Shipbucket

Is it easy to create a template with Tactical Data Link antennae? Link, 11, Link 14, Link 16 etc.

TADIL typically use the normal ship's HF/UHF masts. At least they did on the ships I've served on...

I'm not sure why I never responded to this.

The Mk.38 director system was fitted to the Alaska CBs and the fast battleships only (BB-55, BB-57, BB-61 classes). The BB-55 and BB-57 classes were not retrofitted with the Mk.38 but rather designed with the system in mind. I don't know of any examples of the Mk.38 director being retrofit to any USN ships - the heavily-armored director shield was probably too heavy to make retrofitting feasible.

Some of the Standard type battleships were refitted with Mk.34 directors during the war as well as Mk.3 Mod.2 (FC) and Mk.8 Mod.0 (FH) radars depending on the date of refit. It's very common to see the "oblong" Mk.3 Mod.2 (FC) fitted above the spotting tops on the old battleships (BB-34 class comes to mind). This provided radar ranging to the ships which didn't have the convenience of a fire control tower-mounted director like the Mk.34 or Mk.38.

It's interesting to see how radar was hurriedly added to almost every USN ship as the war progressed. You often see photos of the Mk.33 director equipped with a very odd set of supports for the Mk.4 (FD) radar and then later with the Mk.28 radar dish replacing it. Or pics of the secondary directors on the old battleships with the oblong Mk.3 Mod.2 (FC) jury rigged above it. There doesn't seem to be any standard method of fitment and in my research I encountered several different types of mounts for each different radar - a big headache for the model builder or artist. They were certainly trying to get as many radar sets into the fleet as possible and didn't care what it looked like!

I also realized I just bumped a 2 year old thread. My bad.

edit: Well since I've bumped this stupid thread I might as well add something valuable. Going back to my point about the Standard type battleships being fitted with the Mk.34 directors, here's a series of three great shots of the USS Maryland (BB-46) taken at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on August 21, 1945:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/014645.jpg (looking aft from above #2 turret)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/014644.jpg (looking forward from above the forward smoke pipe)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/014643.jpg (looking aft towards the mainmast)

The first photo shows the usual outgrowth of receiving whip antennas all over the superstructure - several added forward of the pilot house and even more on the spotting top. Note how the spotting top windows have been plated over for extra splinter protection. A trainable TDY jammer is ahead of the spotting top on a small platform, with its attendant "Sword" antenna mounted ahead of the pilot house (importantly shielded from the TDY's emissions, as this antenna was used to monitor reactions to jamming). Two Mk.37 directors with the Mk.12/22 radar combination direct the dual-mount 5"/38s on the wing positions. A very standard search radar fit is on the foremast with an SG above an SK and two "ski-pole" IFF antennas (likely for the BK system) P&S of the SG radar. "Derby" RCM receiving antennas are on either end of the yardarms. These were normally accompanied by "Sword" antennas on the yards but they're probably just not visible in these photos.

The second photo shows the other side of the foremast. Note the large radome for a TDYa S-band jammer mounted just aft of the foremast. Two DBM-1 antennas in radomes are on yards P&S of the mainmast, about level with the spotting top. "NANCY" IR beacons are visible as the "blocks" above and outboard of the second level of the spotting top. Two whip antennas whose nature I'm unsure of are also on the yard-arms, probably receiving antennas for TBS (but not sure).

The third photo is most interesting. It shows the SP/SM height finder on the mainmast (the value of this capability was learned during the anti-kamikaze actions off Okinawa), and this radar is seen on almost all refitted heavy combatants post-1944. More whip antenna have been added basically wherever there was room (in this case, on either side of the emergency conning station and starboard of the aft smoke pipe). The Mk.34 director (the reason for this whole stupid post...) has been added on a pedestal aft along with what appears to be a Mk.8 Mod.3 (or possibly Mk.13) ranging radar. A TBS antenna is on one of the yards, likely with a "buddy" antenna on the opposite yard though it's hard to tell.

Very cool stuff. Sorry for the rambling post.

edit 2: Continuing a long-standing tradition, labeled versions of the photos above:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/161 ... abeled.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/161 ... abeled.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/161 ... abeled.jpg

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USN components, camouflage colors, & reference links (World War II only)

I would have sworn I'd seen it drawn before, but here is the XM501 launcher box for the NLOS-LS. OOOH A BOX, right?

But we might as well have a definitive version.

SPY-1F array with interior, as mounted on Fridtjof Nansen class frigat

Returning to my reference for Mk16 ASROC magazine, after purchased Norman Friedman's World naval Weapons Systems 1997-98 (second hand from Amazon):

http://www.seaforces.org/wpnsys/SURFACE ... uncher.htm

Mk16 itself has maximum rate of fire 3 rpm and elevation limits +85 deg/-3 deg. Knox frigates have the magazine under the bridge, with missiles mounted horizontally. Only reloading procedure I can imagine (Knox, Brooke and probably in some JMSDF destroyers), seeing the joint system of Mk16 is that the launcher slides back after the magazine doors open, line up with the angled base, rounds are rammed inside and then return upwards again, ready to fire. Meanwhile, magazine doors close.

Here is a source to Knox frigate blueprints, probably some of our US members would have better sources.

https://www.kcfpa.org/class/specifications

Willard Marine Seaforce 700 and Seaforce 1100, both (as I understand it) in common USN use at present. Sourcing was of extremely high dimensional quality, but I'll accept some correction on colors

As the 3"/50 RF Mk.27/33 mounts we currently have are pretty much long in the tooth (especially when compared to Colo's new 3"/50 Mk.22 mounts), I made this redraw, subject to refinement :



cheers — wb21

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>"Emotions are prohibited." —YoRHa No. 2, Type B ("2B"), NieR: Automata
>"Wow, if I wasn't a hardened killing machine, that mightta hurt..." —SSgt. John Lugo (1st SFOD-D), Spec Ops: The Line

This Mk27 mount looks fine to me, considering that I have seen the real thing in HS Velos (museum Fletcher destroyer here in Hellas).

Looks great!

Glad to see someone else redoing all my old crappy parts. The original 3"/50 Mark 27 was from 2008!

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USN components, camouflage colors, & reference links (World War II only)