Tumpeter 1/200 Fletchers (Yes, plural)

CapnMac82

 

 

EdGrune

Getting her loose of the bollards which hold her in place will be an interesting evolution.

 

 

Especially given the unique way she's on display.

She's on blocks alongside the Mississippi River.  As the river ebbs through the summer and into winter, she goes "dry."  Come the Spring flows of the river, she goes "wet."

It's my understanding they allowed for floods along the river in the mooring/mounting.

So, the tricky part abotu getting her to a dry dock would be in having to wait for full river flow, to float her off her keel blocks.  Yet not have this being under unpredictable water conditions.  I imagine they'd want for more than one River Pilot for the tugs.  But, it would only be a short tow down to the yards on NOLA.

 

 

The Kidd was floated out of the cradles yesterday and is enroute down-river to a shipyard in Houma, LA for a maintenance period.  

If they need spring high-water to get off and back onto the cradles, don't look at a museum tour for a while (the Mississippi has been beset by low summer flows).  

EdGrune

, don't look at a museum tour for a while

I want to remember that they were expecting 6-8 months' of yard tiime.

Your point does make me wonder if they can use camels to hoist her back up.  There's not a lot of bank-side room for that sort of thing.

A bit of a "season" of maintenance, what with New Jersey, The Sullivans, and now, Kidd, all getting either yard or maintenance time right now.

Has this model been released yet?

On one of the webcasts they talked of needing the spring high water to get off and on the cradles.   This year they were worried because the water was low.  Mississippi River water levels were historically low.  if they didn't start work this year they stood to loose state money.  They monitored the weather and saw a flooding event in western Pennsylvania.  They monitored the flood down the Ohio R and needed to go now.  They had a 48 hour window.   

As it was they removed the 1951 rudder extension (6 to 10 feet? ) and were talking about removing the sonar dome to make the available clearance  

They plan on being out at least until next springs high water.   They will likely move to a convenient dock near Baton Rouge to be ready to strike when high water is available

Hi:

 Yeah! Her moorings are unique to say the least. But given the situation it just proves a point. Nature is not static and is changing constantly. Most thought that the flow would be coming with regularity. But, What about Flood Controls upstream,? Plus a hotter than usual year.

BigJim

Has this model been released yet?

 

Not yet.  I've heard the Fletcher first this summer followed by The Sullivans and lastly the Pringle.  I have a Sullivans pre-ordered through Squadron

Oh boy I've tried for over a day to open this site despite constant 504s.I am really looking forward to visiting the park in Buffalo. I'll be there the last week in June, and the ship will be closed for repairs starting July 1st.

Bill

i did get out to Buffalo last week and visited the USS The Sullivans on Wednesday.

It's a nice tour, only disappointed was that I couldn't go below.

I skipped the Little Rock as the boarding ladder was at a 45 degree angle and matbe 15 feet tall. Right now my knee isnt up to it.

Bill

Well!

      Be glad you even got a topside tour. It seems that a lot of these museums forget that the hull, you know that shaped area that is the last bastion between dry and wet, and nature has a way with them.It's called rust and corrosion. I had commented about the old Cutter I converted to a liveaboard. Well ,that's why the C.G. put her in the yard. The bottom was getting a wee bit thin in spots. They fixed those, surveyed one more time and said fresh water for her. Can't use her anymore-Bye!

CapnMac82

 

 

GMorrison

I don't think I've ever seen a Fletcher in the flesh

 

 

Best one to visit--at least for my 2¢--is USS Kidd, in Red Stick.  She's in 1945 anti-kamikaze fit, with a pole mast, five turrets, and Meas 22 paint scheme.

Cassin Young is a free tour (it sits opposite of Constitution in Boston harbor), but you only get to see the main deck.  She's interesting for being one of the very few "reactivated" Fletchers retaining all five turrets.  She was given a tripod mast, but retained "bedspring" air search radar.

The Sullivans in Albany, NY is an interesting trip, if a bit overshadwed by having Little Rock alongside (only preserved Light Cruiser, anywhere).  She's generally in her late 60s, four-turret fit.  Her 3"/50 Mk 33s may be in better shape than the four on Little Rock.   Maybe.

Your Mileagae May Vary

 

Thanks Cap for this post I had no knowledge of the Little Rock until I read it and shes only a few Hrs drive for me. Expect some pictures in the future! :)

Edit: Dang - USS Little Rock is in Buffalo NY not Albany - that's too far for a day trip.

Tanker-Builder

Oho!

     Ya gotta catch the Pacific War museum.They have on display one of the last two Higgins boats that ever served in that theater.
 

Hey TB - when you mentioned only a few Higgins boats left, did that include this one?
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/world-war-ii-higgins-ghost-boat

JoeSMG

Edit: Dang - USS Little Rock is in Buffalo NY not Albany - that's too far for a day trip.

OOps, my bad, USS SLater, DE-766 is in Albany, and not a bad tour.

Ok, and "too far for a day trip" does mess with my Texas sensibilities, abotu 280 miles, Albany to Buffalo, or about the same distance as DFW to Houston, a trip I take once a month for work.

And, I "get it" places are different in size and scope.  DFW is near-nigh 80 miles across, about the same distance as Boston to Springfield.or Springfield to Albany for that matter.

DFW metro is around 5.2 million in population, not quitethe Massachusettes population of 5.8 million (Although the 7-county "dfw area" is well over 6 million.  Houston is right at 60 miles E/W and 75 mile N/S (depending on whereand how you measure).  The immediate metro is 7.8 million, the 9 county coverage is over 10 million, or nearly a third of the entire State's population.

Years ago. We did a project in Southlake. Open land then.

Well I didn't take too many pictures of DD 537. Been done.

She had at least two positions of twin 40s and at least six double 20s.

One torpedo launcher.

Nice to walk around, tight little ship. Single chair barber shop.

A couple of hedge hog launchers. One depth charge rack.

Bill

CapnMac82

Ok, and "too far for a day trip" does mess with my Texas sensibilities, abotu 280 miles, Albany to Buffalo, or about the same distance as DFW to Houston, a trip I take once a month for work.

I hear ya Cap, but we don't have those wide open spaces you do. Buffalo's a pain to get to from Burlington VT, lots of secondary two lane highways, mountains and forests. Google says 6.5 hrs one way

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Burlington,+Vermont/USS+Little+Rock(CL-92,CG-4)

Burlington to Albany is more doable, mostly interstate and decent highways.

I knew there was a DD in Albany I wanted to see, but my next trip will likely be the USS Salem & USS Massachuettes, though the're a bit out of the way too.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Burlington,+Vermont/USS+Massachusetts+(BB-59)

All on my post retirement bucket list though, along with USS Olympia, and across the river from her, the USS New Jersey. Those last two I just descovered, are almost exactly the same distance, timewise from me as is the Little Rock.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Burlington,+Vermont/Battleship+New+Jersey

And of course the Crown Jewel of my bucket list tour, the USS Texas...

I won't waste Googles time calculating that trip - She's definitely outside of my theater of operations.

Years ago. We did a project in Southlake. Open land then.

Well I didn't take too many pictures of DD 537. Been done.

She had at least two positions of twin 40s and at least six double 20s.

One torpedo launcher.

Nice to walk around, tight little ship. Single chair barber shop.

A couple of hedge hog launchers. One depth charge rack.

Bill

EDIT: Unintentional repeat.

Bill, why did you repeat your last night post?

JoeSMG

but my next trip will likely be the USS Salem & USS Massachuettes, though the're a bit out of the way too.

Battleship Cove is pretty cool.  But, it's a better trip in milder months, like April or May.  You need a day just for Massachusetts.  The Kennedy is actually a pretty quick tour.  They no longer have the Soviet patrol boat.

The real problem is that there's not really a good place nearby to to stay, from Fall River to Springfield to Attleboro is kind of sketchy/skeevy.  Taunton used to be decent, but, it's not great, and Providence is complicated.

Note that Salem is only open on weekends--but, there are a number of quaint places to stay near Salem town itself--even if the town is a bit of a tourist trap.

JoeSMG

And of course the Crown Jewel of my bucket list tour, the USS Texas

Well, perhaps by that time they will have picked out a spot to put her, and gotten the hot dog stand going again (I'm sore jaded on BTC and their motivations [my reference was to the previous "Commission" that had a hot dog stand on the Main Deck aft of the Galley]).  The paint scheme still scans ridiculous to me, it's a mix of Meas 11 and 12 and not at all Meas 22 in the slightest.

Thank you, great info. Hopefully I'll be able to con..vince the wife to come along. Sounds like we can: Drive to Salem first on Saturday, check out the cruiser, walk around town, have dinner and stay the night there. Sunday, have a short drive to Battleship Cove, spend as much time as she'll tolerate then head for home.

Apologies for the thread hijack

where is your funeral home located so we can send flowers on your dimise?

JoeSMG

have a short drive to Battleship Cove,

I cannot promise it's a "short" drive   It's about 75 miles, about an hour and a half in no traffic.

Brandon Lowe of Squadron said he will have a pre-release copy of the Fletcher at his booth at the IPMS Nats later this month.  It will be available to be pawed over

So, ben releaased a video on the second Test Shot for the three Fletchers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKqjsTiSWNE

Cool stuff there, once Trumpy gets Marketing in gear and gets the boxes made and all.

For one, appareently Trumpy figured out how to mould 5 sides of superstructure parts.

So, USS Stevens will include the Kingfisher and catapault right out of the box.

The Sullivans includes a square bridge and her unique armament as launched

USS Fletcher appears to be in "as launched" condition.

Each of those will offer fertile ground for aftermarket parts.

From the video, the only major hiccups on the hulls would be a lack of bilge keeps and the sonar dome, and a slight fit issue at the bow (this latter detailed in the video)

The Trumpy gun mouldings will probably spur a lot of aftermarket weapons buys.

These will be very much "right size" build kits as the hulls ought come in right at 22"/562mm long.  If Trumpy can keep the MSRP at or under a c-note these ought to be pretty popular