Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Navy - Military - Battleships: => Topic started by: ballastanksian on July 23, 2016, 08:18:18 pm
-
Hi chaps.
I bought a kit of the M15 Monitor from Deans marine, and being the type who likes to do something a bit different, decided to model mine as M19.
To cut a long story short, while the wheelhouse/bridge on M15 was not spacious, the one on M19 was even smaller, perhaps even bijou! The bridge was exactly the same footprint as the wheelhouse with no overhang or wings, just a little trapesoid platform surrounded by blast mats.
You can see it on page 128 of Ian Buxtons Monitor book (Damn fine read in my oppinion)
So, to business:
1. The bridge on M21 is much larger and on Page 119 a frontal view shows the chart house/cubby)?) like those on early destroyers. But if a bridge was very small, was the chart house (sic) made smaller or sited in another place? The image of M19 shows her with an awning and dodgers in front of the wheelhouse, and as she served in the Med, maybe they kept their chart house there instead?
2. I notice also that she and M21 did not have semaphore. Was it being phased out during WW1 or did some vessels just not have it? Again, space is at a premium on M19's bridge, but M21 is palacious in comparison.
I will ask on the Deans forum as well and see what gives. M19 piqued my interest as the bridge is different and it has those awnings etc plus the cool looking Mk VI gun. Thanks for your help:O)
-
Hi Ian
Not sure about the chart table but your theory sounds practical and common sense for the era. With regards to the semaphore I have noticed that quite a few vessels in the 1916-17 period had their semaphores removed. Whilst reading anatomy of the ship HMS Dreadnought, the drawings show that whilst she was under refit in 1916 she had her bridge semaphores removed- no reason given.
-
Thanks Nick. I asked my fellow Yeovil members and they came up with the same ideas. Given the warm summers in the med bombarding Johnny Turk etc, I could see the top of the superstructure being used as an open air ward room and office space under an awning and with dodgers tall enough to provide a wind break and seclusion from other ranks.
-
The pole/mast semaphore devices, were phased out about 1912 onwards.
Due to the early marconie type wireless sets being installed on the larger ships. Signal flags were still the main form of division comunications, between smaller ships. Along with signal lamps, in less than clear conditions or night time operations of course.
A small coastal monitor or torpedo boat destroyer, wouldn't really have provision for a proper chart house. They usually used a shrouded collapsable tabel, normally with a folding pram hood style canvas shroud. This was normally positioned on the flying bridge of smaller vessels.
Ian
-
Thanks Ian. Looking at a modern chart desk/table online, it might be small enough to fit on M19s bridge but at the back.
-
I cannot say for early warships, but when I worked on RMAS StMargarets, she was virtually unchanged on her bridge and wheelhouse from build in 1943. She had a traditional chartroom behind the wheelhouse, where all the charts were kept in folios and you took the charts required into the wheelhouse for use, also she had chart table facilities on her open bridge as well if required, this was standard I believe on the older vessels.
-
Sorry not to have got in touch earlier Dodes. Thanks for that information. I have used it to put a small table on the bridge behind all the control gear.