Having just assembled a RC yacht, wouldn't you know it, the weather turned bad. When it wasn't raining, the wind was either too strong or too weak. Rather than waste this time, I designed, built and tested a new model based on the Destroyer Escorts (DE's) built in America during WW2. They were originally to meet a British order but were readily adopted by the US Navy when the USA entered the war.
My usual scale of 1/144 was used to produce a model about 25" (65cm) long and weighing 34oz (0.96kg). Powered by a RE360 motor which gives a realistic top speed of about 3 ft/s (0.92 m/s). The modest current drawn allowed the use of 6 spare AA size Nimh cells which can keep the model running for 2 or more hours, something I have yet to try in this damn cold weather!
The hull construction is, no surprise, from sheet balsa but with a couple of new ideas to produce a more realistic shape. One thing not appreciated when the model was started were the five classes that made up these DE's and the numerous alterations and additions they went through. The final model was, as a result, something of a "mongrel" but still looks like a DE when sailing.
Handling is excellent, quick rudder response and steerable when moving astern. This could make it a good model for steering events. Another bonus is the light weight which makes launching and recovery painless with little chance of following the model into the water....!
Plans just sent off to the Model Boats magazine but don't ask me when they might be published. Now with the local lake frozen over so still no yacht sailing, maybe another model gets built?
Glynn Guest
Author
Topic: WW2 Destroyer Escort (Read 2984 times)