Four Stacker Cook-Up

lastvautour · January 28, 2009, 05:32:57 PM

Since Garet and Ray are building some Wickes Class Destroyer, I will join the cook-up also. Mine will be 1/350 scale. Anybody else?

Lou

Oceaneer99 · January 28, 2009, 06:26:35 PM

I guess that means I'm in.

My children and I are going to build four Wilkes class between us. We're using the simplified plans from Popular Science that are available on the gallery. We'll be building to 1/500 scale for size considerations.

Last night, I made a jig (a wedge of wood) to drill the angled holes for the masts and stacks. The hull blanks are wedges (thicker at the bow than the stern), and I've glued a cardstock copy of the deck plans on the hull. I clamp the hull wedge to the drilling wedge and then drill the holes with a drill press.

So far, only one is drilled, but the stacks seem to have worked out okay, so I'll be drilling the other three blanks soon. After they are drilled, I'll saw out the top view with a scroll saw.

I bought a teen-aged girls "bling" kit for a dollar, which has little stick-on rhinestones that we'll use for the searchlights. I guess they stick them onto their cell phones or something.

Still haven't decided whether to follow the plans and put the davits too close together. They should be spaced further apart than the length of the boats, so that the boats can be swung from inboard to outboard for launching. As usual, we have the "true to prototype" or true to "flawed but historic plans" quandary.

Garet

lastvautour · January 28, 2009, 10:43:12 PM

I am confident that your ships will work out. I will probably drill and then wedge. I could do two hulls for the same amount of time it takes to do one.

Lou

Oceaneer99 · January 29, 2009, 12:12:51 AM

The plans are in the Popular Science gallery:

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=192

Oceaneer99 · January 29, 2009, 12:45:33 AM

USS Preston plans from an Ideal kit are now posted in the gallery.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2405

This is a jpg version of a plan that appeared on the old SMM web site.

Garet

Oceaneer99 · January 29, 2009, 04:45:34 PM

I found another plan for the same class destroyer. This one is from How to Build a Model Navy by H.H. Gilmore, 1941. This is the same book I got the PT-10 plans from. The plans are in general best described as "semi-scale", but easy to build.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2407

The plans are in PDF format so that you get the entire section with text description as well.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that this class destroyer is in US Navy Waterline Models and How to Build Them, which does have fairly good plans. They were designed for models to built at 1:1200 scale, so detail is limited, but the general outlines seem to be accurate.

Garet

Oceaneer99 · January 31, 2009, 12:32:42 AM

Believe it or not, I found another set of four-stacker plans in the August 1934 Popular Science. This one is 1/600 scale, part of a series by Theodore Gommi called "Historic United States Ships" (part of their "Model of the Month Club"). The plans for the DD is definitely simplified, but seems to be more accurate that some of the plans I've posted. It seems to be somewhere in the same accuracy ballpark as the Ideal Kit plans, which has a lot of details but a few glaring errors.

I need to do some clean-up of scans from the magazine, but will post the plans after that. The full article contains plans for the USS Saratoga as well. I'll probably just excerpt the destroyer part for now.

Garet

lastvautour · January 31, 2009, 04:19:52 PM

Had a look at the Sara and found that the one I was looking for is built similar, but I seem to remember it to be either the Enterprise or the Hornet. The breakdown was the same. Regardless, the Four Stacker plans are better.

Lou

R.F.Bennett · January 31, 2009, 05:14:20 PM

The Popular Science December 1930 issue has a great USS Preston Build that continues for five issues. It's not solid but contains great detail. It's best just to go to each issue and search "Preston". They are Very hard to download though.
http://books.google.com/books?id=sygDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#PPP1,M1

Oceaneer99 · February 01, 2009, 08:27:45 AM

I just did inspection on 21 torpedo tube launchers (3 tubes each), for a total of 63 torpedo tubes. These are four five vessels, plus one spare. The order was filled the day after it was placed, and this is the same contractor who has yet to complete the last of four torpedo tubes for the PT-9.

I made the tube assemblies by super gluing three steel wires side-by-side, then cutting them to length with a Dremel cut-off wheel. This sometimes caused the wires to separate (heat, vibration), so I wrapped the athletic tape around them (for the mount assembly) before cutting each one off, then soaked the tape with superglue. The mount itself is a cylinder punched out of cardboard with a punch, superglued onto the bottom, centered on the tape wrap.

I also cut out 21 gun barrels from the same wire. I'll need to work on the gun mounts next.

Garet

Oceaneer99 · February 02, 2009, 06:10:58 AM

I cut out 21 gun barrels and started turning dowels into flattened cones for the gun mounts (chucking them into a drill). I'm wrapping half the barrels with masking tape trimmed to 6 mm wide, to build up the diameter for the breech end.

A book I requested came in at the library: The Destroyer Campbeltown by Al Ross. It has very good photos of this class destroyer, along with detailed drawings of the ships, guns, torpedo tubes, boats, etc. The Campbeltown was the ship modified to look like a German Möwe class torpedo boat, and used in a raid on the locks at St. Nazarine.

Garet

lastvautour · February 02, 2009, 09:00:06 PM

Nice gogin Garet. I have wedged the hull and pasted the hull plan on top. So far that is it for me. I hope to spend more time this week working on her. I was going to do HMS Wickes, but she appears to have her stacks cut down somewhat.

Lou

Oceaneer99 · February 02, 2009, 09:13:02 PM

Lou,

From what I have seen in photos, most of the DD's had their stacks cut down (usually one removed) when they had new boilers installed in the late 1930s. You may be able to find a photo just after delivery to the UK, when she still had four stacks. That seems to be the case for the Campbelltown.

The gun mounts are progressing, now 13 finished, and one completed gun. I'm not sure how I got talked into making (now) five of these destroyers: it makes for a lot of little parts! I'm sending a kit off to my brother so he can make his first solid model.

We're thinking up some collaborative projects involving rockets. Oh, and I found a Sears Craftsman portable drill press (you mount your portable drill in it) at a thrift store for about $12. I have a full drill press in the garage, but we were thinking about lighter machinery for the hobby bench in the basement. My son suggested a built-in shop vac (mounted under the bench), which is an inspired idea.

Garet

lastvautour · February 04, 2009, 06:44:33 PM

The Wickes Class Destroyer is in dry dock with an expected launch date of 31 Mar 2009.

http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2432

Oceaneer99 · February 04, 2009, 07:44:10 PM

Lou,

Looking good! I did a double-take, because it looked almost like mine: same plans glued on to the hull, and I've also stuck my stacks in temporarily.

I finished the torpedo tube assemblies (21 of them) last night, grinding the taper on one end of each. Also, I turned 21 gun bases, rolled tape on the gun barrels to build up the breech end, and glued them together. I need to line them all up and take a photo. I guess I can give a 21 gun salute now!

Garet

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Four Stacker Cook-Up