1/600 USS Pope - US flush-deck destroyer

[waynemac]

Does anyone here have experience with the latest (Naval Institute Press August 15, 2021) printing of Norman Friedman's book on US Destroyers? Some reviews on Amazon pan it as having poor quality photos and cheap paper compared to the original printing. USNI pubs are usually excellent, but I am concerned at the risk of laying out $60+ for a poor quality reference.
Wayne

[waynemac]

Originally Posted by Foute Man

Some pics from Warships International to compare with: DD-224 USS Stewart 1940, also built by William Cramp & Sons

What issue did you find this in? I have some WI's from the 1070's and might have the same one.
Wayne

[Foute Man]

Originally Posted by waynemac

What issue did you find this in? I have some WI's from the 1070's and might have the same one.
Wayne

There's a series of articles about USS Stewart by John W Klar running from 1988 untill 1990 (volume 25-27).
Found a read-only version (free registration required) here:

"USS Stewart" (DD-224) Design and Construction: PART I (Vol. 25, No. 4 (1988), pp. 376-383 (13 pages))

History of "USS Stewart" (DD-224) 1920-1941: PART II (Vol. 25, No. 4 (1988), pp. 384-398 (15 pages))

World War II Operational History of "USS Stewart" (DD-224) (Vol. 26, No. 2 (1989), pp. 139-167 (29 pages))

USS DD-224 (ex-Stewart)—The Voyage Home (Vol. 27, No. 1 (1990), pp. 74-82 (9 pages))

The drawings can be found in the first article (vol 25, no 4)

[Don Boose]

Nice to know that Warship International is available through JSTOR. I may consider de-accessing the fifty years of WIs in the basement.

You are an invaluable and generous resource, Foute Man!

[waynemac]

I ordered a copy of the Warship Perspectives on the Flush-Deckers. It should arrive by the end of the month.

In the meantime I am working on other parts of the Pope. I added small boats and davits, and modernized aft deckhouse, and the bridge as I see it now.

Wayne

[waynemac]

I found that there were at least two layouts of the Galley Deckhouse, on which two of the 4" guns were mounted. The attached pics 19 and 20 show the main differences between them. I haven't yet sorted out the different bridge layouts.

The other pics show the latest bridge (18) and the "notches near the bow for the anchors (21).

Wayne

[georgerutherford1861]

It's really coming together! A question: are you able to "re-use" any common fittings (like gun mounts, maybe davits and ships' boats) from one model to another?

Doug

[waynemac]

Originally Posted by georgerutherford1861

It's really coming together! A question: are you able to "re-use" any common fittings (like gun mounts, maybe davits and ships' boats) from one model to another?

Doug

Doug,

I have re-used some parts like guns. The gun mounts in this model are firsts so far. They are old/obsolete guns I have not had in any of my earlier models. I have greatly simplified my small boats, so I can re-use them, too. Davits are pretty simple so I wouldn't feel the need to re-use them.

I have considered making guns, small boats, etc for 3D printing. They would make the kit multi-media, but I think they might look better than the paper ones I have designed. The same goes for other small deck fittings. Just a thought at this time.

Wayne

[PaperBender2021]

I’ve always thought of the US “flush deck” destroyers as sort of the Model T of the US Navy.


Basic and no frills, but a ship to get you around… instead of swimming.


They certainly ended up being everywhere and anywhere in mid-20th century history.


Rather unremarkable, when compared to their later WWII period sisters, some had very remarkable rendezvous’ with history. The USS Ward (DD-139) at Pearl Harbor and HMS Campbeltown (formerly USS Buchanan) during the St Nazaire raid come to mind.


Here on the US west coast, where I live, a whole squadron of “flush deck” destroyers aground in the fog at Honda Point in 1922, the worst US naval disaster before Pearl Harbor, and still one of the worst in peace time. Another, USS Delong (DD-129) ran aground about 20 miles from my home in 1921.


While doing some research a few years back, I came across the fact that two old “flush deck” wrecks still exist here in the San Francisco Bay Area, USS Thompson (DD-305) and USS Corry (DD-334).


The remains the USS Thompson was sunk in the mud flats of the South Bay back in 1944, where she was supposedly used for target practice. The wreck is still identified on the San Francisco Sectional Aeronautic charts, just south of Hayward Airport.


Much more of the rusting hulk of the USS Corry (DD-334) is still aground on the banks of the Napa River, just north of the old Mare Island Naval Base here in the Bay Area.
You use to be able to walk out to her, but because of efforts to restore the local wet lands, she is now on an island, a short kayak boat ride away from the main shore.


I’ve gotten as close as I can from land (a couple hundred feet away), but I’ve never visited the island she is on. Maybe someday, an adventure to take with my grandson maybe.


She is on the far side of a low island, so the pictures are not great, but I’ve seen drone videos and a video from a couple who kayaked inside her rusting hull. Both come up with a web search of USS Corry


She was decommissioned, disarmed and sold as a floating hulk. Towed up river and beached to act as a break water for a private company back in 1930.


Not as pretty as your model will be, but fascinating to see a little piece of that “flush deck”er history so close to me.


PS USS Ward (DD-139) was built at Mare Island Naval Base, in just 17.5 days (Keel laying to launch), a record, so she has another bit of local history connection too. I started a self-designed personal paper model of her at 1/72 scale a few years back, but only ever got a few sections roughly built. She would have been over 5 feet long. I was going to put a remote-control car inside to be able to drive it around. I always have big dreams, the best to you and your’s.

[waynemac]

The model design is coming along. The basic configuration is for a "typical" flush-decker in early 1942. I will make different bridge structures, funnels and deckhouses, etc for other configurations. The attached pics show the hull, bridge, funnels, aft deckhouse and one torpedo tube mounting.

Considering there were 273 flush-deckers in three subclasses, made by 11 shipyards, and that as more modern destroyers were built, these were modified for service as mine layers (DM), mine sweepers (DMS), seaplane tenders (AVD) and fast transports (APD), there is a vast number of possible configurations. The various camo measures applied increases this even further.

The propeller guards are really large for such a small ship. They are also a bit complex, so I am probably going to make them from card rather than from wire/rod.

Next is to add details to the parts - portholes, doors, deck fittings.
Wayne