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References for the gunboat USS Gloucester (ex-"Corsair")

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  • Member since
    January 2006
References for the gunboat USS Gloucester (ex-"Corsair")
Posted by EPinniger on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 2:59 PM
Sorry to post yet another question - but I'm interested in building the Glencoe 1/130 kit of the "Corsair II" steam yacht as the Spanish-American War gunboat USS Gloucester (they're the same vessel - the Corsair was acquired by the US Navy in 1898).

From looking at this photo of the Gloucester (the only high-resolution one I've found so far), and comparing it to the Glencoe box art, it seems like there aren't any major changes to the hull or deck fittings. No idea what the gunboat's armament was.

Anyway, do any good references (books or online) exist for the USS Gloucester?  I don't actually have the kit yet as it's fairly pricey here in the UK, hence I'm reluctant to buy it until I've found the references/information needed for the conversion.
  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by rayers on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 4:18 PM

I bought the Glencoe Corsair kit; it's a good starting point for the Gloucester, especially since you won't need to do much rigging -- the worst part of the kit are the masts (mine was warped) and the rigging blocks, which don't look much like anything except little undefined blobs of styrene. There is a fair amount of flash, as you would expect from an older mold, but the hull is very nice and the fit appears good with no major problems. The kit box itself has two more good-sized photos of the Gloucester that are different from the one you found on Wikipedia. Here are a couple more:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-g/gloucest.htm

http://www.spanamwar.com/gloucs01.jpg

The info on the box states that the Gloucester had four quick-firing 6lbrs and I believe four quick-firing 3lbrs as well as a couple of machine guns. Here's a review of the kit:

http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/glen/kit_glen_corsair2.shtml

If you do a Google search for "Glencoe Corsair II" you'll find it sold in several US online shops. It goes for $25-$30 US plus shipping; Trident Hobbies had the lowest price I saw, $24.99.

 

  • Member since
    January 2006
Posted by EPinniger on Thursday, June 15, 2006 3:10 AM
Thanks for the links! However, a member of modelwarships.com has just sent me some photocopies of plans via "snail mail", these should be all the reference I need for the Gloucester.

As I live in the UK, I don't want to buy the kit from any US online stores as the shipping costs and import/customs duties will be prohibitive. However, an eBay seller has the kit for about $45 total (Buy It Now) including shipping to the UK, so I'll probably buy it from them. I have a lot of ship model projects either in progress or lined up, so am probably going to put off building the Gloucester for a while.
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