I’m pretty sure I’m a glutton for punishment, but I have started the USS Prinz Eugen. She will be shown as she was just prior to Operation Crossroads on 1 July, 1946, at Bikini Island, where the atomic bomb test Able was detonated 520 feet (158 m) above the target fleet. It caused less than the expected amount of ship damage because it missed its aim point by 2,130 feet (649 m).
After much research I found a few modifications to the ship at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, PA. There, the ship received some minor changes and, some of the equipment was stripped off for further evaluation.
Modifications to the ship that will be shown on the build are:
1. The two 203mm (7.992″) main guns from turret Anton were removed for evaluation. They had a range of 15NM and after interviews with the German crew and inspection onboard, it was decided to remove the guns for ashore testing.
2. One Flakverling L38 quad 20mm AA gun which was shipped to Virginia along with the two 8” guns. I need to do some more investigation to find which one was removed.
3. The fore and aft deck 20mm guns which were sent to Virginia as well.
4. Most of the G7 torpedoes and the forward starboard triple launcher were removed for evaluation.
5. The two Arado Ar-196 seaplanes and catapult were removed. One was apparently inoperable and sent to the Smithsonian, where it remains boxed up today. The other was test-flown by personnel of Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA. and the catapult was mounted ashore and used for additional test flights in 1947.
6. The forward starboard AA gunnery director dome was removed for study as well as the forward Zeiss rangefinder.
7. The GHG sonar was also removed and considered by WW2 standards, very advanced. This sonar was mounted on the USS Flying Fish (SS-229) for further tests. The experiments gave the US Navy a head start in sonar technology against the Soviets. This unit is not visible.
8. The US Army donated a SCR-584 radar van with its wheels removed. This was lashed onto the platform of the removed forward rangefinder with two steel cables. The Army wanted to see how their gear held up to an atomic explosion.
The Prinz Eugen as she lays now at Kwajalein.
So after a longwinded explanation. I hope to recreate a plausible scene.
I purchased several general German PE sets and Pontos wood deck to dress the ship up a bit.
I started with the base and cut out the outline of the ship.I then added poster board to the sides and used my usual medium acrylic gel and paper, followed by another layer of gel dabbed with a brush to create the small waves.
I sanded the gel after it was dry and then painted the surface to check how the waves looked. I may or may not keep this color and I will be adding a little more gel to add to the waves.
This build will take me a while as I have a few other things going on.