Gabriele Profeta Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Hi fellow britmodeller members, recently I have modelled an HC Smoke Float Mk I as used aboard US and Commonwealth vessels during WWII. I have found online an Ordnance Pamphlet dated September '43 (OP No. 1042) describing its construction and usage: https://archive.hnsa.org/doc/smoke/index.htm#pg57 The said document has B/W drawings of the said float, showing the lettering 'HC SMOKE FLOAT', apparently in light color over a navy gray background: A drawing of the similar Floating Smoke Pot M4A1, displays additional markings relative to filling station and lot number in a similarly light color: I have also found in another website (http://jproc.ca/tribmod/details.html), a picture of the museum ship HMCS Sackville with (reconstructed) smoke floats on top of her depth-charge racks. Apparently, their body is painted light grey under their waterline and light blue above it. The black markings read 'SMOKE FLOAT MK [unreadable roman number, probably I or II]' and 'NOT TO BE STORED BETWEEN DECKS IN HM SHIPS'. Moreover some vertical lettering, too small to be intelligible, is stenciled across the waterline and repeated at intervals of 90 deg one from the other: I am now wondering which paint/marking scheme would be more correct, and whether different Navies might have used different schemes. Knowing that British smoke ammunition had a red band painted around the body, and wanting to depict the smoke floats in RN use, I opted for this color both for the band and the markings, but I am in doubt about the correctness of my choice: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriele Profeta Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 Update. I have found a better detail of those floats as depicted abord the Canadian Flower-class corvette: https://c8.alamy.com/compit/wahetw/guerra-mondiale-2-esplosivi-sul-hmcs-sackville-wahetw.jpg The vertical markings bring the lettering 'INERT', so I wonder whether using in its place the 'HC' code (for hexachloroethane mixture) would be correct for non-inert ordnance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny L Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Hi, The body of the British Smoke Float Mk6 was Light Brunswick Green BS 225. https://fmfcoatings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BS6-1024x574.png The red band was about 2 inches down from the top of the Float. The markings were in white just below the red band. “Float, Smoke No 6” and “Not to be stowed between decks in H.M. Ships”. Regards Danny 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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