Well I was bored on Tuesday, so I decided to make a new convoy ship for Nats, one that can be used on either side, Axis or Allied. So of course it's Italian. I just had it in my bath tub running it around, and it worked great, steers going either forward or reverse. To get it down in the water, I have a 10 amp D cell string in it, with a speed control. I still need to cut the barbette down about 1/2 way, I made it too tall. All thats left to do, is add the turret, tripod mast with observation platform, and a small smoke stack, and the mushroom top on the top of the turret. Hopefully it will all be done tomorrow. I did have to add the 3/8 extra depth, just so that it would have the MWC minimum requirement of 1/2 inch of freeboard. I think the Axis will hate her this year, LOL. Side view Bow top view Lower stern, drive gear
Looks more like a monitor than a convoy, though, so speaking hypothetically, the axis might make a stink about her playing in Campaign. {Disclaimer: I'm not going to Nats this year, so that won't be me doing it, just predicting a response} Between this monitor and Pete D's amphibious ship, I predict a brew-up on what exactly is legal at this Nats. So apart from my prediction, have you asked Rick (as the resident senior Axis captain in the area) what he thinks of it being used for convoy? Again, I think it's a cool model, albeit one that I would rather see armed, but I'd hate to see you get it all set for Nats and have it become an issue. Is that the Fa di Bruno? 15" x 8" or so? As shallow as she is, she'll probably turn okay even with 1.5 sq in of rudder area and 2 props! Armed, she'd be the evillest monitor on the water
Dont see why it would not be legal. Every year I see carriers as convoy ships at Nats, which when equipped with guns are 2.5 units?
One more thought....won't 30 sec. be rather optimistic for a speed? Could it not be prone to being a dynamic diver?
Dave, I'm not going to make an issue of it, I was just saying that some people WILL. Some carriers were used as transports (ferrying either people or planes without actively operating them), which (I think) is the basis for the people who use them as convoy ships. My personal belief is that if someone wants to use a carrier as a convoy, they need to use a class of ship that was actually used as a fighter transport or people-hauler. Saying that all carriers carried planes around isn't good enough. If/when it comes up at Nats, feel free to tell anyone who is interseted how I feel about it (not that my opinion matters much in the greater scheme of things). My point on the Faa di Bruno is that it never played any convoy-like role. You're a friend, and I don't care enough about what's strictly a convoy to piss you off because I like having you around and being on your good side I just wanted to warn you that the Axis, heavily outnumbered already, might not accept it as a legit convoy ship (not that one convoy more or less will save the Axis at the current odds). The good news is that the hissy fit they're going to pitch over Pete D's convoy will eclipse anything that the di Bruno will arouse.
I will find out come Sunday when I put it in the water at Rick's. But I dont think so from what I saw in the bathtub. She was small enough, that I was able to almost turn circles in it, and raced from one end to the other end of the tub, the nose actually lifted some. Clark not to worry, I would not get upset at you for asking me a question. You brought up a point, that I will have to look at. If so, then I will have to just arm her, easy enough to do, with her wide beam.
Hum, it looks like you may be right Clark after further review of the rules, how did I miss that line, looks like I will have to arm her after all. Now question is, 1, 50 round gun, or 1, 25 round, with 1/2 unit pump? But they may only give her a 1/2 unit, but she did have twin 15 inch guns, you would think it would be a full unit.
Well upon further reflection, according to the rules, all it needed to do was move supplies from one place to another during its life, before she was converted, she was a ocean going barge, and what were barges used for? To transport supplies! I will ask for a rules interpertation.
Actually, the first two ships built under the order to build monitors were a floating crane, and a Venetian garbage scow. Both proved to be unseaworthy (and either wrecked or sank), so the third (Faa di Bruno) was designed for the purpose by a naval architect. What really ticks me off is that I KNOW for a fact that I used to have drawings of the other two (including below the waterline) and that I can't find them anywhere now. GRRR! The other two looked totally different and only had one screw.
It was still made using junk laying around the Venetian harbor, just properly designed junk. See if you can find the pics, would be interesting to see. The Fa also went aground, and it took them a year to refloat it.
I profoundly want to find them, because one of them was much smaller than the Faa, and had an interesting hull shape (a semi-conical tunnel cut into the bottom that led to the propeller). It'd make a very interesting small monitor although I'm pretty sure it would need a CO2 cartridge vice a bottle, for weight reasons.
Keep with the Fa. I love the look of it with the dome over the guns. I just never realized it had such a blunt bow. IIRC wasn't the original armored with concrete?
Nice ship Dave, any pics of the innards? I like guts. Oh and make sure you have a good deck seal in case its windy. ;-) Whats the deal with Pete D's ship? Dana has a tiny (6") PT boat which is legal so if its tiny i don't think that will be an issue. If its truly amphibious it still has to "sail on the water for a period of 5 minutes" I would suspect a CD would say you must do that in one 5 min period not a min here and then a min on land and so on till you have a total of five min on the water. I mean it is a game about naval combat after all. Either way (for both ships) Im sure someone will complain about something, nature of the beast, but really its two one hour battles a year that the axis generally don't dominate in anyway if you catch my drift. Ehh Cant wait to see it in person!
Chris, the innards of Pete's convoy are secret, and I can't violate that, as much as I dislike 'secrets' in construction. It will become apparent at Nats, in any case. I can say that he built his USS Gunston Hall according to the plans. Dave, did you make the whole top deck removable, or just a section down the center?
Well all the superstructure is on, epoxy is drying right now. I even installed the 2 heads hanging over the stern, Officer and enlisted. I will paint it and then take some more pics to post. I think the dome came out pretty good over the turret. Clark, look at the first pic, and you can see the outline of the center section that lifts out, I plan on adding 2 retainers on each side to hold the deck down.
I can't wait to see pics with the topside stuff on it! Now, if you can make the pump exit under one of the two heads Maybe with a mix of green and red food coloring dripping into the stream for color
