Shipbucket

HMS Fiji 'as built'; still WIP as I'm not so sure if she had any radar fit this early (one reason why they landed to spotter palnes). She was one of the ships lost in the Battle of Crete, when quite a few RN warships were sunk by the Luftwaffe.



This shows the Fiji's last moments 523 crew survived but 241 were lost, not uncommen for that time of the war:



I expect to do two more versions of the Colony class, HMS Trinidad as at the Battle of North Cape, and HMS Bermuda, to show how this class were modernised post war; and we also have the ships in service with India (Mysore) and Peru (Almirante Grau) that I hope to do also. Then there are the two Superb/Swiftsures, and finally HMCS Ontario of the same sub-class.

And really nice to do justice (at last) to Kims superb COA

Watch this space

Before anyone spots it; yes it should be the Jamaica at the North Cape sea battle, so:

HMS Jamaica
HMS Bermuda (or other modernised)
HMS Swiftsure
Hms Superb
HMCS Ontario
INS Mysore
BAP Almirante Grau

Nice work for a WIP!

From my sources (Whitley) Fiji received Type 284 radar and two quadruple 0.5in HMG mounts added before her loss. That of course could be anytime between June 1940 and May 1941... Looking at other info on cruiser refits it seems more likely to be 1941 as 1940 radar refits were often only Type 279 and the other Colonies got their 284 sets later in 1941 (autumn/ winter).

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Thanks shipmate. I only showed her with Oerlikens because I'm not so happy with the multiple 0.5-in mount - its just too large scale for the drawing; I could try redrawing it but I'll wait and see. Its a bit confusing about the various radar fits (one reason I've shown her as earlier). With the Jamaica, she had the the bigger 273 first, forward of the bridge, but then got the the smaller 272 mounted on the mast, but apparently kept the 273 for a while and may have been using both at the Barents Sea battle, but then (from photo's) lost the 273 and kept the 272, but was this before or after North Cape?

With the Fiji, she is pre the Crete campaign, so no camo, and from one rough drawing it looks as though there was a tub atop X turret, but what was in it is anybody's guess

Any suggestions gratefully accepted

Yeah, I've redrawn the quad HMGs to make it smaller but its probably still too large. The problem is the lack of detail if its much smaller and it was quite high.

Regarding X turret, your missing the rangefinder atop of the turret, as shown on an aerial photo from 20 August 1940 of Fiji. All the Fiji Class had them, it was a fixed rangefinder and director to enable the removal of the aft DCT from the Town Class design to save weight/ topweight/ space and allowing an extra HACS aft. It seems some ships later had two single 20mm placed forward of the director at the rear of the turret but without tubs it seems in some. Whether Fiji had anything on X turret is open to question since it never received extra 20mm singles (as far as I know).

Friedman's 'British Cruisers' has some awesome Fiji alternative plans etc. but it will be some time before the OGFL will get around to them all!

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Very nice work!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

It may be still a WiP, but already looks great!

I second Eswube At the same time you've provided me priorities of badges to be completed. 6 of the 7 I've already have as WIP's

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Work in progress:
DD County Class PNS Babur (1982)(PAK)
FF Type 21 Class D182 PNS Babur (2000)(PAK)
All relevant Coat of Arms

Quite good looking WIP Bill.
As for the ship itself, Hood is right about the range-finder on X turret, a design feature of the class. It was indeed to enable the mounting of a third HACS right aft along with the two sided ones on the bridge.
Radars might have been Type 279 on the masts and maybe Type 285 on the HACS as well as Type 282 on the Pom-Pom directors. There might have been also Type 284 on the DCT but that is extremely doubtful.

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Thank you Kim for the crest

"Never fear to try on something new. Remember that the Titanic was built by professionals, and the Ark by an amateur"

Thanks gents, you've helped with the 'thingy' atop X turret. And thanks for the compliments all. Kim, I'll pm you re the Jamaica, I've got a proposition you might be interested in

'My wife has gone to the West Indies.........'