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I think if they went to the trouble to rebuild the superstructure that much, the USN would definitely remove the Mk.34 directors and replace them with Mk.38s.

Also - you could definitely shoehorn another 5"/38 mount where you currently have the outboard-facing 40mm mount at the very center of the ship.

By 1944 you'd also see a lot of floater net bins mounted everywhere possible. I bet the Mk.35 rangefinders would be replaced with the Mk.40 standby gun directors with Mk.27 ranging radars too. You could also add a basic ECM fit on the yards and an early TDY on the front of the air defense platform.

So many opportunities. Would you be opposed to me maybe making a "1945 Buckner Bay" version?

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Ian,

Thanks for the suggestions. I am just now beginning the USS Ranger refit and I will incorporate your suggestions there.

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

No I don't mind at all.

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Here is USS Ranger (CC- 4) as she might have appeared ca 1944 refit to Colosseum’s suggestions.

“I think if they went to the trouble to rebuild the superstructure that much, the USN would definitely remove the Mk.34 directors and replace them with Mk.38s.
Also - you could definitely shoehorn another 5"/38 mount where you currently have the outboard-facing 40mm mount at the very center of the ship.
By 1944 you'd also see a lot of floater net bins mounted everywhere possible.
I bet the Mk.35 rangefinders would be replaced with the Mk.40 standby gun directors with Mk.27 ranging radars too.
You could also add a basic ECM fit on the yards and an early TDY on the front of the air defense platform.”

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Looks very good David.

Only thing I would question is the new centre 5" mounting. Where it is I would expect to see a mounting area on the overhead similar to the grey areas of the 40mm fore and aft of it, and at the same level. At present it looks at the same level as the other mountings with the continuous wooden 'decking'.

I understand what you mean, but short of modifying the deck house supporting the 40mms I'm stuck with this situation.

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

I think the issue is more that this mounting is seen differently on the top view then on the side view.

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If you look closely at the profile the handling room underneath the mount is the same size as the mount.

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French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

would that handling room not connected to the superstructure behind it? In addition, there is a door and a stair on the gun mounting, if there would be no platform around the mounting, there should be another way to get to that, I suppose?

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I think Ace' might be right, a platform around the handling room might be useful, the Alaskas had them: link. Other US Battlships that does not have suche features have the handling room directly connected to the deckhouse so the crew can access the gun mount from it.

There is another modification I would do to the drawing (which is pretty excellent anyway). Five directors for the 5-inch guns seems a bit overkill, four would suffice. I'd delete the one above the aft/auxiliary command platform. This way you can lower and move slightly aft the aft main gun director. Where it currently is it would be permanently engulfed in smoke coming from the aft funnel.

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