HMS Colossus Light Carrier

[Don Boose]

Barry –

I’ve been doing some reading about the Colossus-class carriers. You probably already know this stuff, but I’m putting it in for the record and for any corrections/additions you or any of the others may have.

You said you wanted to build the ship in the WWII camouflage. I’m not sure about the colors of those ships of the class that served in home waters, but I presume the ones that served in the Pacific would all have been in the Admiralty standard camouflage scheme with the blue side panel. The first four ships of the class (Colossus, Glory, Vengeance, and Venerable) formed the 11th Carrier Squadron. [Norman Friedman, British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft, Annapolis”: Naval Institute Press, 1988, p. 229] The Pioneer (along with Perseus, completed as a support and maintenance ship) also went to the Far East and Friedman has a photograph of that ship in the Admiralty standard camouflage. [p. 133] Colossus and Glory arrived too late to see combat. I’ve been looking for evidence that Venerable and Vengeance (which arrived in the theater first) may have participated in the final air operations of the war, but no joy so far. Both have web sites that include chronologies, but it isn’t clear whether they participated in combat operations.
http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chr...-Venerable.htm
http://www.hms-vengeance.co.uk

If you want to build a deck load of aircraft, Glory was initially equipped as a night-fighter carrier with 32 Hellcats and Fireflies. Vengeance was equipped with Barracudas and Fireflies. Colossus was equipped with Corsairs and Fireflies. No info on Ocean. [Roger Chesneau, Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the Present: an Illustrated Encyclopedia, London: Arms and Armour Press, 1984, reprinted by Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1995, pp. 132-133.]

If you build it as the Arromanche, I’ve come across a photo and profile of an Aeronavale Seafire Mk. III of Escadrille 1F and F.22 that served aboard the French ship in 1947. [Richard Ward and Ted Hooton, Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XII-24; Supermarine Seafire Mk.1-47, Arco-Aircam Aviation Series No. 8, Oxford: Osprey Publications, 1969, reprinted by Arco Publications, pp. 29 and 42.]

Of course, my preference is for one of the ships that served in the Korean War. In that regard, the September issue of Model Aircraft Monthly has a pull-out section on British Commonwealth aviation in the Korean War, including the Fleet Air Arm participation, an excellent article on the 13th Carrier Air Group (HMS Theseus) by Tony O’Toole, and another O’Toole article on the Fairey Firefly. Most of the Firefly Mk. Is that served aboard Theseus were in the post-war Extra Dark Sea Grey and Sky color scheme, but some were in the WWII temperate sea scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey upper sides and Sky undersides. The black and white identification bands were applied very early on, perhaps even before the first combat operation against Pyongyang on 3 July 1950.

I’m still hoping that Nobi will do a repaint of his 1/48 Firefly I in one of the Korean War schemes worn by the Theseus aircraft.

All for now. I am off to Cape May, New Jersey tomorrow for a week’s holiday, but when I return, I hope to start a thread (if Rick and Jason approve) on the Fleet Air Arm 1945-56, with info on aircraft, ships, color schemes, and available card models.

More later,

Don

[dansls1]

All for now. I am off to Cape May, New Jersey tomorrow for a week’s holiday, but when I return, I hope to start a thread (if Rick and Jason approve) on the Fleet Air Arm 1945-56, with info on aircraft, ships, color schemes, and available card models.

I don't know why anybody would have any issues - your input on history is interesting, enlightening and the abundance of resources you quote leave open many options for anybody wishing to pursue any of the topics further.

[rickstef]

i consider myself a student when it comes to military history, and I have no problem with the write up, i love watching documentaries of battles and the like

Don let it rip when you get back

Cape May? i thought you had more class than that :p

[Don Boose]

Thanks, Rick. With regard to Cape May, "a bit of what we're used to does us good," and, although Wildwood has its charms, we prefer the birds, wetlands, food, and total absence of casinos and ferris wheels at Cape May. Lil and I began our holiday last night with three dozen Jersey Salts on the half shell split between us. On the way down, we passed through DrTed's home town of Avondale, PA.

Dan - I'm sure you noted the comment, "Colossus was equipped with CORSAIRS and Fireflies."

Barry -- That said, I now return the thread to you.

Don B. (Transmitting from the Magic Brain Cyber Cafe in Cape May after a morning of birding that included an eastern meadowlark, a tundra swan, and three pied billed grebes, in addition to the usual suspects: northern gannets off shore, widgeon, northern shovelers, gadwall, great white egrets, great blue herons, yellow-rumped warblers, etc., etc.)

[dansls1]

Of course I noted that Don. The sad thing is, even before this thread, I had added the old classic 'Baa Baa Blacksheep' DVD's to my christmas wish list...

[rickstef]

Don, I live in Wilmington(Bear Area), parents live in Hockessin

Rick

[CMDRTED]

Don, where at in Cape May?, we stay down there too, off of Mass. avenue, if you come out of the Wawa and look down that street thats Mass. I agree little noise, sun and beach!

[Don Boose]

We rent a cottage at Cape May Point on Brainard Street, a stone's throw from the beach. Maybe we will cross paths some day. Of course, we drive through Hockessin, as well.

Sorry, Barry, we have throughly highjacked your thread, but I trust it will get back on track now. We may need a paper modelers at the Jersey Shore and Delaware estuary thread! Now, off to the very cold beach!

Don B

[Barry]

OK Don on it's one and only sortie into Korean waters apart from the letter P and some differences around the funnel on the superstructure it could be anyone of the class. Thanks for the pictures which showed the aircraft types although they show a contra prop Seafire which I can't find plans for but they did confirm she still had pompom AA at the time. One of the Seafires was shot down by an american bomber after which they were painted with D day type wing flashes.

I think I should have entered this one in the no comfort and joy thread the stern and bow are nightmare creations and not that successful. The underwater hull started out quite well, but with my uncertain grip in handling things it looks pretty beaten up and dented. The flight deck now sports a horrible blob where the paint brush took a trip on it's own. Hopefully i can patch it with an overlay. I need to find some haze grey card. Correction I should check the whole set of patterns and rebuild it there is an 1/8th inch error in it somewhere.

Cheated on the boat cutouts glued them to the hull sides gives a lot more room for error correction.

It's an interesting ship because it has the same external dimensions as a Majestic class carrier so it can have angled flight decks and aircraft from Corsairs to DH110 jets.

It's built at 1/400th running out of space and I have to fit Richelieu in somewhere.

[Don Boose]

Barry -- I'm glad to see this grand ship starting to take shape and I'm glad you chose to model HMS Triumph and I am glad to have contributed in a (VERY) small way. It certainly is a beautiful hull shape -- I think these were among the most beautiful carriers ever built (until they were modified with huge radar lanterns and canted decks).

I see also that I still owe those who are interested an essay on the Fleet Air Arm of the early 1950s. Once I get the book and a few other things done . . .

Don
ps: We will be headed for Cape May again when I return from the conference in TelAviv. I hope to make a start on my own NC&J project (and maybe finally finish one or two L-5s) while there -- in between walking the beach, observing the birds, and downing as many Jersey Salts on the halfshell as possible.