HMS Ben-my-Chree: UPDATE 20-08-17

[thorfinn]

Started 'cutting plastic' today on a long-percolating dream project: the WW1 seaplane carrier HMS Ben-my-Chree, the real vessel converted from the Isle-Of-Man packet steamer of the same name in 1915. I first became aware of this vessel's history decades ago---ironically, while looking for a 'heritage' name to 'borrow' for a scratchbuilt science fiction project. I continued to randomly search for material on her throughout the years with fairly limited success---a few thumbnail sketches and some grainy photos not showing much detail. Then, in 2008, Ian M. Burns' marvelous book on the vessel and her history came out, and I eagerly snapped it up. It contained a full account of her exploits both before and after entering service with the Admiralty, a wealth of detail in the text, many clear and quite useful photos...and a lovely set of drawings.

 

Things looked good.

 

Thinking ultimately to scratch-build, I pulled out the only broadly-similar type of vessel I had in my stash, with an eye toward sourcing useful bits and pieces, deck fittings and so on. That kit was the Academy 1/720 Titanic, one of a pair I'd picked up when the kit first came out, but had 'never gotten around to.' I started doing some basic calculations for scale...and I began to get very excited.

I quickly 'blew up' the plans in the Burns book to match the length of the Academy kit's hull...and laid said hull down on the resized plans. This is what I got:

 

 

 

 

 

I was gobsmacked. I'd read for years that the Chree in her packet-steamer guise was considered to have some of the most elegant lines for any vessel of its type when launched---in 1908---but what I was seeing now lent a whole new dimension. The scale was different, obviously...but her hull-lines almost exactly matched those to be used some years later for Titanic.

 

 

So here's my approximately 1/320 project. It probably won't be all that quick; I tend to jump back and forth between builds, just to keep the interest going. And I'm not going for 'micrometer' accuracy---a 'reasonable facsimile' will be entirely suitable to my needs. Both hull modifications and scratchbuilt 'upper works' fall within the relatively straightforward range, since in her carrier guise the ship was largely dominated by her 'spanker'---the slab-sided hangar structure that made her so challenging to maneuver in high winds at slow speeds. (Otherwise, it was said, she handled rather like a destroyer.) Looming inevitably at the end of the project will be the biggest challenge: the need to scratchbuild her scale seaplanes: Short 184's and/or Schneiders, depending on the 'era' in her career I choose. (There's an intriguing photo in the Burns book showing her in a bizarre mix of 'blotch' and 'dazzle'-type camouflage, so I've got the feeling her early 'dress' may win out.)

 

No photos yet, but I've already trimmed down the Titanic's raised bow and stern profiles and puttied the main seam and a few other bits on the hull. (The kit hull seems to have been molded in two pieces...but came pre-assembled.) I also cut back the bow-rake to the proper near-vertical profile, added a little 'lift' to the keel profile at the bow, and cut back about the same amount on the keel at the stern. All the hull-plating and portholes will have to go---wrong locations, wrong scale---and photos almost universally show Chree's hull sides as being remarkably smooth and with little plated detail showing. Like a good number of packets and ferries, Ben-my-Chree had a distinctive bow rudder for maneuvering---I'd probably better tackle that first, before I get into much else of the hull clean-up.

 

I'll post photos as soon as there's something worth seeing. Questions, comments, sage words of advice or hints and tips all welcome.

 

Edited August 20, 2017 by thorfinn

[Murdo]

 

[Black Knight]

Interesting; H&W presented the drawings for Olympic in July 1908, B-M-C was launched in March 1908

[longshanks]

You sir, like the original project are definitely out there.......................................

 

Love it, will be watching with interest

 

 

Kev

 

[Paul E]

Now this is an interesting project and a good idea for using that Titanic hull.

 

Scaling hull lines is not that unusual in Naval Architecture and I am wondering given the date of 1908 whether Ben-My-Chree and Titanic share the same Naval Architect and builder. I shall go on to Google and find out.

 

Still it is an interesting project and subject, good luck!

[Rob 1]

That looks to be a lucky break as the hulls appear very close in form - that makes a good start to this interesting and probably fairly unique build. I'll be watching with interest too.

[Seahawk]

From the title I thought this was going to be Titanic as a what-if seaplane carrier, which would have been - interesting.

 

This is a far more interesting project: love that mentality that says on opening a kit box, "What else could I turn it into?"  

 

Pretty camera-shy vessel.  There's a pretty reasonable 3/4 starboard rear view on p.29 of Maurice Cocker's Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy and a 1/4 portside view on p.42 of RD Layman's Before The Aircraft Carrier (possibly taken at the same time) together with a blurry close-up (p.43) along the forward platform which was removed very early in her history.  Alas no sign of any startling camouflage scheme as worn by other aviation ships like Vindictive and Nairana.

 

Good luck: shall be watching with considerable interest.

 

Edit: oops, sounds as if you have already found much better reference material.

Edited July 10, 2017 by Seahawk

[Ray S]

Hello, this sounds like it will be an interesting build! The similarity is uncanny!

 

Ray

[Billydick]

Hi Thorfinn,

 

Going to follow with interest ....

 

BillyD

 

[Martian]

That's one hell of a good idea, I'm definitely in!

 

Martian

[thorfinn]

Thanks to all for your expressions of support. Work is proceeding slowly on some bow reshaping and prep for mounting on some sort of stand.

 

For those who haven't yet come across it, this is the excellent book by Ian M. Burns---available, I'm sure, at finer booksellers everywhere. Well worth acquiring, for those with an interest in Ben-my-Chree...early carrier aviation & operations...and/or the seemingly little-remembered Eastern-Mediterranean theater of WW1 activity. Lots of fascinating stories and photos, and really gives one an appreciation for the perils of operating aircraft from ships...particularly when those aircraft are generally-underpowered confections of wood, wire and canvas.

 

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Yours second hand for only £98 on Amazon.co.uk...  (time to look in Abe Books, methinks!)

 

Fantastic idea; I'm in!

[Martian]

17 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Yours second hand for only £98 on Amazon.co.uk...  (time to look in Abe Books, methinks!)

 

Fantastic idea; I'm in!

Glad I got mine when it came out. At that price Amazon know where they can stick their book: sideways!

 

Shocked of Mars

[thorfinn]

1 hour ago, Martian Hale said:

Glad I got mine when it came out. At that price Amazon know where they can stick their book: sideways!

 

Shocked of Mars

 

That's a bit of a shocker! When I picked mine up brand-new, I recall it being a bit on the pricey side, but not quite that dear. (Glad I found it when I did. I figured---the topic not being exactly of 'general interest'---that the print run might be suitably small.)

[mdesaxe]

Mine (bought about a month ago from Amazon UK) cost 38.48 including international shipping to Provence.

 

A P.S. for Thorfinn: My older daughter is an undergraduate at Goucher College.

 

Maurice

[thorfinn]

17 minutes ago, mdesaxe said:

A P.S. for Thorfinn: My older daughter is an undergraduate at Goucher College.

 

Tres small world. I live about 2 blocks away!

[Martian]

I paid about £25 for my copy.

 

Martian

[thorfinn]

Sorry to all for the long silence. Project is temporarily on hold awaiting---of all silly things---more sandpaper. (There's a fair amount of real estate on the hull, and sanding sticks just wont do it.)

Should get cracking again soon.

Cheers

[thorfinn]

 

Finally a modicum of progress to report.

Much filling and sanding...filling and sanding...filling and sanding, well you get the picture. The Academy Titanic hull got kudos from reviewers for being fairly well-detailed: lots of plating, access hatches and such, but all out of scale for my purposes. Sample photo of stern area:

 

 

I briefly considered 'sheathing' over the hull detail in thin sheet---which it retrospect might have been much faster and easier---but finally decided to just sand down the 'top layer' of detail to an acceptable level, then use regular white putty to fill and sand the 'trench bands' that extend much of the length of the hull. One rationale for this was a technique I've had some success with in other projects involving similar hull mods: I block-sand the hull overall to get a basic (more-or-less) unblemished surface; then do the final sanding with fingertip-pressure, which results in fairly subtle 'ripples' in the softer putty areas. This does a credible job of mimicking the slight unevenness of even fairly smooth-appearing hull surfaces, to be enhanced with some further scribing and texturing of more accurate-to-scale plating .

Here's some idea of the 'trenches' to be filled from Titanic's hull:

 

 

And here's a 'before-and-after shot, showing basic sanding and priming done. Cut-down bow bulwark is visible, as is a trace of the bit of 'hollowing' I did to Titanic's nearly-vertical bow sides to approximate Chree's slightly-more gracile prow. I used styrene strip to add the new 'brow' at the reduced hull-line. Also visible is Ben-my-Chree's added bow-rudder for maneuvering (in her original packet steamer ferry configuration) into close berths and piers; that bow rudder continued to prove useful when the addition of Chree's slab-sided hangar structure acted like a giant spanker sail in even light winds, making piloting challenging.

 

 

I did some quick calculations and determined that some Evergreen pre-scribed N-scale car siding stock I had would be just about perfect for decking. Here's a photo with that added (over sprue-section hull braces added to stiffen the hull inside. I had to use two sections of siding to 'plank' the nearly 15-inch-long hull, but the join was placed where the hangar structure will be, so easily hidden.

 

 

Still need to add the 'proper' detail for Ben-my-Chree's hull: plating, fittings and portholes. Here are some 'photos of photos' to give some idea of what will be required.

 

 

 

The sharp-eyed among you will note a difference in the aft/mainmast location between the two photos. The more forward location was 'as built'; it was later moved to the aft kingpost to extend the w/t aerial wires for better communications. I haven't completely decided yet, but since I'm leaning toward her short-lived 'cool' camouflage scheme from earlier in her operational history, I suspect I may be doing the 'as built' configuration.

 

That's it for now. Thanks to any and all for having a look-see, and I'll hope to have a bit more progress to show in the semi-near future.

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by thorfinn

[Max Headroom]

Interesting! I have to admit that my knowledge of ships is virtually nothing. However in aircraft terms aeofoils have 'standards'; NACA comes to mind. Is/was there a standardised book of hull types too?

 

She was built by Vickers in Barrow - so not that far from Belfast. According to Wikipedia one of her aircraft is responsible for the first torpedo attack on another ship.

 

Trevor

[Martian]

Good progress!

 

Martian