Mark Harmsworth Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 At first light HMS Emperor turned into the wind in the North Atlantic 120 miles off the coast of Norway. Emperor was an escort carrier with 20 Hellcats on board from 800 and 804 Naval Air Squadrons and was part of a large force planning to put a few dents in the German battleship Tirpitz. It was 3rd April 1944 and this was Operation Tungsten. Tirpitz was sheltering in a Norwegian fjord and was about to start sea trials having just finished repairs from damage caused by an earlier attack by midget submarines (Operation Source). The 800 squadron Hellcats took off from Emperor as part of the first of two strikes. Each strike comprised 21 Barracudas fitted with a variety of bombs to maximise damage plus 40 escort fighters. Hellcats and Wildcats to suppress the shore and ship anti-aircraft guns and Corsairs and Seafires to provide top cover. Here we have FAA pilots planning the Tirpitz mission on the deck of Emperor. Possibly posed methinks. The image below shows Hellcats on the deck of Emperor getting ready to introduce themselves to Tirpitz. The first strike achieved complete surprise with the alarm only sounding as the Hellcats and Wildcats were beginning their attacks. As a result the anti-aircraft guns were rendered largely ineffectual. The Barracudas achieved 10 direct hits and although none fully penetrated the deck armour there was significant damage. This image shows the attack underway and a direct hit. The twin wake is someone making a speedy departure in a launch. The second strike followed and had similar success hitting Tirpitz another five times. Most of the damage was to the superstructure and between the armoured decks. Bombs also exploded in the water opening holes in the hull and causing flooding. The Fleet Air Arm had just managed to undo six months of repair work. No defending fighters were encountered but two Barracudas and their crews were lost. Tirpitz never again left the shelter of the fjords surviving another seven months, and a number of further attacks, until a final visit from RAF Lancasters with their 12,000 pound tallboy bombs. A slightly interesting point is that the cruiser HMS Belfast was part of the covering force and (for those that may not know) is now a museum moored on the Thames in London between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Emperor was in action throughout the remainder of the war. First with anti-shiping operations off Norway then providing cover for the landings on D-Day and later in the south of France. After a re-fit she saw extensive action in the Indian Ocean against Japanese forces. In the era of Lend Lease the end of war meant time was up for Emperor and her Hellcats. The Hellcats probably all met a watery end and Emperor was returned to the US Navy at Norfolk, Va. She was sold for scrap. On to the kit and my attempt at an 800 Squadron Hellcat Mk I in Operation Tungsten. This is the Eduard 1/48 Dual Combo Hellcat Mk I / Mk II boxing. A straight out of the box build which had plenty of Eduard p.e. (I'll own up to not using all of it) and their canopy masks. There are two options for Mk Is on Emperor and as usual with Eduard there is plenty of historical info but surprisingly (at least for me) there is no mention of the Tirpitz operation. I drilled out the holes in the tail wheel strut, the exhausts and the .50 cals. I also strengthened the wing to fuselage join with a spar from sprue and the horizontal tail to fuselage join with a cocktail stick/toothpick. Grumman provided the Hellcats in Royal Navy colours so the scheme is Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey over Sky undersides. I've used Ultimate acrylic primer and Xtracrylics plus Winsor and Newton oils and pastels for the weathering. And for the first time I added a couple of drops of Liquitex Flow-Aid to the paint. Worked perfectly. One of those – why haven't I done this before - moments. I had a few problems with the decals but that was entirely down to me. One or two look a bit iffy in the pics. And I've still got a Hellcat MkII in the box for the future. Comments appreciated. Maybe the sunrise in the North Atlantic doesn't quite look like the final pic. Artistic licence perhaps. all the best Mark 46 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_ Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Lovely. 👌 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Outstanding 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Very nice indeed. I do like that last photo. Got the Hellcat Dual Combo in the stash & that’s one of the schemes I’ve chosen. Hope it turns out as well as yours. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce bay Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 lovely finish on your paint there. great build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbus320 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Top Cat! Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovely Pig Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Beautiful. Really good value that dual combo kit. Must look into it further 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Looks nice well done... Are you going to follow up with the MkII? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Very smart looking Hellcat! Very well done. Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 oooooh, like that, lots & lots. Hellcats look just so good in this scheme, especially like you've executed it. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 100% Beautiful work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daedalus72 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 That is one nice Hellcat! I recently built this kit and yours puts mine to shame! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Very nice indeed Mark,...... cracking job! Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Harmsworth Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 4 hours ago, Grey Beema said: Looks nice well done... Are you going to follow up with the MkII? I'm now working on an MPM 1/72 Boston which will probably take me most of the winter (I'm very slow) but that'll give me time to think about the scheme for the Mk II. As part of her refit Emperor I believe got Mk IIs for her Indian Ocean adventures so I'm tempted by that. More research needed though. I wonder why I can't just build stuff. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Superb model and an evocative story to go with it – what more could one wish for? Inspiring post! Kind regards, Joachim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Superb build and presentation Mark I love it when the historical background is given on a build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazey Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Lovely model of the Hellcat! And it's always nice to get the background story. Regards, David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldy Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Nice clean build and nice piece of history to go with it. Cheers Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 4 hours ago, MarkH206 said: I'm now working on an MPM 1/72 Boston which will probably take me most of the winter (I'm very slow) but that'll give me time to think about the scheme for the Mk II. As part of her refit Emperor I believe got Mk IIs for her Indian Ocean adventures so I'm tempted by that. More research needed though. I wonder why I can't just build stuff. Mark Just to add a bit more to the history of this aircraft. The aircraft was being flown by Lt (A) Ritchie RNVR when on 08.05.44 he destroyed an FW190. He also flew the machine to destroyed and share in the destruction of He 115s with Cmdr S Orr flying JV125 E*o. A British East Indies Fleet Hellcat II would look mighty fine... BFP ones look good too... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Very smart looking one. And the photo of the bombed Tirpitz reminds me always of the art by Norman Wilkinson, which I wrongly thought it was at or about the final Tallboy raid by the Lancasters. Cheers 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 I do love these contest-rich bulds. Great story, great build, Michael 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanC Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Love it. And yes, a posed shot after the mission. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vultures1 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Very smart Hellcat and interesting history too - well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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