British Ship Plan Cost

**redhorse** · #1 08-29-2008, 07:43 PM

I've been looking at the French government site with all of ship plans and I'm amazed, especially that they are free.

I've heard that the British govt. has plans as well but that they charge an arm and a leg. Does anyone know where I can find out how expensive they are?

**looker** · #2 08-29-2008, 09:52 PM

Quote:

they charge an arm and a leg

Yeah, I've heard they cost as much as organ transplants too.

They're kept here National Maritime Museum: sea, ships, time and the stars : NMM go to Contact & enquiries : NMM then Buying a ship plan : Contact & enquiries : NMM It looks as if the cost could add up to quite a bit, depending on what you want.

**redhorse** · #3 08-30-2008, 02:54 PM

Thanks Looker, I appreciate the links. It looks like the research might cost more that the plans...

**B-Manic** · #4 08-30-2008, 03:38 PM

I don't know what you are looking for but this may help . . .

eBay Store on eBay Canada ? PLANS N THINGS: Search results for hms.

If not contact the seller. He has plans that are not listed. He is reliable, I have bought from him several times.

~Douglas

**dapriuk** · #5 09-04-2008, 02:13 AM

I have been researching HMS Agincourt (D86) and am close to exhausting the web and available books for suitable plans/drawings.

I've just sent an email to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich to find out what they have and the costs. I'll post the results back here.

I know plans have been produced in the past for Battle Class, notably by Norman Ough of HMS Vigo of which the NMM has a model(Destroyer HMS 'Vigo' (SLR1602) - National Maritime Museum), and there are current models of HMS Solebay (which is the wrong group anyway), but I haven't tracked down the plans and don't want to pay £300 for an R/C model.

There is one book on the Battle Class by Patrick Boniface but this has no line drawings at all and seems to cover the same information that is readily available from web sources. I am still waiting for a book by Norman Friedman - "British Destroyers and Frigates: The Second World War and After" which I hope will have more detail than the Boniface book.

The next step will be to try the British Library or perhaps one of the Battle class builders that still exists such as Swan Hunter.

This is turning into a bit of a treasure hunt...

**Don Boose** · #6 09-04-2008, 04:45 AM

It would be great to see a paper model of a Battle-class destroyer.

Best wishes for success in your treasure hunt. Edward March's British Destroyers 1892-1953 contains a fair amount of detail on these ships, but I don't think the drawings are adequate for your purposes.

Don

**maurice** · #7 09-04-2008, 06:22 AM

Quote:

It would be great to see a paper model of a Battle-class destroyer.

Possibly not quite what you meant Don.:D
This is a very small, very, very old model with a fictitious penant number.
First group, 4x4.5" & 14x40mm

**Don Boose** · #8 09-04-2008, 06:45 AM

Not exactly what I had in mind, but an attractive little model, nonetheless. Thanks for sharing it. Do you also have a Weapon class?

Incidentally, in the course of an unsuccessful attempt to identify the other ship, I took another look at my copy of March's book and find that there actually is a pretty good foldout drawing of the Battle class, as well as a drawing of the bridge layout.

In the case of the other ship, I assumed it was one of the wartime emergency flotillas, but the shapes of the bridge superstructure and the funnel defeat me. I give up. What is it?

Don

Don

**dapriuk** · #9 09-04-2008, 06:58 AM

Thanks for the March reference Don, I'll try and get hold of a copy.

In the case of Maurice's picture, I think the grey ship is a Battle class,the staggered pair of Bofors on the rearmost platform are indicative for me. I suspect the white model is of a Kelly class (J, K, N series), certainly HMS Kelly itself had the twin 4.7" on the rear platform whilst the Battle class started with it in the "Q" position behind the funnel. I believe most of the Battle class which was designed primarily as an AA destroyer for the Pacific theatre had it subsequently replaced by dual Bofors.

David

**dapriuk** · #10 09-04-2008, 07:08 AM

Oh my, Amazon lists two copies of the March book. It's listed as a collectable and they are asking over £200 ! On other sites it's listed at CDN $350 for example.

I hope you have yours insured Don.

David