LSSC finished pics

Bondoman,

  I'd be happy to provide as much info on boat ops as possible with consideration given to classified ops. The Seafloat/Solid anchor website is a good reference as well and I can tell folks from experience that when I left in Nov 70 to have our unit transfered to Bin Thuy, there were plans to install a runway long enough to take STOL aircraft including the Navy OV-10s, these A/c were immensly UN-popular with Charlie they carried enough ordnance to cover about a 45 min loiter time. They would use 2 A/c, one with rockets and the other with 500lbs. bombs.

 Many a mission was called in to give us air cover and these guys were Bad***, between the Huey HA(L) choppers and the "Black Pony" OV-10s there were few others in the 'Nam that brought fear and misery to Charlie. With Rolling Thunder Air Force to use B-52's in the North, the Navy did all of their own ops in the Delta. Noting that the Navy supplied its own air cover, we worked well as a team.

More later,

 John Staehle 

Speachless. I would like to meet you and record your oral history.

From an old hand on the big sister boat to the LSSC (Light Seal Support Craft):

   I served with a Boat Support Unit out of Naval Amphib Base Coronado in the RVN at Seafloat/Solid Anchor and we had the SEAL support boats in our unit. Both the MSSC and LSSC worked as a team and between the two, our crews and the SEALs swept the shore lines for VC gun and rocket positions. Often coming under fire from small VC units we would drop off the SEAL team and proceed to a pickup point for later extraction. The LSSC you dipict here is right on the money and if you go to www.warboats.org you can see even more details.

  Seafloat/Solid Anchor also is on a website for great reference to most of the Brown Water Navy. I scratch-built a Medium SSC from memory and had it right down to the gun positions after all I was on the thing! For 183 fun-filled days. There are no kits but with enough references and photos you could scratch one together as well to go with the LSSC.The weapons are the easy part:

  A forward-mounted 60mm Sea Mortar (a mortar similar to the 81mm on Swift Boats) and one M-60 on either side of the boat toward the front of the crew compartment. Next, amidships a .50 M2 Browning machine gun with a solid barrel. Mounted over the engine compartment and pointing aft is a Mini-gun, 7.62 and the ammo tray. This was taken from the idea that the Navy choppers had them, so mount them on the MSSC as well.

  The MSSC was 9 ft wide and 36ft long, aluminum hull with a recessed fighting compartment which was basically open-air, the boat driver sat up toward the bow in a centerline position with armor on both sides. The boat was crewed with up to 7 and enough room for about 7 SEALs) the LSSC was 26 ft long and held the rest of the SEALs, both boats got crowded after an extraction but could move fast enough (usually) to get out of the way of the fire fight.

Most ops were at night with the extractions in the early AM and in my case with no one injured, rather miraculous considering the mission profiles.

  Any more questions about details feel free to ask on this forum, glad to help and again great model, the detail is right on the money.

  John M. Staehle (retired Navy Chief Gunner's Mate) 

ALRIGHT! this looks badass.

I got a question. what colors did you use? i just bought this in 1/72 scale but there are no painting references.

Mavrik wrote:

It would be great to see ATC(H) in 1/35

No lie.  Now, I've this nagging memory of AFV Club or the like had a refueling set up as an add-on to some other kit, that always nagged at me, to "nab one now, you dolt" as that is the rig installed in the ATC when it was a refueler (and was also used to get avgas into the helos on ATC(H).

Of course I still want a high quality combo M2/81mm mount, too.  I want lots of things, precious few seem to come my way barring hard work and sacrifice <g> . . .

navypitsnipe wrote:

this maybe a dumb question but... who makes that kit. i just finished a pbr about 2 months ago and think that one of those would look cool next to it.

This kit was produced by Dragon. I am not sure, whether it is in production right now or not.

You can see what is in the box here:

CapnMac82 wrote:

I have, but there are enough dimensional differences between the LCM-3 & LCM-5 (the basis of the riverine conversions) to "nag" at me for not being "right."

I know, that the hull should be lengthen for 6 feet (6 'real' feet). But at least, it is a base with correct hull lines.

CapnMac82 wrote:

After going to the trouble of crafting up the spoon bow & bar armor, it's really not that much more effort to start from a scratch-built "dash five Mike" boat.  (Or, that's the story I'm sticking to for now <g> . . . )

It would be great to see ATC(H) in 1/35.

Mavrik wrote:

Do you consider using LCM-3 by Italeri as a base for ATC(H)? At the same time, UH-1C (Academy/MRC) can be converted into UH-1B (as far as I remember, the main visual difference is the engine cowl).

I have, but there are enough dimensional differences between the LCM-3 & LCM-5 (the basis of the riverine conversions) to "nag" at me for not being "right."  After going to the trouble of crafting up the spoon bow & bar armor, it's really not that much more effort to start from a scratch-built "dash five Mike" boat.  (Or, that's the story I'm sticking to for now <g> . . . )

Hippy-Ed wrote:

Looks good Mavrik I can't wait to see the Vosper you've got planned for the G/B I'm slowly workin' on my PT-109

I will try to show some progress on Vosper in several days. However, build is progressing VERY, VERY slowly...

CapnMac82 wrote:

Mavrik wrote: PBR & LSSC are finished, Swift and STCAN still wait... I've always had a hankering to build an ATC(H)--but I've never been quite tough enough to whittle down the 1/32 Hueys out there for a proper "short door" Bravo bird (assuming I could find space for all that <g> . . .

Do you consider using LCM-3 by Italeri as a base for ATC(H)? At the same time, UH-1C (Academy/MRC) can be converted into UH-1B (as far as I remember, the main visual difference is the engine cowl).

CapnMac82 wrote:

The Mk II PBF has slightly better geometry for scratch building (the reverse-angle pilothouse glass lends a rakish look, too).  The twin .50 up top is mounted in a PT-style ring, so that's pretty easy to organize.  It's the after mount that can vex.  (None of which is helped by the fact that most of the time, all of that was under cover, and no matter how sensible IRL to protect the guns, they just don't "model" right covered <sigh>.  That's life.

I plan to start with Revell/Monogram kits of STCAN (RAG boat) and Swift Mk I. They are 1/48 scale kits. I hope, that the armament can be replaced relatively easily (thanks to growing range of armor kits in 48'th scale).

Mavrik wrote:

PBR & LSSC are finished, Swift and STCAN still wait...

I've always had a hankering to build an ATC(H)--but I've never been quite tough enough to whittle down the 1/32 Hueys out there for a proper "short door" Bravo bird (assuming I could find space for all that <g> . . .

The Mk II PBF has slightly better geometry for scratch building (the reverse-angle pilothouse glass lends a rakish look, too).  The twin .50 up top is mounted in a PT-style ring, so that's pretty easy to organize.  It's the after mount that can vex.  (None of which is helped by the fact that most of the time, all of that was under cover, and no matter how sensible IRL to protect the guns, they just don't "model" right covered <sigh>.  That's life.

Thank you. I will try to paint a spare M60 in accordance with your instructions.

PBR & LSSC are finished, Swift and STCAN still wait...

Mavrik wrote:

Thank you. I painted MG's black and drybrushed them with Humbrol's gunmetal. If I got you right, it would be better to add a drop of green or yellow paint into the gunmetal paint. Am I right?

Well, "the Pig" has about a gazzilion "colors" on it, then you take one out in the field and start wearign them off <g> . . .

The base color I (just me, others differ) is MM steel with an overwash of Oily Black.  Adding a bit of Panzer grey to the Steel for the feed cover is a nice touch.  I like a semi-gloss black for the "furniture" even though IRL the plastic used is a satin-sort of black.  A bit of Gunmetal or gunmetal plus medium green or black or Aluminum can help the bipod legs "stand out" visually.  Yeah, bunches of work to execute in, what, 3 x 30 mm <g>? 

Or, a person could just start with Steel, wash eht reciever with oily black, drybrush bipod & top cover with Engine black, and just use black for the furniture, and hit that with adab or Engine black.

'Course, it's easy to over-think (and over work) such things.  And, it can be much simpler, like on cruise if one has the subject handy when cerfully chemically blackening brass parts which were then buffed to varying degrees of sheen . . . "Obsession?  Wzzat?"  Now, if I just knew where the box with all those oh-so-convenient brass MGs went to i nthe attic or where ever . . . <g>

Still a pretty LSSC.  Makes me want to go get one of my own to bash on.

CapnMac82 wrote:

Wow, that's a heck of a paint job.  I particularly like the ammo cans in that QM green. The M-60's are nice as well (even if my memory of them is being a bit "oilier" black/dark--that's long ago and far away, too, I'll not tell you to repaint <G>).

Thank you. I painted MG's black and drybrushed them with Humbrol's gunmetal. If I got you right, it would be better to add a drop of green or yellow paint into the gunmetal paint. Am I right?

EPinniger wrote:

One question - what's the cylindrical object in the middle of the boat? I've often wondered what this was. It looks like a radar housing, but a radar seems a bit out of place for a small riverine craft like this.

It is, in fact a radar unit (very typically a Raytheon unit).  Which can come in very handy in the dark for finding which bit of inky black is the channel and not the bank.  Of course, the other "trick" of it is to rember you dialed down the brightness on the CRT to preserve night vision, and not waste time trying to turn on a switched-on radar unit . . .

Wow, that's a heck of a paint job.  I particularly like the ammo cans in that QM green.

The M-60's are nice as well (even if my memory of them is being a bit "oilier" black/dark--that's long ago and far away, too, I'll not tell you to repaint <G>).

Hello Mavrik,

this was nice for me to look at, i build this model some years ago, but a lost nearly all off my models when i was moving. I remember the model and i can see that you made it look beautiful.

Hasse

EPinniger wrote:

Very nice work, particularly the detail painting and weathering! Certainly well-armed for such a small boat, it looks to have more guns than a PBR!

I could not resist temptation to arm it "to the teeth".

There are good photos of armed LSSC's on MST-2's site: http://www.mst2-vietnam.info/TK_photos.htm

EPinniger wrote:

One question - what's the cylindrical object in the middle of the boat? I've often wondered what this was. It looks like a radar housing, but a radar seems a bit out of place for a small riverine craft like this.

It is a Raytheon search radar (it was often dismounted).

WOW Now that's COOL.

2

Bud

Nice!!!