Calling all RN Arethusa-class (1934) fans

[PaulC]

Thanks Dick!

Just ordered mine from Hobby Easy and it shipped today....

Paul

[Admiral John Byng]

Has anyone tried using the Flyhawk brass barrels for their Aurora? My gun barrels were bent (nearly broken off) when my kit arrived but I am daunted by the thought of drilling tiny holes into the small trunnions.

[Quincy]

With the upcoming Flyhawk HMS Penelope kit, how hard would it be to make her into the Galatea 1941 fit?


Bob Pink

[PetrOs]

With the upcoming Penelope kit by Flyhawk, I want to model her as she was stationed early war in Malta (first tour there, before Norway). Having just returned from my holidays in Malta, I told my wife my next subject would be related to it
The question is, what was her fit by the time, and how was she painted. Would the kit's fit fit?

[PetrOs]

Thanks! I found a great book in russian on them, by Patyanin, "Famous cruisers of Churchill: Aurora, Arethusa, Galatea, Penelope". It has drawings, lots of photos, and very informative text.

[MartinJQuinn]

Unidentified Arethusa class off Italy, 1944, supporting the Anzio beachhead.

[MartinJQuinn]

that is HMS Penelope. https://www.world-war.co.uk/Arethusa/penelope.php3

If you look at the photo on Penelope's Wiki Page, it appears Penelope wore a different camo than the cruiser in above: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Penelope_(97)

[FrancisMcN]

Thanks! I found a great book in russian on them, by Patyanin, "Famous cruisers of Churchill: Aurora, Arethusa, Galatea, Penelope". It has drawings, lots of photos, and very informative text.

Does it say much about the scheme the kit gives for the Norway campaign? I was wondering if Penelope changed from a light grey Med scheme into plain Home Fleet grey when she first came back to UK before changing into the white and brown scheme after the grounding incident?

[Rambousek]

Greetings to all Arethusa class fans!

I am sure we were all pleased by the recent Flyhawk release of HMS Penelope in 1940 fit, especially after the previous kit of HMS Aurora in nearly post-war configuration. I obtained this kit in the Deluxe version (FH1109S) last week and it's a pleasure just looking into the box. After the first examination, everything seems to be all right and the model corresponds to the well-known version of 1940, featuring only the HF / DF antenna.

What strikes me however is the camouflage scheme. The kit offers two options. The first one is overall 507C (light gray) and corresponds to her early war deployment in the Mediterranean.

The second camo represents HMS Penelope during her service in the NW Approaches and the North Sea painted in a combination of white and brown. I have no problem with the brown color, it was used by ships sailing from Scapa Flow during this period, sometimes in combination with green. However, what about the white colour? According to Alan Raven�s Camouflage Volume One: The Royal Navy 1939-1941 ships moored at Scapa (unfortunately he did not name HMS Penelope herself) wore 507C as the light colour but not white. That sounds logical, at that time, the 507 series were the most used colors. According to my knowledge, white paint began to be used after the introduction of Peter Scott camouflage schemes (white, WA Green and WA Blue), i.e. in the second half of 1941.

On the other hand, Malcolm Wright mentioned white was used in his British and Commonwealth WARSHIP CAMOUFLAGE of WWII.

Can you please give your comments whether White or 507C should be used? Would anyone have a photo of HMS Penelope in this camouflage?

Thank you, Martin

[drasticplastic]

Flyhawk claims Penelope was painted in brown and white (light gray) on their kit for May 1940 (Norwegian Campaign), evidently from a colorized photo https://www.whiteensignmodels.com/uploa ... nelope.jpg which colors may be suspect. I did a bit of research, and according to Alan Raven in the fifth paragraph, http://www.shipcamouflage.com/3_1.htm Penelope was painted in a dark gray, and light gray pattern per orders of it's captain - maybe the same pattern described by Flyhawk but in different colors during this same time period? Anyone have any further information on this?

[MartinJQuinn]

According to the White Ensign Models instructions for their Penelope kit, the white and brown scheme was locally applied while she was undergoing repairs after grounding during the Norwegian Campaign. The paint was constantly adjusted as the snow in the surrounding fjord melted, resulting in less white and more brown the longer she was stranded.

From Naval-History.net:

April: 11th Detached with HM Destroyers ESKIMO and KIMBERLEY for attack on transports reported at Bodo.

Grounded whilst attempting to enter fjord at Fleinvaer.

Holed forward and boiler room flooded.

Towed to Skelsfjord by HM Destroyer ESKIMO.

14th Remained in Norwegian waters to supplement available defence against continuing air attacks, later moved to Harstad.

May: Deployment at Harstad in continuation.

11th Passage to UK under tow with HM Cruisers COVENTRY and CALCUTTA

ISIS, ZULU, CAMPBELL and WITCH.

18th Taken in hand for repair at Greenock.

[tjstoneman]

PENELOPE's brown and white scheme is also explained in Ed Gordon H.M.S. "Pepperpot!": The "Penelope" in World War Two (Robert Hale Ltd: 15 Aug 1985). According to Alan Raven, she wore a multi coloured scheme BEFORE she grounded in April, thus TWO different types of camouflage within two months.

[drasticplastic]

So what were the colors and camo pattern BEFORE grounding, or at the beginning of the First Battle for Narvik? Want to paint her at that period.

[PaulC]

With the upcoming Flyhawk HMS Penelope kit, how hard would it be to make her into the Galatea 1941 fit?

Hi Bob,

I've been looking at this - based on what I can find online. It will indeed take a bit of work and I remain uncertain of some things. The following is what I've found, based on photos and line drawings.

The line drawing available on the Blueprints website only shows her 1941 fit in profile. The plan view given does not match the profile and seems to be Penelope - which is unfortunate!

https://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprin ... 281941%29/

According to the WW2 cruisers website: "Galatea lost her catapult in a refit between October 1940 and January 1941, when she received two quadruple 2 pdr and 8 single 20 mm, as well as radar 279."
https://www.world-war.co.uk/Arethusa/ar ... class.php3


Now for the changes I have found so far:

1) Both masts must be converted to tripods.Type 279 radar aerials to be installed (these are in the kit sprue A, or from PE).

2) The aft superstructure (forward of y-turret) will have to be scratched. Penelope had a single HACS director (as did Aurora) just above y-turret. Galatea (and early war Arethusa) had a two level structure with a searchlight platform on top (see the line drawing). The base of the mainmast was apparently resting against the forward end of the structure. Photos of Galatea don't show this structure clearly, but there are some of Arethusa that can give an idea of how it looked.

3) The aft shelter deck has to be extended forward so that the forward 2 4-inch mounts are almost abreast the aft 1/2 of the second funnel (as in Aurora) and the gun crew shelters installed between the 4-inch mounts with the mainmast tripod supports going through the roofs (again as in Aurora). These shelters are, fortunately, provided in the kit on sprue R.

4) There is no searchlight platform aft of the second funnel.

5) Omit the catapult. Because the plan view line drawing is not correct, it is impossible to tell for sure if the cylindrical base of the catapult was removed and a structure built as for Aurora, but it seems to me that this was the case judging from the profile. If so, this part is also in the kit on sprue R. It also has the platforms for the two quad pom poms that were installed in her refit (these are in the kit too!).

6) A challenge is the precise locations of the eight 20 mm mounts. Seems to me, from the profile, that there is one atop each 4-inch gun crew shelter, another pair just forward of the second funnel, and a third pair on either side just forward of the first funnel. The 4th pair = ????

That's all I can figure at this point. Hope it helps. If anyone has any further or better info please share if you can. Thanks!

(Would be nice if Flyhawk would say if they plan a Galatea and, if they do, save all this trouble!)

Paul

[tjstoneman]

There is a profile and deck plan showing GALATEA in 1941 in Alan Raven & John Roberts British Cruisers of World War Two (Arms & Armour Press, 1980). This shows, in addition to the details given by Paul:
The after shelter deck extended forward to end level with the former catapult base; the quadruple 2-pounder mountings were at the forward end of this extension. The shape of the superstructure underneath this extension is shown as identical to the parts in the PENELOPE kit.
Single 20mm Oerlikons placed as follows: on the after shelter deck just forward of the after funnel, well inboard; inboard of the shelters for the 4" gun crews (one deck level above the after shelter deck); on the platforms abreast the forefunnel previously occupied by quadruple 0.5" mountings and on new platforms at forward shelter deck level inboard of the aforementioned platforms for 0.5" mountings (one each side in each case - total of eight).

However, examination of other photos captioned as GALATEA show two single Oerlikons on "B" turret, and another pair on "Y" turret, and the quadruple 0.5" mountings still in place, with what look like two single Oerlikons inboard of the 4" gun crew shelters; aerials for RDF Type 284 (five-aerial fit) appears to be on the LA.DCT.

[Rambousek]

Thanks a lot for your replies, so white is correct for Penelope�s camouflage after grounding, It would be interesting to see how she was camouflaged before grounding (light gray and dark gray) as mentioned by lan Raven.

[drasticplastic]

So what were the colors and camo pattern BEFORE grounding, or at the beginning of the Second Battle for Narvik? Want to paint her at that period.

Overall Home Fleet Gray?? How boring!

[PaulC]

There is a profile and deck plan showing GALATEA in 1941 in Alan Raven & John Roberts British Cruisers of World War Two (Arms & Armour Press, 1980). This shows, in addition to the details given by Paul:
The after shelter deck extended forward to end level with the former catapult base; the quadruple 2-pounder mountings were at the forward end of this extension. The shape of the superstructure underneath this extension is shown as identical to the parts in the PENELOPE kit.
Single 20mm Oerlikons placed as follows: on the after shelter deck just forward of the after funnel, well inboard; inboard of the shelters for the 4" gun crews (one deck level above the after shelter deck); on the platforms abreast the forefunnel previously occupied by quadruple 0.5" mountings and on new platforms at forward shelter deck level inboard of the aforementioned platforms for 0.5" mountings (one each side in each case - total of eight).

However, examination of other photos captioned as GALATEA show two single Oerlikons on "B" turret, and another pair on "Y" turret, and the quadruple 0.5" mountings still in place, with what look like two single Oerlikons inboard of the 4" gun crew shelters; aerials for RDF Type 284 (five-aerial fit) appears to be on the LA.DCT.

Thanks TJ! Very helpful. I suspected the 4th pair of 20 mm might replaced the Vickers 0.5's but could not make it out on the profile, and the removal of the latter had not been mentioned in the WW2 Cruisers site write up. But it makes sense.

None of the few pics of Galatea in 1941 I've found show any 20 mm on the 6-inch turrets though...

I can see the aft shelter deck extension on the profile, now you mention it. But what about the cylindrical base of the catapult? Is that retained or replaced?

Thanks again!

Paul

[tjstoneman]

The drawing shows two motor boats at shelter deck level in the former position of the cylinder, which is absent. For 20mm on turrets, see the photo on this page: http://www.yourtotalevent.com/events/Wi ... ynolds.htm

[PaulC]

Thanks again TJ.

OK, so it seems she was fitted with the turret top 20 mm's when she went to the Med, as the photos of her in overall Mountbatten Pink when she was with the Home Fleet don't have them.