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Japanese Oil Tanker *update 7-12*

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  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Saturday, July 11, 2009 1:07 AM

It's a cargo hatch with a series of hatch covers. Those used to be popular coffee table tops a couple of decades ago, with the recessed handles. Those look way too big, though, but so what.

In a T2 the crew all lived and fed in the stern house. Usually if she was armed there was some arrangement of lean-to shacks or dog houses for the gun crews attached to the prewar-design cabin. The Officers live in the middle structure, so as to have quick access to the bridge, charts, radios and the gyro, and probably to be able to defend themselves from a mutinous crew. They had their meals in the rear however, the wardroom accessible by one of those long catwalks, unless the stewards made the trip forward from the galley back there with trays.

All merchant ships have limited accomodations, or used to. I've done a little of that, it's a nice way to go as you get to mess in the Wardroom and there's usually only a few of you. On the other hand, there's not much to do, and they don't usually feed too well, as Fred can tell you. Plus they take a really long time to get somewhere. The main entertainment is watching the cargo loading, which on a tanker wouldn't be too interesting.

  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: Seattle, Colorado
Posted by onyxman on Saturday, July 11, 2009 12:26 PM

Well, I wouldn't disparage all cooks on merchant ships. Some of them are truely great, and some are handicapped by the quality of the food supplied by the company.

My first guess about that structure forward was a skylight over a forward pumproom, but on closer inspection I think Bill is right, it's a dry cargo hatch.

The catwalks allow you to bypass all that deck piping, but also because tankers have low freeboard, the main decks are sometimes pretty wet in bad weather.  As for entertainment, before videos, merchant ships had truly amazing collections of paperbacks, with Louis L'Amour westerns being the most popular.  There were also legendary poker games, especially on the passenger ships.  I purposfully never learned how to play so I could actually keep my pay.  Now, with individual DVDs and airconditioning, everybody keeps to their cabins.  If it wasn't for Boat Drills you would never meet some of the crew.

 Fred

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 11, 2009 12:40 PM
 onyxman wrote:

My first guess about that structure forward was a skylight over a forward pumproom, but on closer inspection I think Bill is right, it's a dry cargo hatch.

So on this tanker, there was room for some dry cargo up front...?  I am guessing that the oil tanks started about where the little square cubes appear on the deck---are these where the liquids were pumped in???

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Saturday, July 11, 2009 7:47 PM
This project is coming along right smartly, Manny. What kind of base are you going to mount her on? Have you figured out how you are going to create the list?

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: Seattle, Colorado
Posted by onyxman on Sunday, July 12, 2009 5:45 PM
The oil comes and goes through a big hose which connects to the piping system. I don't see it represented in the boxtop art. The square things are for access to the tanks for gauging the level of the oil and also to allow personnel to get down there for cleaning (after the oil is gone and the space is gas free of course).
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Sunday, July 12, 2009 7:06 PM

Manny you seem to be going Japanese, or else that lattice mast has to go and a bunch of other stuff.

So on that premise, which I'd do too- here's how the distribution system worked on a T2, from which you can surmise how the Japanese might have done it.

There's a whole series of oil holds port/starboard, bow to stern. Like 27. Each one has a manhole for access to clean etc., on a coaming a couple of feet high so that the seal is a little up from the constant deck water. There's a vent pipe that comes out of the side of that, not very large in diameter, runs to a collector running fore/aft down the centerline under the catwalk, and then up the mast to daylight.

There's a manifold (take a bow) of hose connections midships, on each side. On a T2 these are plumbed horizontally into the center, from where a series of very large diameter pipes run fore/ aft to houses where they turn downwards and go into a pumproom, at each end of the holds. These are located along the catwalk.

From the pump room, pipes run in the bottom of the ship to each hold, which is either loaded or emptied from the bottom. Each access cover has a valve wheel near it, connected to a long staff that operates a valve in the bottom of the hold controlling flow.

Your ship is an auxiliary oiler, meaning that when the pumps empty the holds, there are valves in the main ondeck (?) distribution system to which long hoses are attached. These hoses are handled by a series of booms. Your double mast with the lattice looks to have four booms, kind of like a C2, and there looks to be a single staff and boom in the corners as well. Each one would handle a hose. What you need to do is have this baby under way refueling a carrier.

Here's the idea, credit to John Steele.

That big block up front is a companionway probably, down to the forward pump room. There's some vents there too, which give away that there's a space down there, and the dry hold is forward. The pump room would be inside of the frames that form the cofferdam, if she has one.

An interesting detail are the hatches on the face of the bridge at the first accomodation deck, two on one side and one on the other. That must be where your catwalks come to. At which point any resemblance to a T2 goes out the window. The US ship has open galleries across the bridge on several levels, this one looks flush, really more modern. It's actually IMHO a pretty modern design compared to the venerable old T2.

Keep posting, this is cool.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, July 12, 2009 7:42 PM
 bondoman wrote:

Manny you seem to be going Japanese, or else that lattice mast has to go and a bunch of other stuff.

So on that premise, which I'd do too- here's how the distribution system worked on a T2, from which you can surmise how the Japanese might have done it.

There's a whole series of oil holds port/starboard, bow to stern. Like 27. Each one has a manhole for access to clean etc., on a coaming a couple of feet high so that the seal is a little up from the constant deck water. There's a vent pipe that comes out of the side of that, not very large in diameter, runs to a collector running fore/aft down the centerline under the catwalk, and then up the mast to daylight.

There's a manifold (take a bow) of hose connections midships, on each side. On a T2 these are plumbed horizontally into the center, from where a series of very large diameter pipes run fore/ aft to houses where they turn downwards and go into a pumproom, at each end of the holds. These are located along the catwalk.

From the pump room, pipes run in the bottom of the ship to each hold, which is either loaded or emptied from the bottom. Each access cover has a valve wheel near it, connected to a long staff that operates a valve in the bottom of the hold controlling flow.

Your ship is an auxiliary oiler, meaning that when the pumps empty the holds, there are valves in the main ondeck (?) distribution system to which long hoses are attached. These hoses are handled by a series of booms. Your double mast with the lattice looks to have four booms, kind of like a C2, and there looks to be a single staff and boom in the corners as well. Each one would handle a hose. What you need to do is have this baby under way refueling a carrier.

Here's the idea, credit to John Steele.

That big block up front is a companionway probably, down to the forward pump room. There's some vents there too, which give away that there's a space down there, and the dry hold is forward. The pump room would be inside of the frames that form the cofferdam, if she has one.

An interesting detail are the hatches on the face of the bridge at the first accomodation deck, two on one side and one on the other. That must be where your catwalks come to. At which point any resemblance to a T2 goes out the window. The US ship has open galleries across the bridge on several levels, this one looks flush, really more modern. It's actually IMHO a pretty modern design compared to the venerable old T2.

Keep posting, this is cool.

Great info, Bondo---you are the man...the ship is so cool and the model so good I bought another:

Fujimi has about 6 or 7 of these kits out and all seem to be the same class of ship with just minor differences in the fittings...since I got the last kit I suspect they have all the same sprues in each kit as several pieces are left over and there are many options. Also, there are several holes that you either leave flashed over or open up according to the specific ship (see parts layout):

  

Nice plan view:

Notice the different bridge front, boom, mast and lattice work options...

I also just bought their brand-new Argentina Maru liner:

I believe this ship and her sister (Brazil Maru) were converted to the Zuiho and Shoho...

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: West Virginia, USA
Posted by mfsob on Sunday, July 12, 2009 8:49 PM
One suggestion before you get too far along with the photoetch and delicate small parts - decide now how you're going to pose this model in your diorama. Depending on your final vision, some major surgery to the hull might be required. If that's the case, allllllllllll of those little bits are going to get knocked off, or broken, or vanish forever in the dreaded Carpet Monster. (Please don't ask me how I know this ... )
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Monday, July 13, 2009 3:26 AM
Are you going to torpedo these new boats, too?

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, July 13, 2009 11:07 AM

 subfixer wrote:
Are you going to torpedo these new boats, too?

 

Me sink a passeneger liner? Whistling [:-^]

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Monday, July 13, 2009 4:54 PM
 Mansteins revenge wrote:

 subfixer wrote:
Are you going to torpedo these new boats, too?

 

Me sink a passeneger liner? Whistling [:-^]

Just pretend it's a hospital ship.

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, July 13, 2009 7:29 PM
 subfixer wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:

 subfixer wrote:
Are you going to torpedo these new boats, too?

 

Me sink a passeneger liner? Whistling [:-^]

Just pretend it's a hospital ship.

There were no red crosses displayed on that ship !
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:19 AM
 bondoman wrote:

 

What kind of camo is this tanker displaying???
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:31 AM
I think it's Measure 32: light gray/ocean gray/black. I don't know the pattern though. 3 maybe?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:32 AM
 bondoman wrote:
I think it's Measure 32: light gray/ocean gray/black. I don't know the pattern though. 3 maybe?
Is that boxart from a kit that is still available?
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 1:11 PM
The kit is available as the SS. Glasgow, from RoG, but alas that box is a collectors item! It's a real beaut- I wish I had one!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 2:10 PM
 bondoman wrote:
The kit is available as the SS. Glasgow, from RoG, but alas that box is a collectors item! It's a real beaut- I wish I had one!
Couldn't find it listed on my main suppliers' websites---is it a good kit, older kit, etc????
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 2:31 PM

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:58 PM
Manny, for Gawd's sake, change your flippin' avatar. Please!!

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 8:40 PM
 subfixer wrote:
Manny, for Gawd's sake, change your flippin' avatar. Please!!
How's that?
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 12:40 PM

Much, much better. Thanks, I don't think I could stomach the other one for long.

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 1:38 PM
 bondoman wrote:

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

Is the T-2 WIP pic you posted that same kit?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 16, 2009 7:52 AM
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

Is the T-2 WIP pic you posted that same kit?

???

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Thursday, July 16, 2009 10:14 AM
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

Is the T-2 WIP pic you posted that same kit?

???

Yes, that's the one. It has has two features that show it's age. It's a flat bottom, but not at a very realistic draft, so cutting down the hull makes it look better, IMO, although better modelers than me have built it as-is and it looks good.

Second, it has cast on rails that are solid, with raised bar detail, and really have to go. That's not too hard though, I made a "special tool" and it goes quickly.

EDIT: I just figured something out. You are hard to write replies to without getting a red "mismatched quote" message. It seems the little culprit is the apostrophe in the Field Marshalls name. Eliminating it solved the problem. 

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:31 PM
 bondoman wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

Is the T-2 WIP pic you posted that same kit?

???

Yes, that's the one. It has has two features that show it's age. It's a flat bottom, but not at a very realistic draft, so cutting down the hull makes it look better, IMO, although better modelers than me have built it as-is and it looks good.

Second, it has cast on rails that are solid, with raised bar detail, and really have to go. That's not too hard though, I made a "special tool" and it goes quickly.

EDIT: I just figured something out. You are hard to write replies to without getting a red "mismatched quote" message. It seems the little culprit is the apostrophe in the Field Marshalls name. Eliminating it solved the problem. 

Well she still looks good---although I am w/o luck in finding one to purchase...

...yep, that is how you quote me; it took awhile before we figured out this system does not like apostrophes...

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Friday, July 17, 2009 1:26 AM
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

Is the T-2 WIP pic you posted that same kit?

???

Yes, that's the one. It has has two features that show it's age. It's a flat bottom, but not at a very realistic draft, so cutting down the hull makes it look better, IMO, although better modelers than me have built it as-is and it looks good.

Second, it has cast on rails that are solid, with raised bar detail, and really have to go. That's not too hard though, I made a "special tool" and it goes quickly.

EDIT: I just figured something out. You are hard to write replies to without getting a red "mismatched quote" message. It seems the little culprit is the apostrophe in the Field Marshalls name. Eliminating it solved the problem. 

Well she still looks good---although I am w/o luck in finding one to purchase...

...yep, that is how you quote me; it took awhile before we figured out this system does not like apostrophes...

Ah jeez Manuel there's like 10 on ebay right now for 15 sheckles each, plus the usual graft. "Oil Tanker Glasgow" and you'll get nifty ESSO decals too, plus it has all the really lousy 3", 5" 40mm guns, but I'll give you something for the 20's: they are a nice little piece of art.

Fred and I tried, but failed to corner the market a while ago. Stock up while you can, and also shop for the Montrose (Victory Ship VC2) and Hawaiian Pilot (C3) kits. Only Trump makes a Liberty.EDIT: that was a dumb statement, obviously not true!

But as I've said before if your goal is to sink 'em, we have Catalinas and Beaufighters in the area and your U-Boats only got 15,000 tons for every one lost. Kind of like the Notre Dame line dies beating USC.

 

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 17, 2009 2:06 PM
 bondoman wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 Mansteins revenge wrote:
 bondoman wrote:

It's a very good kit. I started a thread a little while ago "Regarding T2..." that I've dropped for a while but need to get back to.

It's 1/400 ish, and there's all kinds of PE available for it. It has some strange notions about deck piping, but it has a great "busy" look to it.

Is the T-2 WIP pic you posted that same kit?

???

Yes, that's the one. It has has two features that show it's age. It's a flat bottom, but not at a very realistic draft, so cutting down the hull makes it look better, IMO, although better modelers than me have built it as-is and it looks good.

Second, it has cast on rails that are solid, with raised bar detail, and really have to go. That's not too hard though, I made a "special tool" and it goes quickly.

EDIT: I just figured something out. You are hard to write replies to without getting a red "mismatched quote" message. It seems the little culprit is the apostrophe in the Field Marshalls name. Eliminating it solved the problem. 

Well she still looks good---although I am w/o luck in finding one to purchase...

...yep, that is how you quote me; it took awhile before we figured out this system does not like apostrophes...

Ah jeez Manuel there's like 10 on ebay right now for 15 sheckles each, plus the usual graft. "Oil Tanker Glasgow" and you'll get nifty ESSO decals too, plus it has all the really lousy 3", 5" 40mm guns, but I'll give you something for the 20's: they are a nice little piece of art.

Fred and I tried, but failed to corner the market a while ago. Stock up while you can, and also shop for the Montrose (Victory Ship VC2) and Hawaiian Pilot (C3) kits. Only Trump makes a Liberty.

But as I've said before if your goal is to sink 'em, we have Catalinas and Beaufighters in the area and your U-Boats only got 15,000 tons for every one lost. Kind of like the Notre Dame line dies beating USC.

 

Darn, I hate Ebay !!!
  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:27 PM
 ACH ,MEIN HERR !! You don,t vant the crew swimming in high seas do you ??The catwalk was as much for safety as a safe place to manage emergency valving from . MY ships ,although they were v.l.c.c. types ,usually rode about with 10 foot freeboard when loaded sometimes less and in certain areas a lot higher . I never did quite get used to the fact that my cargo in my first ship ,if torpedoed could blow me straight into orbit !! She was a t-2 modified for l.n.g. transport . It,s better being retired .   TANKERBUILDER
  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:35 PM
MANNY -- FOR gosh sakes change that AVATAR ! The other one was better !!!! tankerbuilder . (I vill build dem faster than you can zink um ) P.S. Try the broken back approach and make the dio to have her antogonist on the surface !!
  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 4:54 PM
 VELL , YOU HAFF the TANKSCHIFF IN ZE PERISCOPE ,VY DON,T YOU ZINK HER ALREADY??? HEY MANNY the ship looks good . I got a little MARU somewhere and I thought it was neat that at least one company saw fit to put out some liners ,even if they,re JAPANESE and most folks never heard of them . The scale is kinda small too . Oh , I got some neat little ships from REVELL of GERMANY ,boy , was I surprised to see they were 1/1200!!! But , you know what they were pretty decently detailed for that size even . (it,s a shame they ,REVELL didn,t see fit to do them in 1/350 or somewhere therabouts . I just acquired a sub ,a REVELL U-BOOTE it,s about maybe 16 inches long ,(maybe smaller ) Boy ,am I gonna have fun with that !This sub will be done waterline above and all else below rondevouing with a schnellboote . The whole thing is going in? a piece of lexan so the bottom does not have to be cut off . I hope you decide which way the tanker is going to expire soon ,the suspense is killing me .     tankerbuilder
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