Topic: HMS Glorious 1917 (Read 21642 times)

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #200 on:** March 28, 2023, 05:33:32 pm »

The 5.5 inch gun has an interesting genesis, summarised here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_5.5-inch_Mk_I_naval_gun

The gun on HMS Chester served by Boy Jack Cornwell at Jutland, where he was awarded a posthumous VC, is in the Imperial War Museum.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/jack-cornwell-and-the-hms-chester-gun

I remember reading somewhere that the open shield guns on cruisers like Chester left their crews very vulnerable to casualties as shell and steel splinters could pass below the shield and inflict lower leg injuries.

Colin

Geoff · « **Reply #201 on:** March 29, 2023, 03:22:38 pm »

Yes, you are correct, one of the things following Jutland was that the shielded guns did not have the shields go low enough but there was a weight penalty and concern that they could be wedged and made inoperable. This almost gets us to the "all or nothing" protection schemes.

Basically thin protection was a waste of time as it only served to detonate a shell which would otherwise only have passed by with minimal damage of casualties. Splinters from near misses was however a very different thing!

Cheers

Geoff

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #202 on:** March 29, 2023, 04:00:09 pm »

As an interesting counterpoint, when HMAS Sydney fought the German raider Kormoran in WW2, Kormoran took her by surprise at close range and quickly wiped out most of the main armament and the bridge. Sydney had a 4 inch secondary armament in unshielded mounts but was unable to use it as attempts to man the unprotected guns were greeted by machine gun fire from Kormoran. One of Sydney's remaining 6 inch turrets in local control holed Kormoran and did enough damage to finally sink her. Sydney herself sank with no survivors.

Colin

raflaunches · « **Reply #203 on:** August 21, 2023, 03:02:27 pm »

Hello everyone

I’ve now got into my modelling mojo again after restarting with some Airfix kits.
Last year Geoff mentioned that the stern of Glorious looked ‘low’ and he was correct. The stern was actually 4mm lower than it should be so I have spent this afternoon raising it up using layers of 1/32” plywood and filler. I think it’s started to look better now

raflaunches · « **Reply #204 on:** August 22, 2023, 08:18:53 pm »

Had a drunken internet spending spree the other night…

How did I feel in the morning when I looked in my emails to see that I had bought 120 items of one thing and 100 of another!!!

Luckily my non-sober self had at least been model related spending and it wasn’t horrific as it turned out to be 120 lengths of 1m long 2mm wide 0.5mm deep planks, and 10 packs plastic strip packs of 0.25mm x 1mm x 300mm! It all came flooding back! The planking is for another project I started last year and the plastic strip is for Glorious for the next phase after I’ve sheeted the deck in with lithoplate. It’s for the mass of ‘etna’ anti slip strips that the Courageous and Renown class were famous for having instead of planked decks.
So everything is going fine even if I forget in a drunken stupor!

Beagle1831 · « **Reply #205 on:** August 22, 2023, 08:45:48 pm »

Looks great Nick, glad to see you back building.

raflaunches · « **Reply #206 on:** August 22, 2023, 08:54:12 pm »

Thanks James

It’s been such an upheaval over the past year that modelling in any way was pushed back to the end of the day and I didn’t feel like to doing it. Now I’ve settled in to a new job, new role and of course rank, I have more control over my life and my free time. I’m less stressed and loosing weight which is making me much happier. I have plenty of free time compared to pre-June is probably three times as much and I don’t have to worry about getting aircraft fixed and ready to go at short notice. I actually feel happy again!
More modelling and welfare checks tomorrow

T888 · « **Reply #207 on:** August 23, 2023, 07:22:38 am »

Pleased for you Nick in getting your mojo back

been there myself. Enjoying your build.

raflaunches · « **Reply #208 on:** August 23, 2023, 08:54:15 am »

Thanks David, I thought that I’d never loose that modelling mojo but I think work was the prime reason why it was pushed back. I discovered that I had hadn’t taken any leave for 8 months (since Christmas!) and in my new job role we have ‘block leave’ which isn’t compulsory but advised. I’ve had two weeks off and it’s made me feel so much better. I had such a stressful job in the last 12 months with the retirement of the Hercules, and with me utilised as a non paid no rank holding sergeant and all the stuff that went with it. Now I’ve achieved the promotion and the job position I have been wanting I can now relax more. We actually have a modelling club at RAF Cosford organised by a mate which is a mix of rc and plastic, railway and aircraft. The evening are mine now instead of works!
Right less of that and back to modelling

ballastanksian · « **Reply #209 on:** August 23, 2023, 05:23:30 pm »

Good for you Nick! I was wondering how your fleet was coming along as you have some great projects on the go.

I hope to have bench space soon, and maybe get some boat modelling started again.

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #210 on:** August 23, 2023, 06:00:56 pm »

Great to hear you are now feeling more positive about modelling Nick. Always remember it is a hobby which you can put to one side while you deal with more pressing issues and it will always be waiting for you with no pressure when you are ready to come back to it. Even in the hobby most of us have long standing projects on hold while we tackle something that currently appeals more to us.

At the moment I still have to do some fine tuning on my Bilsdale paddler and have a couple of partly finished liner models sitting on the workbench but at the moment I am spending all my modelling time on a Greek fishing boat project because right now I am just enjoying working with basswood, balsa and plywood, plank on frame and generating lots of sawdust with various abrasives. Next step is to cover the hull with gum strip tape to give a good finish, just like I did 60 years ago! My second childhood!

Colin

raflaunches · « **Reply #211 on:** August 23, 2023, 09:26:46 pm »

Many thanks Colin. I’m glad I’m back into the actual building again as I was missing it and had a few projects planned. So glad I’ve changed to a calmer environment which actual supports model making. The current Wing Cmdr is very much for out of work hobbies that may get the trainees involved. We have a healthy model club at a Cosford and I intend to bring bits in to work to build in the Tuesday evening sessions. And now I’m in the Sgts mess I have a private room with plenty of space to have a proper work bench for model making.
Look forward to your next build, your Paddlesteamer build is fantastic and I enjoyed reading about it.

raflaunches · « **Reply #212 on:** August 24, 2023, 05:04:17 pm »

Well the order from Cornwall Models arrived this morning and so modelling could commence.
I have used lithoplate sheet for the steel deck. This is easy cut to shape with either scissors or a Stanley knife. I had to cut out two hatches for the rudder servo and rudder tiller arm access. Theses will be hidden by careful cutting and sanding to blend into the deck. If you’ve never used lithoplate before you do need to rough up both surfaces to get it to glue down permanently- I did this with some 240 grit sandpaper. I glued it in place with my trusty superglue from B&Q and when the glue had taken proper grip I carefully filed down the edges flush with hull sides.
The anti slip strips are a weird looking piece of the deck and I have decided to use plastic strip 0.25 x 1.0 x 300mm to represent this prominent feature of this class of warship. I have had to start to draw out the basic design so I have created the boxes which will be filled with the ‘etna’ pattern strips which look like little mountains. This is going to take a while!

tonyH · « **Reply #213 on:** August 24, 2023, 06:19:05 pm »

Lovely work Nick. Definitely a job to check and recheck whether your mojo is back with a vengeance! It's definitely going to be a star attraction at Mayhem 2024.

raflaunches · « **Reply #214 on:** August 24, 2023, 06:24:59 pm »

Many thanks Tony

Considering I’ve only got a few clear shots of the deck with the etna strips it’ll be a close approximation as I’m using the deck profile drawing in RA Burt’s book British Battleships of WW1. There is a lot going on in this area especially when I add the on deck torpedo tubes and gantry’s. It’s making sure it’s symmetrical and looks correct and if I have to measure four times before I commit then it will be four times as it’s such a feature. But thank goodness the mojo for building is back!

Geoff · « **Reply #215 on:** August 25, 2023, 12:27:47 pm »

Nice progress. I would counsel you make a kind of jig for the deck strips. Once you have the first one in place a simple plank should give you the exact space for the next one. I think you are going to have fun!!

Cheers

Geoff

Geoff · « **Reply #216 on:** August 25, 2023, 12:32:23 pm »

As a thought, if you make each strip too long you can run a ruler down the edge and cut and then scrape off the excess so all the angles are the same, maybe!

raflaunches · « **Reply #217 on:** August 25, 2023, 12:45:38 pm »

Hi Geoff

It’s like we are like minded! The boxes as I’m calling them are luckily easy to line up using a steel rule and cutting the excess off. I’m making a jig for the etna pattern as you say so I just tape it to the area and line up the strip and few days of superglue to tack them in place before running some super thin glue around them.
I’m actually enjoying this more than I thought!

ballastanksian · « **Reply #218 on:** August 25, 2023, 04:08:06 pm »

Sometimes the jigs are more fun than the job they are designed to complete. I drew up a load of jigs t make 1:6th track links for a planned (but unfundable at the time) tank model. Lots if fun!

raflaunches · « **Reply #219 on:** August 25, 2023, 04:14:14 pm »

Well that was a bit annoying- not you Ian or Geoff!

I found a better plan showing the layout of the etna strip boxes- luckily it didn’t affect the ones I had already laid down but thankfully just a sand down to remove the pencil lines to make the box lines that run lengthwise to be more consistent in width. Oh the fun!
The photo of the Glorious I am using shows the area around the turrets and they show more consistent sized width wise plates that travel lengths ways more parallel than the RA Burt drawing. So I’m using the ones in Shipcraft book which seem to match the photos more closely.

raflaunches · « **Reply #220 on:** August 25, 2023, 07:51:05 pm »

Some of the excellent pictures found this afternoon in several books on the subject of British Battlecruisers. Yes I know she is a Large Light Cruiser! You can see the deck profile I’ll be referring to for the anti slip etna strips.

ballastanksian · « **Reply #221 on:** August 25, 2023, 10:05:51 pm »

We have likely seen the same images in similar books Nick! Those strips are annoyingly quite thin, but still need representing. I did wonder if Unbuilt nautilus's* method of representing hull plating using masking tape and filler would work for such a job? I wonder partly because of the availability of that wonderful litho plate. Still, you have made it work so I look forward to seeing them all in place!

*I am sure it was he who did this on a Flower Class corvette model at his club workshop/room some years back.

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #222 on:** August 26, 2023, 09:30:19 pm »

The Etna strips are interesting. Obviously they were cheaper than timber decking which saved money but they were also indicative that the ships were never destined to serve away from home waters as wood decking was needed to insulate the mess decks from temperature extremes. Also it would suggest that the ships were intended to have a relatively short service life when the assumption was that battleships would be replaced after 20 years.

The usual decking back then was teak for capital ships and cruisers but even then it was becoming expensive. When Nelson and Rodney were built the decks were lined with the softer and cheaper fir wood.

Colin

raflaunches · « **Reply #223 on:** August 26, 2023, 10:13:12 pm »

Interestingly the Courageous class was the last class to have etna strips, the first being the Renown class. If I remember the reasoning was weight reduction and cheapness. Problem was that Fisher was having his input at this time and was obsessed with his ‘Baltic Invasion Plan’ which relied on fast light (relatively) low draught vessels bombarding the Baltic coastline in support of the proposed invasion plan. The Renown’s were retrofitted with traditional wooden decks during their refits in the 1920s and 1930s whilst the Admiralty didn’t know what to do with the Courageous class post WW1 hence their consideration and eventual conversion into carriers.
Another side note from one of my previous models- the Insect class gunboat was retrofitted post war with fit decks when they were posted to the Far East and the admiralty realised that they needed insulation in the heat of China.

dodes · « **Reply #224 on:** August 28, 2023, 08:40:31 pm »

Talking about whether they were home waters or overseas, I know one of them served after WW1 on the China station for a while, a friend of mine long time ago offered to to give me two paintings done on spider webs of one of these vessels and a V/W class destroyer painted by a china man in Hong Kong for his father who was stationed out there at the time, the B/C did look impressive in the painting.

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Author Topic: HMS Glorious 1917 (Read 21642 times)