You guys are killin’ me. For a long time I have considered doing a build of the Revell T-2 as my dad’s ship, the USS Aucilla (AO-56) but couldn’t find any good pictures of her and was uncertain how to jumboize the T-2 kit into a T3-S2-A1. The I found this thread and was getting excited about finding pics on the German website, but before I can check it out the site is gone.
Any ideas on how I should go forward? Should I get T3 plans? I would be doing Aucilla in her Korean War fit (although she was cruising in the Med when my dad was aboard as the captain’s yeoman). Do you know if she had that great big truss/kingpost across the beam aft that I have seen in pics of other postwar AO’s? My dad also claims that Aucilla had a helicopter pad amidships but I’m guessing it was a marcano deck that didn’t have deck cargo on it. I’m also wondering about armament – dad says the only thing he remembers is the 5-inch on the stern, no other heavy or light AA at all.
look in this link http://www.navsource.org/ under Auxiliary and Service Force Ships under Fleet Replenishment Ships (AE-AF-AKE-AO) in Fleet Oilers (AO)
This ship ID is AO-71 I see her all the time at work. I work at the Soo Locks and she usually comes in once a week during shipping season. She used to be called the Middleton and is now the American Victory.
I ordered the T3- (both tanker and AO) plans today, and while I can’t go making people copies, I’ll give a full report when I receive them as I have the T2 already. They’re cheap- $10 to $15 each and you only need one per type.
BTW the Esso Glasgow has disappeared from Revell’s catalogue and the online stores, so now would be a good time to grab one if you see one. I just did off eBay.
It always happens…I use all of my torpedoes on coastal steamers and small merchants, and then on the way home I run into T-2 and T-3 tankers…last night, I had one “eel” left and slammed it into the side of a T-2…didn’t sink…I then pumped about 20 88mm shells into her…nothing…all I had left were 40 star shells…what the heck?..used those…she kept steaming along at 5 kts…had to watch her get away…
DDP, I’ve seen those Navsource pictures before and all but the undated one (in the camo scheme) are about 10 years later than the period I want to model (1954). There are two big booms aft that are in the 60s pictures, and the bridge structure is different from the undated camo photo to the 60s photos. I’m hoping there are 50s-era photos out there somewhere.
I’ll be interested in hearing how the T3 plans are so that I can figure out whether lengthening a T2 kit is worthwhile.
Got into a convoy last night…sank 2 T-3 tankers…those bastards are hard to bring down…one took 3 eels and stayed afloat for 2 hours…I hid under her as she lay dead in the water so the escorts couldn’t get at me…they finally left, I scooted out from under her and she broke her back and sank…I shiver at the thought of what would have happened had I not moved my boat in time…won the oak leaves to my KC for that…
Either you made Brest in record time, and got fitted out in record time as well; or someone found a milk cow for undersea replenishment. Either that or you really need to lay off the schnapps.
I’ve finished the grunt work, shaving off the cast railings. The trick is to leave the last part to the sanding stick. I’ve cut them off horizontally, otherwise the decks are too narrow. There’s the bottom bar left on the edge, but it sands off ok. Away with all the Aztec steps. I was going to hold out to post pictures after the next step-sand, prime sand prime. But I wanted to post a pic because I’m really excited- the model got to that point where it jumps out as a realistic representation of what you’ve stared at in 100’s of photos. The trick was the remodeling of the bulwarks at the islands- where the putty is. I also took a tip from Fred and glued a piece of stretched sprue up/down the stern and filled in from each side to give her a more sharp stern.
The kit walkways across the decks are useless, but will be easy to scratch. I am not going to try to add detail to the deck piping, except that I’m going to add valve wheels, and I have a trick. Think model railroading- my true hobby passion.
As for the engine room skylight, I sanded off the big ridge down the middle and am going to try to find a pic, but the end result will be a series of flaps with little ports in each, I think.
Good progress Bill! On the two kits I have done I dealt with the rail removal differently, and I think you have the better solution. I took off the rails by scoring along the inside with a blade, then just snapping them off. Easy! But as you point out, that makes the decks too narrow, so I had to set them down into the hull instead of on top. That makes a problem with all the superstructures being a little too low because of the unique design that cuts the bulkeads in half.
I’m planning the exact same thing but keeping the ridge and only doing 3 flaps per side and using clear acetate for the flaps and TMW portals as well to try and replicate a A2 style greenhouse. Just too much surgery for a A1 type which was longer. BTW the T3 you plan on doing are you going to do another one as a converted Bulk freighter like MV American Victory?
Woohoo my Glasgow came today. Also ordered up two tins each of 5L and 5O, plus two frets of railings from White Ensign. Kind of a splurge but it’ll get me through these two. Flat black I’ve got. The Measure 32 with pattern is going to be awesome I hope on the T3 AO.
Jeeze I am going to miss Tom, a lot, and I’d hope that his products are available, but I have the feeling they won’t be. I have a fret of his 1/400 sailors, and was planning to get some 1/72 Lewis guns.
Just waiting for those plans from the Smithsonian. ordered both the T3 and T3-AO.
ddp, tonight I did check out your other link. I was surprised because there are some new pictures up on Navsource I hadn’t seen before, especially the 1957 “All Hands” photo that was almost certainly taken when my dad was aboard. I wish it was larger and better quality. I need to do some research on when Aucilla’s refit was done because there was a definite change in the aft kingpost/boom arrangement between the 50s and the 60s. Dad’s memories were clearly wrong about the armament because she still had most, if not all, of her guns well into the 60s (cut him some slack; he was a yeoman, not a gunners mate!)
I just sent an email to Frank Gerhardt, the owner of that US Maritime Commission website. I dug up his address from an old correspondence we had. He used a couple of my pictures.
Anyway, if he responds, maybe he can give an idea if that site will be renewed somewhere else.
