aircraft catapult armed merchant ships

One thing I do know about these is that the catapult merchant ships generally used either British or American catapults, depending upon where they were installed. Also, I read somewhere that the catapult was a British invention and that the Americans bought it as is. If that is the case, getting an American Kingfisher kit in 1/72 scale complete with catapult should be adequate to meet your accuracy concerns.

The one picture I have of a catapult merchant ship shows the catapult mounted amidships, but I guess some may have also been mounted on the bow. I'll try to do some more research for you to find out more.

Cheers Duke. thanks for the info. i'll look or a kingfisher kit with the cat
Greg

Cool. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Did you get the Aztec? I hope it shipped over okay. Looking forward to seeing that too! :-)

Hiya Duke, i shot you an e-mail when i got the Aztec. it probably didn't get to you (i have had a spate of that hapening lately) so sorry about that. it arived safe and sound and i am more than happy with it, thanks. when it is done i will post some pics.
Greg

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing them. If you want, I can E-mail you pics of mine so you can look at them as you build yours. If not, that's cool.

Looking forward to seeing pics!

i would love to see those pics. thanks. i am looking forward to getting started on the aztec. i have got the concorde, a dh chipmunk, a glider and glider trailer / landrover combo for a dio, and something for the n.m.f group build to do before i can get started on it and the hurricane tho. and thats with putting aside my lancaster, whirlwind, fiat g91 and a couple of others till a later date. too many kits and not enough time. sound familiar?.
regards.
Greg

Here is one example:

http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/Empire_Faith.html

You may find more if you Google for either
CAM Ship
or
Catapult Aircraft Merchant Ship

not Catapult Armed

thanks Jratz. i've added it to my favorites list.
cheers.
Greg

HI Greg,
Don't look to hard for that Kingfisher kit with the catapult as it doesn't exist. The hasegawa 1/72 kits with the catapults were for, IIRC, a Jake and an Alf. I'm told they are quite crude. A good source for catapult info is
http://home.attbi.com/~ok3wirebob/Catapults.html
HTH

thanks for the info and link Garyschurr. i'm on the lookout for a hasegawa kit to improve if its possable to make a british one from it.
cheers.
Greg

Greg,

Most of the pics and drawings I've seen would indicate that the catapults on CAM ships were of much lighter construction than those on warships. Most look like they were built out of angle iron bolted or welded together. Makes sense as they didn't have to rotate, could be supported by the deck for most of their length and would only be used for one launch each voyage.

This is on EBAY, It may be of help to you .

Item number: 3180050278

thanks Qmiester and Redwiper. i hadn't thought of the lighter construction bit, those pics on ebay will be very useful too. i am not sure of how much of the bow of the ship i will / can make but that will be the hardest part for me. out of curiosity is there any models of merchant ships of this era in 1/144th? this is just an idea that i am brewing but i think it would make an interesting model. a rough guess at the scale size would be about 90 - 100 cm. how far off am i?if i go this route this will be my first venture into ship modeling (apart from the airfix rescue launch, Vosper m.t.b and an e-boat that i built as a kid and a cutty sark that me and my Dad built years ago). thanks for all the info guys.
Greg

I'm not sure that there are any models of commercial ships from the WW II period out there in 1/144 scale although you may be able to find a set of plans. There are several available in 1/700 and maybe a couple in 1/400.

From DefenseNews.com

Looks like you could always switch to a modern version of the CAM Ship !!!!

A Cargo Ship With a JSF Runway?
How U.S. Navy’s MPF(F) Will Change Warfighting
By JASON SHERMAN
When the U.S. Navy replaces the maritime prepositioning ships that haul Marine Corps gear around the world, officials want much more than just another roll-on/roll-off freighter. They want to change the way the United States wages war.

The Navy’s Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future), or MPF(F), vessel will be a fighting logistics ship, perhaps outfitted with a command center for top brass, a flight deck big enough for several rotorcraft and a runway for Joint Strike Fighters (JSF).

Whatever its final form, when construction begins in 2007, MPF(F) will be the centerpiece of the Navy’s new sea basing concept, in which flotillas of networked ships and aircraft will deliver lightning punches unprecedented in their size and flexibility.