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Explicit Women - LONG TERM HMS Fearless 1982 double build


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Having incorporated info on the mainmast from the Intrepid plans (as above), the revised FS 82 mainmast looks better - I was already slightly concerned that the mystery defunct radar platform was too high before, and I was right.  Better now, though:

 

40345050341_4bf1a28e66_b.jpg

 

Since then I have been working my way aft, adding the Seacat directors and a launcher (the other one is invisible behind part of the superstructure from port), the whip aerials on Flyco roof (which were lowered to horizontal in action - that's what the dotted line over Flyco is about) and starting to fill in the area round the Cheverton (boat) and F8 LCVP:

38535456650_c629b1a61f_b.jpg

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Now complete as far aft as Flyco, I think (though experience tells me that I will keep on spotting little things for a day or two).  First with the Cheverton on its davits, then the same view without the boat

39650735244_6382632d07_b.jpg

 

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The "ghost" door on the port funnel is to show that there is a door on the inboard side of it - these are supposed to be useful for me when I come to model the ship, not just pretty pictures!

 

More soon

 

Crisp

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Bit more - just stopping for the night: similar view to earlier on, but with the 2 LCVPs in position, plus a couple of things I had missed.

 

40364220861_cc32edf4ec_b.jpg

 

Detail around Flyco & the flight deck crane:

25492287107_23abe1f6d2_b.jpg

 

And now starting on the catwalks:

40364221101_83d7745b5e_b.jpg

 

Finally, the whole ship as of now:

25492435077_7a8c66ae02_h.jpg

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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The only way I can decide what to put in and what to leave out of a scratch-built model is by understanding what was there on the real thing.  I left the ship over 35 years ago, so I can assure you I ain't planning to do this from memory!

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Getting quite close to finishing this port side view now.  I thought it might be useful to show her...

 

1.  Waterline view in normal steaming configuration:

39484525535_8185ce6ff4_b.jpg

 

2.  Waterline view in docked down configuration, dock gate open:

39484525335_5fcf0d709d_b.jpg

 

There was a third configuration called "Pre-Action", where the ballast tanks aft were partially filled (to save time later), but she could still sail around without a free surface of water sloshing about inside the dock (which anyone who has ever studied ship stability will tell you is about the most dangerous set-up imaginable if the ship is rolling very much).  I cannot find any details of it, and anyway I can't see the advantage in wanting to model in that state.  It's somewhere between the two!

 

[Incidentally, below is a quite well-known photo of FS in action in 1982, which is often erroneously captioned; this is NOT (as is often written) a shot of her LCUs setting off for the beach on 21 May.  It was actually taken 2 days earlier than that; fairly late in the piece it was decided that having all the troops in FS & ID was a recipe for trouble, so we took a calculated risk and docked down in open ocean (which had never been done before) to cross-deck the Paras to Norland.  Using the LCUs it didn't take long; doing it by jackstay (which was a serious suggestion if it had been out of limits for LCUs and/or flying) would have taken many hours.  The giveaway that it is definitely not on D Day is the fact that the LCVPs are still firmly on their davits.  The weather, as you can see, was very much on our side that day - as it was the following day when we transited in through the TEZ to San Carlos; fog & low cloud - perfect!

 

Great photo, though - and it shows Fearless in her natural element, docked down, using her main armament; the landing craft]

39484672365_1960e19bac_c.jpg

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Port view finished.

 

Here's the final bit you hadn't seen:

26516703758_ae9a2a506f_b.jpg

 

And here the whole ship:

26516703658_c1592c19b5_h.jpg

 

There is a mistake in both pics - the support frame for the kedge anchor has obscured the dock gate behind it (easily fixed, but I have only just noticed it).

 

I have already taken a major step forward with the starboard view: a lot of this can simply be flipped round, so the next bit shouldn't take as long.  Having said that, I have a busy couple of weeks coming up (and the wrist ought in theory to be starting to come back into action 2 weeks from today).

 

More soon, anyway

 

Crisp

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11 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

There is a mistake in both pics - the support frame for the kedge anchor has obscured the dock gate behind it (easily fixed, but I have only just noticed it).

We were just being polite in not mentioning it Crisp....:lol:

 

Glad to hear that the wrist is on the mend.:thumbsup2:

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Less "sexy" than the previous ones, but absolutely crucial for the scratch-builder: [incidentally, spot the "deliberate" mistake.... you cannot use the same labels for port and starboard for view from for'd AND aft...]  D'oh!

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More soon.

 

No, you can't have copies; these are for my personal use only!

 

Crisp

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Final shape profiles session:

25633980147_ae17665312_h.jpg

 

Now I can't put it off any longer; here we go again!  The basic outlines and the focsle have just been flipped horizontally, but she was very far from symmetrical otherwise, so back to Detailsville!

25633980107_468284c54d_h.jpg

 

More soon

 

Crisp

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Crisp, an excellent back story as always, and an excellent project.

 

I have read through and it is simply stunning work so far.

I believe your interpretation of the loading dock mooring arrangement that you have drawn above would be correct.   There would be 2 pairs of Bollards either side of the central Capstan as this would be the logical way to work ropes for mooring alongside, Mediterranean moor (stern first) or to work vessels in the loading dock.

 

If you have any questions on interpreting plans I will gladly offer my small experience as many items of deck iron mongery that are common to warships and merchant ships have standardised symbology on a drawing.  

 

I'm watching with interest!

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Thanks for all the kind comments, chaps!  I am merely updating and interpreting the Jecobin ID 1972 & FS 2001 plans, so 99% of the plaudits should go to them.

 

That said...

 

I want to appeal to the Britmodeller Hive Mind for its thoughts; I am pretty sure that I am right, but since that means that Jecobin plans contain an error, I want to be sure....  

 

As those who have been following this for a while already know, I have now got as far as the starboard profile.  When working on the various vent "chimneys" (my term!) - the tall ventilation shafts that climb up both sides of the ship, I couldn't get the geometry of one of them to work.  I am talking about this one - the tall thing on the right of this picture, poking its head above the upper deck.

25719101367_fa54992998_m.jpg

 

That picture is a clip from some "sail-around" pics of both FS & ID when they were in the trots in Fareham Creek, decommissioned and awaiting disposal.  The ship nearer the camera is Fearless, so this is her as she ended up after all her refits - well over 20 years after the period in which I am trying to draw her.

 

OK, ignore the vent chimney for now.  The possible Jecobin error is the position of the bulkhead ("wall" to any landlubbers!) which is just behind it - in shadow in the pic, aligned with the rear face of the mainmast.

 

Jecobin's plans show this wall much further forward - in BOTH the 1972 fit (i.e. as originally built) AND the much later version.  This is the relevant area from my original plan drawing, which reflects Jecobin's view.  Note how the athwartships bulkhead ("side-to-side wall") is aligned approximately with the FORWARD face of the mainmast.  This IS how they were originally built - but this whole area was remodelled in later refits (which is why Airfix's 1/600 Fearless needs so much work - the hull shape is actually pretty good, but most of the superstructure is wrong unless you're building her initial fit).  The question is, was this area filled in before or after 1982?

40547403782_d5c5219489_m.jpg

 

Really clear evidence from 1982 is hard to get, but the best evidence I've found is a close-up (so rather blurry, I'm afraid) of a well-known photo of Fearless in San Carlos with an Argy Dagger visible between her masts.

40589733851_77c7a3ce42_s.jpg  - sorry this is so small!

 

Even at that size, however, you can clearly see the "chimney" and the bulkhead in question, with a Seacat launcher aft of it (and, incidentally, an improvised machine gun position above it on the corner).

 

I think this proves that (gasp) Jecobin are wrong, and that the part of ship in question should in fact look like this:

40547403612_6cf785721e_m.jpg

 

If you have followed this... do you agree?

 

Crisp [incidentally, now with a fully-functioning wrist once again]

 

[By the way, is it possible to amend Auto-Correct settings on a browser?  I am getting very bored with Apple "correcting" my so-called misprint of Jecobin for "Jacobin"]

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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