box 100, Somerset MA 02726

[Crossy]

Hi guys, I'm making tamiya's 1/350 fletcher as the USS Fletcher. I've got the GMM and Eduard detail sets. I want to attempt make scratch build the mast using the detail sets above. My question is due to my limited ship and scratch building skills, what materials and photo's do I need to build the mast. My biggest concern is the top part of the mast where the radar is located. Any help would be much appreciated

Regards

Rodney

[Rick E Davis]

I don't know what you mean by "scratch build" the mast. What is your media for the mast going to be? Brass, Plastic, and combination of medias, the kit mast with replacement parts? It can make a difference on how much work and details you need.

Also, Tamiya's 1/350 scale FLETCHER kit gives you a couple of options in building her ... to her June-August 1942 configuration (as completed and on shakedown) or to her August 1942 to July 1943 configuration (as she appeared in the Pacific) when she had the fantail twin 40-mm mount installed. Some equipment/antennas were added after FLETCHER got to the Pacific (mostly notably the BL "stovepipe" IFF antenna).

I can post images of the top of the mast showing the SC-1 and SG radar installations. But, those won't have dimensions.

Here is an image of FLETCHER's sister, JENKINS, with a better view of the masthead than I have for FLETCHER herself. But they both should be the same at this time.



Also, if you really are interested in drawing details on the mast construction and elsewhere on this class, the above mentioned DVD from Destroyer History Org., is a real help. I have attached a couple of examples from the BIW DVD below.

The foremast is actually a series of thick-walled pipe sections (looks like six) that reduce in diameter as they go up. I don't have specific dimensions for the sections. I can't locate the drawings for the mast on the DVD at this time (the bad part of the drawings on the DVD is that locating drawings by title/function isn't easy ... but going through the whole thing and making notes is a wonderful experience of seeing how a FLETCHER was made). Items like the radar including the motor assembly at the mast top, were "Government Furnished Equipment" (GFE). As such the builders didn't make detailed drawings of GFE like weapons and sensors, only those things they had to make to fit them.

These drawings come from Folder 5541-2, Tiff images #182 and #184 on the BIW FLETCHER Class Engineering Drawings DVD

[Crossy]

Thank you very much for your reply mate. The GOld metal model and Eduard sets come with most bits and pieces for the mast. My main concern was building main post of the mast and what materials to use. I don't have a lathe and was wondering how I would build it.

The version I want to do is in the solomons on her first deployment. I've purchased veteran models bofors. Sorry about how unclear my first post was a I was up all night with my 3 week old. Any other tips I need for this version? Again thanks for the reply and pics


Regards

Rodney

[Travis F]

I eventually want to build a large scale model of the U.S.S. KIDD DD 661. I want to build her as she appeared in August 1945 after her repairs and upgrade. I was looking at my copy of the TFW series plans for Floating Drydock and saw this notation for a vent (circled in red).

Does anyone know what this is for and if she had it during that time frame, or was it a post war addition that was mistakenly drawn? Does the ship as she appears now have this vent? Is there any photo evidence of the KIDD or any other Fletcher class ship having a vent in this location?

Thanks in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.

Travis

[Red Devil Squadron]

Hello Travis,

I seem to remember reading somewhere that this was added to vent the excess heat being generated by the large increase in new electronics being crammed into the small spaces toward the end of the war. On page 24 and 25 of The Floating Drydock Warship's Data 1 on USS Kidd, there is a vent structure in this location. As these are damage photos following the Kamikaze attack of 11 April 1945 everything is severely mangled, but the vent is visible.

Cheers,

Bill

[Rick E Davis]

Here are a couple of views of USS KIDD from 1945 and 1951 shortly after re-commissioning before any modifications were made to her. Sorry the best views I have of KIDD in this area.

Additional ventilation for the CIC and radar rooms below this area seems likely.

[Travis F]

Thanks Bill and Rick. Any speculation on how this would be constructed? Would either of these (the large rectangle or the pipe) turn and go into the superstructure next to them? Would the pipe go into the larger vent? It looks that the bottom of the large vent after coming through the deck may be screened?

Travis

[Rick E Davis]

My guess is that the ducting goes into the large "box" structure mounted to the wall. The Box probably has the exhaust fans. The smaller ducting is either the return or the feed to another room. As I said, without detailed drawings I don't know. I have made copies of dozens of General Purpose Plans of FLETCHERS, but these don't go into detail and seldom show what all is mounted on walls.

The only drawings I have show a vent going through the deck below, but NOT through the deck above (on the Navigation Bridge). Maybe real photos of the current KIDD would show detail. As long as the whole arrangement wasn't changed in the 1950s. Besides the CIC and radio room at main deck level, there are additional radio rooms on the 01 level below the bridge. All requiring venting and maybe cooling.

The space between the 01 level and 02 level is a transition one between the high sheer seen on the main deck and 01 level to the nearly waterline level at the Navigation 02 deck level. There is room for overhead ducting throughout that level and a lot of wiring is routed through there.