Hi Mo,
Part of the problem with bow rudders was that half of the TB's and destroyers at the time had them and half didn't. It seems also that when they were fitted as part of the original build someone came along later and either removed them or fixed them in place so don't always count on any drawings or photos that come up. There was a lot of competition between builders in England, France and Germany especially to get their designs into the export markets for fighting vessels and so you see, for example, the bow bumper (or the pointy thing that started this ball rolling) on ships in Japan and Russia.
Jerry, Thanks for the comments and we need more of you on Mayhem. Your 'project' looks stunning and, to be very honest, puts mine in the shade. I'm afraid that my finishing is not all that it could be and that photos can be very deceptive
The figures are modified 1:35 Russian naval infantry, because the officer jackets are shorter than normal and so suit those of the period. I get all mine from a large warehouse near to me so I can drop in and see the real thing before buying. It could be worth having a look at their site
www.hannants.co.uk because they must have one of the largest selections you could wish for. My last project was the 1881 Greek gunboat Ambrakia which had a modified German crew (There's a pic somewhere on Mayhem)
My next project is a 1:32 brigantine, so I'll be following some of your techniques closely.
Tony