Uss Helena

The name has been used several times, but the Helena that was in commission in 1962 was CA 75, a heavy cruiser of the Baltimore class.

Trumpeter makes a very nice 1/700 kit of this class that is about 11" long, if that is big enough for you.  Revell made a bigger kit, forty years or so ago, that is pretty weak in the detail and quality departments.

The Baltimore class was made in two variants, one with a squared stern and two cranes on the fantail, and one with one crane and a rounded stern.  The Helena had one crane.  This variant is marketed by Trumpeter as USS Pittsburgh.  I think you will enjoy the Pittsburgh kit.

Best regards,
Rick

Rick: Thanks for the answer. I'm hoping I could build this kit and give it to my best friend sometime. I've e-mailed him to find out if he remembers what varient he served. Bill

Rick: My friend was transferred to the USS St Paul in '63 would you know of that ship also? Thanks for your help. Bill

is baltimore class

helena link http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-h/ca75.htm

st paul link http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/ca73.htm

Surface_Line wrote:

The Baltimore class was made in two variants, one with a squared stern and two cranes on the fantail, and one with one crane and a rounded stern.  The Helena had one crane.  This variant is marketed by Trumpeter as USS Pittsburgh.  I think you will enjoy the Pittsburgh kit.

USNHC Photo

Agreed that the Trump Pittsburgh is likely the way to begin on this conversion.    Be sure to lay-in some aftermarket gun replacements for the quad 40s.   This photo from the USNHC shows what look to be 3"/70s in the former 40mm tubs.  Scattered all around the deck of the Trump kit are holes to receive the pins in the bottoms of 20mm gun tubs.  These will need to be filled & rescribed for deck planking

You will also need to rebuild the bridge for the enlarged/enclosed bridge structure and add a big new radar mast & array.

USNHC Photo

The previous photo showed a hint of a sponson on the port stern.   This one shows it better.  Add that and remove the stern gun tubs. Add the decking between the crane and the after 8-inch gun.

Looks to be an ambitious project.  Good luck with it

 

 

Ed actually meant that the 40mm guns had been replaced by 3"/50 cal guns on St Paul & Helena during the 1950s.  This gun is available in the Skywave US Weapons set E-6, although you only get four in a set.

So the question arises - how many 3"/50 mounts will you need?  As you can see from the link posted above -
st paul link http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/ca73.htm
and
http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/04073.htm
her details changed a bunch over the years. 

Per "Cruisers of the US Navy, 1922-1962", by Stefan Terzibaschitsch, she had 10 3" guns (five twin mounts).  (assuming that this wasn't a typo for "still had ten 5" guns".  I'm still looking around to confirm this.  Stefan T. and his printers frequently let the facts get out of adjustment.)

Like Ed said, you'll have to delete all the 20mm guns the kit provides, which isn't much of a problem except at the bow, where the platforms are built up for the 20mms.  That will take some slicing and shaving.

The superstructure had grown a bit from the 1943 look in the kit to the 1964 look, and you can get a good sense of it with the series of photos while going alongside USS Boston in 1968.

And yes, I'm just in the planning stages for a mid-1960's St. Paul model too.

Best,
Rick

And there is a great overhead photo of St Paul from May of 1966 in Norman Friedman's "US Cruisers: an Illustrated Design History".  It shows six 3"/50 twin mounts, so I guess Stefan T did another typo.

This means that you need two sets of Sywave E-6 accessories to have sufficient guns, or else a friend to share with.  :-)

This photo also shows that at least by 1966, that portside sponson at the fantail, which had been for the Regulus missile launching platform, was removed.  Also shows just what area of the deck is natural teak and what is painted dark grey.

Ed Grune: Is it possible that I could purchase photos like these two , maybe from Navy archives? I think everyone here has "spurred me on" to build the USS Helena for my friend from the upcoming Trumpeter kit: USS Pittsburgh.

Anyone have ideas where I might purchase the conversions that are being discussed? Cheers, Bill

The two photos which I linked are from the US Naval Historical Center (USNHC).   They are free of copyright, but if you plan on using them for a purpose other than private you really should give credit to the USNHC.

You can download the photos electronically from the USNHC site by right-clicking and saving the image to your local storage medium.  The link below is to the top of the photo index page.  Go down to US Ships by Name and use that to start your search.

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org11-2.htm

If you want to get a hard photo of the holdings of the USNHC they offer the service through some contractors.  See the instructions at:

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org11-3.htm

Note the NH number on the photo.  Use that when discussing the photos you want with these folks.  That way they know exactly what it is you want.

The Trumpeter Pittsburgh kit is currently available at most online hobby shops.   Your local hobby shop should be able to order it for you.   The extra weapon sets are produced by PitRoad/Skywave and may also be available through online shops.  They were out of production a short while ago and I'm not really sure of their current status.

 

EdGrune: I want to thank you so much for the info you have given! I know I will now follow through and build the USS Helena for my friend. He had stated to me:... Bill - Yes, Baltimore class. Had one crane on the fantail. That was to lift our seaplane off the fantail and into the water so it could take off. It was used for reconnaisance. After the seaplane landed the crane was used to hoist it aboard. After I was aboard Helena for a year they removed the seaplane and installed a cruise missile. Twice a year we would steam up to Point Mugu to fire our missile on the missile firing range - it had a range of 500 miles. The thing never worked and went berserk each time and had to be detonated early in its flight. Your tax money and mine. Would anyone know which seaplane in could be??

modeler bill wrote:

Would anyone know which seaplane in could be??

Perhaps a SC-1 Seahawk?  

This aircraft became operational on US Battleships at the very end of WWII, replacing the Kingfisher.   I do not know the exact operational dates of the SC-1, but it may have been retained on cruisers to the late-50s or early-60s.

The red/white bar on the national insignia dates this photo to after 1947 with the consolidation of the Department of Defense from the Departments of the Army and Navy.   The BA tail code - perhaps 'BALTIMORE'.

This is a montage of a Regulus I cruise missile launch from the cruiser USS Toledo

don't you mean ww2 not ww1?

ddp59 wrote:

don't you mean ww2 not ww1?

?

John Snyder of WEM posted this on SteelNavy yesterday ---

>>QUOTE

If we're really lucky, we'll have this back from the etchers before they shut down for the holidays. Price is 11.02 Pounds (EU/UK customers add VAT), and you'll note that there are two cranes included in one set so that only one set is required for the early ships of the class. In addition, Mad Pete has included radars that will allow you to model the ships into the early '50s, and parts to let you have a go at modelling USS Helena and USS Los Angeles!

<< ENDQUOTE

I added the boldface for emphasis.

It looks like some of the heavy lifting to make the USS Helena has been done for you by White Ensign.   You will still have to do the structural changes with respect to the gun tubs and masts which were previously noted -- but the radars are now a reality.