Regarding T2 tankers

You guys are killin' me. For a long time I have considered doing a build of the Revell T-2 as my dad's ship, the USS Aucilla (AO-56) but couldn't find any good pictures of her and was uncertain how to jumboize the T-2 kit into a T3-S2-A1. The I found this thread and was getting excited about finding pics on the German website, but before I can check it out the site is gone.

Any ideas on how I should go forward? Should I get T3 plans? I would be doing Aucilla in her Korean War fit (although she was cruising in the Med when my dad was aboard as the captain's yeoman). Do you know if she had that great big truss/kingpost across the beam aft that I have seen in pics of other postwar AO's? My dad also claims that Aucilla had a helicopter pad amidships but I'm guessing it was a marcano deck that didn't have deck cargo on it. I'm also wondering about armament -- dad says the only thing he remembers is the 5-inch on the stern, no other heavy or light AA at all.

look in this link http://www.navsource.org/ under Auxiliary and Service Force Ships under Fleet Replenishment Ships (AE-AF-AKE-AO) in Fleet Oilers (AO)

http://www.aukevisser.nl/t2tanker/id81.htm

ddp59 wrote:

look in this link http://www.navsource.org/ under Auxiliary and Service Force Ships under Fleet Replenishment Ships (AE-AF-AKE-AO) in Fleet Oilers (AO) http://www.aukevisser.nl/t2tanker/id81.htm

http://www.aukevisser.nl/t2tanker/id162.htm

This ship ID is AO-71 I see her all the time at work. I work at the Soo Locks and she usually comes in once a week during shipping season. She used to be called the Middleton and is now the American Victory.

http://www.aukevisser.nl/t2tanker/id623.htm

I also see AO-68 alot during shipping season at the Locks as well.

Though one time we actually had the Bounty (yes the actual Mutiny on the Bounty movie ship that Mel Gibson was on)go through and I actually saw it.

I ordered the T3- (both tanker and AO) plans today, and while I can't go making people copies, I'll give a full report when I receive them as I have the T2 already. They're cheap- $10 to $15 each and you only need one per type.

BTW the Esso Glasgow has disappeared from Revell's catalogue and the online stores, so now would be a good time to grab one if you see one. I just did off eBay.

It always happens...I use all of my torpedoes on coastal steamers and small merchants, and then on the way home I run into T-2 and T-3 tankers...last night, I had one "eel" left and slammed it into the side of a T-2...didn't sink...I then pumped about 20 88mm shells into her...nothing...all I had left were 40 star shells...what the heck?...used those...she kept steaming along at 5 kts...had to watch her get away...

Oh well, such is the life of a U-boat Capatain...

DDP, I've seen those Navsource pictures before and all but the undated one (in the camo scheme) are about 10 years later than the period I want to model (1954). There are two big booms aft that are in the 60s pictures, and the bridge structure is different from the undated camo photo to the 60s photos. I'm hoping there are 50s-era photos out there somewhere.

I'll be interested in hearing how the T3 plans are so that I can figure out whether lengthening a T2 kit is worthwhile.

Manny,

Either you made Brest in record time, and got fitted out in record time as well; or someone found a milk cow for undersea replenishment.  Either that or you really need to lay off the schnapps. 

I've finished the grunt work, shaving off the cast railings. The trick is to leave the last part to the sanding stick. I've cut them off horizontally, otherwise the decks are too narrow. There's the bottom bar left on the edge, but it sands off ok. Away with all the Aztec steps. I was going to hold out to post pictures after the next step-sand, prime sand prime. But I wanted to post a pic because I'm really excited- the model got to that point where it jumps out as a realistic representation of what you've stared at in 100's of photos. The trick was the remodeling of the bulwarks at the islands- where the putty is. I also took a tip from Fred and glued a piece of stretched sprue up/down the stern and filled in from each side to give her a more sharp stern.

The kit walkways across the decks are useless, but will be easy to scratch. I am not going to try to add detail to the deck piping, except that I'm going to add valve wheels, and I have a trick. Think model railroading- my true hobby passion.

As for the engine room skylight, I sanded off the big ridge down the middle and am going to try to find a pic, but the end result will be a series of flaps with little ports in each, I think.

Surface_Line wrote:

Well, my day job is in Information Technology...

Good progress Bill!  On the two kits I have done I dealt with the rail removal differently, and I think you have the better solution. I took off the rails by scoring along the inside with a blade, then just snapping them off. Easy! But as you point out, that makes the decks too narrow, so I had to set them down into the hull instead of on top. That makes a problem with all the superstructures being a little too low because of the unique design that cuts the bulkeads in half.

Fred

bondoman wrote:

I've finished the grunt work, shaving off the cast railings. The trick is to leave the last part to the sanding stick. I've cut them off horizontally, otherwise the decks are too narrow. There's the bottom bar left on the edge, but it sands off ok. Away with all the Aztec steps. I was going to hold out to post pictures after the next step-sand, prime sand prime. But I wanted to post a pic because I'm really excited- the model got to that point where it jumps out as a realistic representation of what you've stared at in 100's of photos. The trick was the remodeling of the bulwarks at the islands- where the putty is. I also took a tip from Fred and glued a piece of stretched sprue up/down the stern and filled in from each side to give her a more sharp stern. The kit walkways across the decks are useless, but will be easy to scratch. I am not going to try to add detail to the deck piping, except that I'm going to add valve wheels, and I have a trick. Think model railroading- my true hobby passion. As for the engine room skylight, I sanded off the big ridge down the middle and am going to try to find a pic, but the end result will be a series of flaps with little ports in each, I think.

I'm planning the exact same thing but keeping the ridge and only doing 3 flaps per side and using clear acetate for the flaps and TMW portals as well to try and replicate a A2 style greenhouse. Just too much surgery for a A1 type which was longer. BTW the T3 you plan on doing are you going to do another one as a converted Bulk freighter like MV American Victory?

If you have any pics of the skylight on a T2 that'd be very helpful to me. My drawing doesn't show it at all.

The T3 is going to be a Fleet Oiler, and I think I'll have her ride a little lighter just for variety.

Woohoo my Glasgow came today. Also ordered up two tins each of 5L and 5O, plus two frets of railings from White Ensign. Kind of a splurge but it'll get me through these two. Flat black I've got. The Measure 32 with pattern is going to be awesome I hope on the T3 AO.

Jeeze I am going to miss Tom, a lot, and I'd hope that his products are available, but I have the feeling they won't be. I have a fret of his 1/400 sailors, and was planning to get some 1/72 Lewis guns.

Just waiting for those plans from the Smithsonian. ordered both the T3 and T3-AO.

Manstein,

I know I kidded you about it earlier, but seriously what game are you playing?  It sounds like you're having a whole lot of fun.

lewbud wrote:

Manstein, I know I kidded you about it earlier, but seriously what game are you playing?  It sounds like you're having a whole lot of fun.

I just sent an email to Frank Gerhardt, the owner of that US Maritime Commission website. I dug up his address from an old correspondence we had. He used a couple of my pictures.

Anyway, if he responds, maybe he can give an idea if that site will be renewed somewhere else.

Fred

bondoman wrote:

If you have any pics of the skylight on a T2 that'd be very helpful to me. My drawing doesn't show it at all. The T3 is going to be a Fleet Oiler, and I think I'll have her ride a little lighter just for variety.

With the pic that Onyxman posted I couldn't honestly tell if that was a T2A0 or T2A1 or T2A2. But since the T2A2 had a 10000 SHP motor instead of the 8500 SHP motor of the T2A0 and T2A1 I think it would be safe to assume that the skylight would have been bigger or smaller depending on the size of the engine.

bondoman- nice work on the Tanker, how much of this is scratch and what parts are still Revell's at this point? Had to skim through the last coupla pages as I joined in late but kept getting caught on on Capt. Manny's great ocean ventures!

I was disapointed to see the ref. website go down, so I have no idea what was being discussed earlier, hope you guys can find a new one.

If I recall correctly, the pic I posted a link to was from the list of ships labeled simply "T-2", so I can't say if it was the same as on a T2-S-A2, or a T-3. 

Fred

onyxman wrote:

If I recall correctly, the pic I posted a link to was from the list of ships labeled simply "T-2", so I can't say if it was the same as on a T2-S-A2, or a T-3.  Fred

psstoff995 wrote:

bondoman- nice work on the Tanker, how much of this is scratch and what parts are still Revell's at this point? Had to skim through the last coupla pages as I joined in late but kept getting caught on on Capt. Manny's great ocean ventures! I was disapointed to see the ref. website go down, so I have no idea what was being discussed earlier, hope you guys can find a new one.

Good news! I have had an email from Frank and his site will be up eventually with a new host. It really would be a tragedy if all that info became lost.

Fred

I will certainly do that. In fact i'll go back and edit all my links so they work.

Meanwhile, take a look at this:

Altough this purports to be a key to valve wheel colors, I think the piping shown is actually at the bottom of the tank, not on the deck. Note that the tanks go all the way from bow to stern, which means the midship bridge superstructure sits over cargo tanks, between #4 and #5 tanks.

I have been looking at the kit's piping, trying to make sense of it. As far as I can tell, the location of the round ullage trunks, which act as hatches for the oil tanks, is pretty accurate. Near each of those should be two valves, one for the main cargo line and one for the smaller 'stripping' line. Sure enough, Revell has studs to represent those valve stems. The actual valves are way down in the bottom of the tank, so the hand wheels on deck are connected by VERY long stems.

The actual piping on the kit makes less sense to me, unless it represents not cargo feeds, but vents. As oil goes in, air has to have a path out. If that's the case the pipes should connect to the vents up along the masts. I don't know if they do, since I only have salvaged deck pieces available here that i didn't use on my Houston build.