Essex Hanger Doors

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

I am building the Trumpy Essex. I have cut away many hanger doors and put aircraft inside on the hanger deck. It looks great–but now I find that with the deck side elevator in the down position (I want a Hellcat with folded wings on it), the hanger door posts there are not far enough apart to allow for an aircraft to enter the hanger deck. Help! What am I missing? What is the correct solution?

Chris

2

I checked my limited resources here at home and they all show the rails between the roll-up doors going to the deck edge elevator. I can’t tell you what they did. It doesn’t look like they are removeable. The LPH I was on they had large sliding doors for the deck edge elevators.

I am also doing this model and am also opening most of the doors at least part way. And plan on putting airplanes in there.

3

Chris,

Can you explain a little more?

The opening of the hangar deck door is too narrow to fit an aircraft through?

Let me know and I’ll post up some photos.

Jeff Herne
Modelwarships.com

4

Jeff:

When the deckside elevator is down, there are five hanger doors that can be opened–the center one being the widest. But it is not wide enough to let an aircraft with folded wings to pass through into the hanger deck. So somehow the door posts must be moved/removed, or they didn’t take aircraft down that elevator!

I know on later Essex’s they had sliding doors.

I hope this helps.

Chris

5

Ok, that explains things…

The Essex class had a 5 part door…the individual sections of the door could be opened, or the entire door could be opened to allow aircraft to fit. The doors themselves would travel upward beyond the posts, and the post could then be removed.

I have photos of Essex Class with the posts removed, so if you’re questioning that, go ahead and open them up by removing all the posts. They would be rolled up into the ceiling of the hangar.

I have a close up photo of USS Leyte that shows this…

Jeff

6

Jeff:

Thanks, I will take the two center posts out. (I would like to see your referenced pictures; I have broadband).

I know you were away for a while, so would you mind looking at my post of 11/22/03 on defensive carrier tactics? Enquiring minds want to know!!

Thanks a lot.

Chris