Subject: SMML VOL 1744 Date: Sun, 09 Jun 2002 00:25:56 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: What to see in Mass. 2: Lindberg LCI 3: Profile Morskie translations 4: Re: Commonwealth Naval Ensigns and Jacks 5: Re: Mass & Maine 6: Konig model 7: Thanks for the suggestions (Mass and Maine) 8: Re: A message to authors and publishers 9: Ruse de guerre, 8th June, 1944 10: Interesting items on eBay 11: Re: Converting from 1:700 to 1:600 scale -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: FLAGSHIP SITE DOWN. PLEASE READ! 2: New Book -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Math Mathiasen" Subject: What to see in Mass. In Boston harbor there used to be a restaurant which was converted from a 100 year old Philadelphia fire boat. That was about 10years ago or so, that my daughter took me there. I don't know if it still is. Possibly some Bean Town Sailor knows. When it was a fire boat in Philadelphia it was the "John Wanamaker" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Reynaga, Tim@EDD" Subject: Lindberg LCI Matty, Another option for a LCI is the old, much maligned Lindberg "LSI", which is actually an LCI. Although not as nicely done as the Iron Shipwright series of LCIs in 1/350 scale, it is a larger 1/125, which makes for a model about a foot long. If you don't mind putting in a little extra work, it can build into a good looking model. It's no longer in production, but old copies can frequently be had on ebay for $20-30. Best, Tim -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: "Reynaga, Tim@EDD" Subject: Profile Morskie translations >> Since all the Profile Morskie released so far fall ouside of my interest area I haven't bought any of them yet. However if you need anything translated send me a scan of the text and I will be happy to translate it for you. << If you do complete any translations, please post them to this forum. I have a number of these books, but my complete illiteracy in Polish reduces me to just enjoying the pictures. (I suppose it gives me greater insight into the book reading experience of my four year old daughter...) I know it is a lot of work, but any Profile Morskie English translations you complete will be gratefully received by many of us on this list. Thanks, Tim -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Graham Preston Subject: Re: Commonwealth Naval Ensigns and Jacks Just a quick note on British Commonwealth ensigns and jacks - as everyone else has pointed out, during the Second World War, all British Commonwealth warships and shore-based naval establishments flew the White Ensign, from the ensign staff when in harbour, at anchor, or at a buoy, and from the "at sea" position, on a gaff, from the mainmast, when at sea. Ships of the RCN flew the Canadian Naval Jack from the jack-staff when in harbour, etc., and this consisted of a Blue Ensign with the Canadian Coat-of-Arms. During the Second World War, (and at least for a portion of the Korean War), the Canadian Coat-of-Arms had three GREEN maple leafs at the bottom. This was changed later to three RED ones. (Thanks to Duane Fowler for pointing this out to me.) As of 15 FEB, 1965, the national flag of Canada has been the Maple Leaf Flag, and Canadian warships have flown this flag as their Ensign. Hope this helps. Chris Preston, Victoria, B.C. Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: ALROSS2@aol.com Subject: Re: Mass & Maine Depending on how far north you intend to go in southern Maine, you can visit the BlueJacket kit factory and Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, which is about 2.5 hours (by RT 1) north of Portland. I'm at BJ most afternoons and will give you a tour if you show up. Al Ross -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: VONJERSEY@aol.com Subject: Konig model I'm sure this has already been discussed, but what ever became of the model of the Konig - I don't see it offered for sale at the local New York hobby shops and squadron and model expo? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: BECJPARKER@aol.com Subject: Thanks for the suggestions (Mass and Maine) Thanks to everyone that sent suggestions on what to see in Mass and Maine. I will only have about a day and a half and now I have about a year and a half worth of things to see, but I'll figure something out. Charlie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: "Michael C. Smith" Subject: Re: A message to authors and publishers This thread reminded me of the following quote: "I must trouble the reader to correct the errata of the press, as he finds them. For I am quite tyr'd." Charles Leslie, A Defence of a book intituled: The snake in the grass., (London 1700). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: "Tony Ireland" Subject: Ruse de guerre, 8th June, 1944 When the scuttling charges exploded, little fountains arose around the hull of the crewless old French battleship half a mile to seaward of our heavy cruiser HMS Frobisher. Their concussion rapped on our hull, followed by the bangs. It was mid-morning on 8th June, 1944, off the Normandy invasion Gold Beach at Arromanches. The battleship sank on an even keel until only part of its superstructure stuck up. After exactly 58 years my memory vaguely retains the name 'Courbet', but I expect a List member can correct me. (My old leather-bound official Midshipman's Journal, crammed with details and sketch-maps, may still lie on a shelf in the library of the Anglican High School at St.Augustine's Mission in eastern Zimbabwe - if white ants haven't eaten it - left behind in 1963 to my regret.) Just turned 18, I was the Fire Control Officer supervising a battery of four Oerlikon 20mm A.A. guns and their eight gunners, sited on top of the Captain's cabin dead amidships - just forward of the main-mast. A long blast on my policeman's whistle meant 'Open fire!' - but the deafening din of all these guns firing forced me to rap each gunner on his steel helmet with a heavy stick to get them to cease firing. A Tannoy loudspeaker beside me conveyed a sort of running commentary about nearby aircraft, broadcast by the A.D.O. high up above the bridge. Abreast of us were two 4-barrelled pom-poms, and further aft was our 'Q' 7.5-inch gun which endangered us when it fired forward of the beam. Two days before, firing at maximum elevation, it had blown me over and incinerated my folding camera just as I took a picture of a nearby destroyer loosing a broadside. Like everybody else above deck we watched, fascinated, as tugs positioned an old liner astern of the battleship, and it too was scuttled, followed by some rusty old freighters. These elderly blockships helped save the Mulberry harbour eleven days later during the severe gale that destroyed the other one further west, off Omaha Beach. I kept looking away to scan the sky with my 7x50 binoculars whenever the Tannoy alerted me, but saw only Spitfires, or Typhoons of the 2nd T.A.F. on their endless sorties to attack tanks, guns and trucks with salvoes of their 8 rockets. We had been at action stations throughout the daylight hours since dawn on 6th June, without sighting a single enemy plane. My gunners were resting, watching the scuttling, and the oerlikons were not manned. For two nights we'd been huddled amid a vast fleet of ships under a choking pall of chemical smoke from floats, and oily smoke belched from all funnels, to counter remote-guided glider bombs. We were reminded of these when we saw HMS Warspite manoeuvring end-on to targets far inland before firing 15" gun salvoes from her forward turrets. Her X and Y turrets were jammed after a deadly glider bomb hit off Salerno. We were lying stopped, bows into a westerly breeze and slight sea. Our main guns were silent as we awaited our next target - usually guided by a circling Spitfire. On the afternoon of D-Day we had helped blunt a counter-attack by tanks of the 21st Panzer Division driving north from Caen, between Juno and Sword Beaches. The circular mounds of 7.5" shells piled around our five big guns had been fired away. Landing craft came alongside to transfer wounded who were operated on by our surgeons and then laid out on cots along our main passage-ways. The previous nights I'd slept curled up on a big pile of their stripped-off battle-dress clothing. My own uniform still stank of the yellowish column of water that had crashed down on us from a near-miss by one of three 15" shells that had neatly bracketed us, fired from Le Havre, almost 20 miles away. The Tannoy crackled:- "Eight Typhoons approaching from the south, about 5,000 feet, in line astern." I trained my glasses on them. Their formation seemed unusual - not the more common 'finger fours'. But the black and white broad stripes under their wings and unmistakable blunt heavy snouts confirmed that they were indeed a flight of Typhoons returning from a sortie inland. So I turned away back to the astonishing scene of the ships being scuttled. My glasses also revealed some strange block-shaped objects on the northern horizon. They turned out to be components of the amazing prefabricated concrete Mulberry harbour. Next moment came the rising howl of aircraft engines overhead. The eight planes were peeling off in vertical power dives, in line astern behind their leader who was by then about 3,000 ft up and growing larger by the second. I jumped over the steel circular surround and grabbed at the two shoulder pads of the nearest 20mm gun, whose barrel was at 45 degrees and pointing south, and flopped down so that the barrel shot skyward until it hit a stop. With no time to fasten the leather strap around me I clung to the heavy gun and squinted up through the ring sight. I could see the bulge of a large bomb slung under the fuselage of what I realised was a Focke-Wulf 190 fighter-bomber. But it was dead above me, at the zenith, and the gun would not elevate quite that far, merely a few feet below the plane. I had 60 shells in the heavy drum magazine that would take only about a dozen seconds to expend. Since I might have little more than that to live if the 1,100 lb bomb hit us, it was pointless to conserve ammunition. So I squeezed the firing lever and watched helplessly the glowing tracers passing just under the fuselage, which next moment zoomed rearwards over my head leaving the bomb growing larger. The second plane was in exactly the same position, so again I couldn't quite draw a bead on it. The gun fell silent. I let go and dropped sideways to huddle curled around the inner lowest circular foot-well. Somehow my steel helmet was still on my head, which was a slight comfort. In the next half minute or so I felt our 10,000 ton ship shudder and jump amid eight deafening explosions. Added to the last of these was a noise all around me that sounded like Chinese fire-crackers. After counting the eight explosions I hauled myself up, just in time to see the last F-W190 streaking away just over the sea, with a Spitfire close on its tail. Both planes were heading towards HMS Rodney a mile away and I saw the ship suddenly erupt in clouds of smoke as she fired a blind barrage with her AA guns. I distinctly saw the FW-190 zoom upwards to clear the after superstructure and mast. Then the Spitfire also vanished into the gun-smoke. I never heard any other gun fired on our ship. Perhaps just as well, as a FW190 crashing into us with its bomb would have caused carnage, with scores of wounded lying just below our unarmoured upper deck. I realised that the fire-cracker noise had came from the four streams of 20mm shells fired by the Spitfire diving on the tail of the last FW190. I realised still more how lucky we had been when I squinted through the lines of jagged holes punched through 3/8" steel in our superstructure by small bomb fragments. Unlike the 15-inch armour-piercing shells that had plunged deep before exploding in huge water columns the day before, these bombs must have detonated on the surface, showering fragments all around. Amazingly, we suffered no casualties from the bombs, although we had one killed and two wounded the day before. How close to us those eight bombs had fallen was unclear, as I never met a crewman who'd been watching... Apparently all eight pilots escaped, doing at least 450 m.p.h. just above the sea and heading in every point of the compass. They probably had come from Carpiquet airfield, some 15 miles inland, which held off all British and Canadian attacks for many weeks. The false identification stripes must have been hastily cleaned off, as a replay of this clever ruse de guerre would have been even less likely to succeed. They were certainly brave, skilled pilots, but everything depended on the aim of their leader, as the others were following him blindly. At that speed of nearly 500 m.p.h. in the dive he must have over-shot a fraction, luckily for us. Odd that they had chosen us - the oldest cruiser present and the most expendable. Have wondered if they should have split up into pairs and attacked three others of our 5th Cruiser Squadron as well. Admiral Vian's flagship SCYLLA, and her look-alike SIRIUS, as well as MAURITIUS, were all nearby. Also wonder if any of those pilots survived the exactly eleven months left until V-E Day. BTW - This was the only time I fired a gun in anger during the Second World War. Only one other example of a ruse de guerre in W.W.2 occurs to me. viz. the cutting down of two of the four funnels of HMS Campbeltown and re-shaping of the two remaining ones, prior to the St Nazaire raid. In W.W.1 the best example, and one with enormous consequences, was the bombardment of Sevastopol and Odessa by SMS Goeben and Breslau on 29 Oct.1914 while they flaunted huge Turkish ensigns - and Turkey seemed likely to remain neutral. Gen.Ludendorff said that this saved Imperial Germany from defeat in 1916. A month later the Admiralty pulled off what was probably the first electronic ruse de guerre. It sent a fake radio signal to Admiral von Spee suggesting his Asiatic Squadron destroy the R.N.'s radio station at Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands. He arrived there at dawn one day after the two 26-knot battlecruisers INVINCIBLE and INFLEXIBLE reached there and were racing to replenish their coal stocks, thus sealing his fate. No doubt subscribers to this List can suggest other examples of a ruse de guerre being employed in modern naval operations. It was more common, I believe, in Nelson's day, when a ship could approach an enemy base while flying false colours, as long as she hoisted her national ensign just before opening hostilities. Cheers, Tony -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: paulship37@aol.com Subject: Interesting items on eBay I saw these items for sale at eBay: British Destroyer History 1966 -HUGE- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1542215201 U. S. SUBMARINE LOSSES WORLD WAR II Pub. 1949 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1542165512 BATTLE FOR THE FIORDS: ( STRATEGY IN ACTION http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1542110590 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: NeilTaylor54@aol.com Subject: Re: Converting from 1:700 to 1:600 scale Many thanks to Michael London for the conversion. Michael can you tell me the conversion for 1:400 plans down to 1:600. Neil -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 02:22:59 EDT Subject: FLAGSHIP SITE DOWN. PLEASE READ! Just got some bad news. The server who has been handling my web site for years has filed for bankruptcy. So obviously their ISP has pulled the plug. So now I'm left scrambling to find a new server. Until I get everything back up and running please contact me via email and I'll send you a current catalogue if you don't already have one. Please bear with us during this minor crisis. The only difference will be that we can't do business via the Internet until a new sever is found, so we'll have to do everything by snail mail. I just want to make it clear that Flagship Models is still in business. So please pass the word. I'll notify everyone as soon as all this crap is cleared up. Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. 2204 Summer Way Lane Edmond, OK 73013 phone/fax(405) 330-6525 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: John Snyder Subject: New Book Coming soon to White Ensign Models from WR Press: "Essex Class Carriers in World War Two" This will be an 80-page softcover book similar to this publisher's recent book on flush deck destroyers. It will include many, many photos, plans, and camouflage data; a set of fold-out plans of ESSEX circa 1943 will be tipped-in on the inside of the back ocver. We expect the book around mid- to late July. Pre-orders being cheerfully accepted now. As always, no charges made until we actually ship your order. Best, John Snyder White Ensign Models http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/white.ensign.models/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://smmlonline.com Check out the APMA site for an index of ship articles in the Reference section at: http://apma.org.au/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume