Hello to everyone. I want to build a gearing class destroyer with FRAM I or II in a 1/350 scale because I served in one of them. I bought the dragon USS DD-710 and I figured out that it needs lot of modification. so before to scrachbuitl, I want to know if are there a kit to make the changes?. thank you
I too served on a destroyer both before and after FRAM. It,s really NOT that hard .The real thing is do you have photos of the ship in question? That will help a lot .We carried one thing that I never saw on a FRAM ship. We had,for a short while, an L.C.V.P. on the port side 01 level.It was stowed very tight to the hangar and it was a dilly to figure out how to cradle it and leave room to walk around it .Our captain, being the officer he was, gave that job to the damage control guys.He said we needed to learn how weld aluminum anyway.It was a definite change from the old profile and she rolled like a sick duck.The thing about it is from the main deck house forward bulkhead it was the same as before FRAM. Our ship lost mount 2 and it was replaced with those little torpedos and the 5" training machine.The thing that amazed me was all the darned antennas all over the place! I can,t think of any destroyer that was FRAMMed and then saved somewhere.Remember they FRAMMED some FLETCHERS too ! Well , I hope you can get or have some good pictures.I have built three of the U.S.S. OZBOURN-DD 846 and that was from memory. I am sure there was stuff she shoulda had and some things she didn,t have , and some things got omitted. I tried though. Good luck . Oh, before I forget, The 710 is a good base for this scale. My first one was based on a widened ,stretched LINDBERG -"U.S.S. MELVIN - the “BLUE DEVIL” tankerbuilder
Don’t know any conversion kit. Iron Shipwright has several FRAM I and II resin kit in 1:350 scale. Scroll down to the Post WW2 ships near the bottom of the page:
http://ironshipwrights.com/ships_350.html
And they have the Gearing FRAM I in 1:192 scale too.
Ricardo- Which Gearing were you on? I did a little time on Theodore E. Chandler (DD-717) in the Tonkin Gulf back in 1973.
hello tankerbuilder Thaks for the information, and yes I have many good pictures of the ship after FRAMM and are right I will have lot of work with the antennas.
thank you Keilau. I founf the destroyer with framm in ironshipwrights, it´s a excelent but a expensive option. I will continue looking for the convertion kid or some like that have hangar and asroc.
Hi Subfixer I was commisioned like a midshipman in the ex-USS Streinaker (DD-863) in 1994 in the mexican Navy with harbor base in Acapulco and operations in the Mexican Pacific only. she was E-11 Netzahualcoyolt (a Aztec God) (E= escort) now has the same name but the numeral changed to D-102 (D=destroyer). thanks again for your help.
The Historic Naval Ships Association has a PDF scan of the Booklet of General Arrangement plans for the USS Keppler (DD-765) FRAM II upgrade. The date on the plans is 1965
http://www.hnsa.org/doc/plans/dd765.pdf
You should be able to use these plans and use some styrene card stock to FRAM the Dragon Gearing kit.
If you need them, I can set you up with some triple torpedo tube launchers and an ASROC box launcher.
There is a 1/700 FRAM Gearing DD from either Corsair Armada or JAG I can’t remember which. I’ll see if I have a picture of one.
thank you Ed the plans are perfect to continue with the proyect, and like you said I will use them on a styrene card.
HEY , RICARDO, when did you serve and what ship? I was on the U.S.S.OZBOURN D D 846 on pacific duty also .She was Desron 12. And to my knowledge she was about number 12-16 to go under the FRAM axe. TANKERbuilder
Hello TANKERbuilder I served in 1994 in the E-11 Netzahualcoyolt (ex-USS Streinaker (DD-863 in the mexican Navy with harbor base in Acapulco and operations in the Mexican Pacific only. I am building a ship where I was commisioned vessels, ships and airplanes.
RICARDO,this is like deja-vu. I did a tour aboard what became the ALMIRANTE BRION in the ARGENTINIAN NAVY. That was an experience! I do believe that I would,ve wished for more duty like that!.Your career sounds like they pretty much ran you through the wringer anyway.I am glad to have friends across our southern border that knows how to drive a ship like a FRAM destroyer .WELCOME ABOARD by the way . TANKERBbuilder
Thanks for the welcome and sorry by the delay. it´s great to know you were operating in a latinoamerican Navy, always is good experience can interchanged kwnolege and skills with a other navys. about my carrer: I studied like a cadet (1989) in the navy academy for a “Navy ciencies ingenier” in other words to be a line oficer aboard ships, but after 2 years aboard in a diferents ships class (gearing, holzinger and azteca classes), I did the fix wing pilot course in 1996. since that date I´ve fliying diferents aircrafts and now since 2008 I became a Navy flight instructor.
well nice to meet you TANKERBuilder.
RICARDO,don,t worry about any delay.Is there anything about your FRAM I can help you with? I don,t have pictures ,but,if you can afford the expenses(I don,t know about postage in MEXICO.Send me a letter and we can communicate that way.I can also send you drawings that way too(in scale of course) .What kind of aircraft are you flying,I guess the MEXICAN military ACADEMY makes you do some of everything before they graduate you.Unusual , but , good for you.This way you can decide where you want to specialize.That ,s good isn,t it? Take care and if you would like I am sure F.S.M.can hook you up with my E-MAIL address. TANKERbuilder.
I also served aboard the USS Ozbourn 1963-1965 as first Gunnery Officer and later as ASW Officer. I have several pictures which would assist in a accurate build. Are you a member of the Ozbourn Association? Planning to attend Ship’s reunion in 2015.
Norm
Hi Tankerbuilder, If I understand you correctly you were wondering about a FRAM destroyer still in existence. Wasn’t the Joseph P Kennedy that is in Fall River Mass. with the USS Massachusetts a Gearing that was FRAMed? I was just told it was. I have been there twice but I really don’t know the difference between a destroyer that was FRAMed and one that wasn’t.
Just wondering
“Doc”
USS Joseph P. Kennedy (DD 850) is a FRAM 1 conversion. There are two FRAM Gearing class destroyers in existence in the United States, USS Laffey (DD 724) and the Joseph P. Kennedy. I believe there is one Taiwanese ship as well but I am not certain.
Good luck with your conversion project! But, check out the Iron Shipwrights resin kits. They are quite good.
Bill
Dr. Hu :
Funny how life is isn’t it ? I to am called - " DOC ". For me it was because of my degree in ship design , modular steel Naval structures and Metallurgy . I worked for some odd companies over these many years . Yeah , I know about the "Joe " . She didn’t match the " OZZIE’S ’ profile though .The F.R.A.M.s , depending on where done , were as different as ticks on a dog .
Okay , Norm ;
What is your full name and Rank ? Never did join, because of some personal issues with some of my crew-mates from back then . When I left the OZZIE my career changed abrubptly . I got to go to college .graduated high in my class and went on to design many TANKERS and OIL - SPILL response vessels . Contact me on the E-mail part of this site , Okay ? "DOC " P.S. There was one officer I really respected for his honesty and truthfulness . Was that you ?