Very good 😁 That could have come from me Steve!
How'd you find such an appropriate vid so fast!?👍
(Rhetorical question!)

He he! Got some new glasses just before Christmas Octman🤓😁
PS 'Sorry Captain Mainwairing' 😲

Hi Doug,
A bit picky there, but understandable as it's a very little known fact that all gun crews of flush deckers were trained in the art of gate vaulting as you can see in this tutorial.

I was wondering who would be the first to spot that, Pike!

"(excuse the snow effect..."
Must have been in Newfoundland on her delivery trip 😁
Don't think she was on the Arctic convoys!
Nice gun deck but, how do the crew get in? Vault over the rail?😁

I used to buy the Airfix kits, mainly model aircraft, for 2 bob each. They came in a plastic bag with the plans attached to the outside.
Attached to my bedroom ceiling with strands of cotton the English fighters shot down many a German which billowed cotton wool painted red and black.
After gun deck now populated (excuse the snow effect which is dust caused by fettling my MA/SB hull)

Nice one Steve, 👍
Makes a big difference doesn't 😉
For my 1/72 destroyer I shanghaied personnel from the ancient Airfix Afrika Corps and 8th Army soldiers I had as a boy in the backyard battlefield😁
Odd, you can find scale figures for all sorts of obscure army and airforce units and some USN, but no RN personnel at a decent scale🤔
Cheers, Doug😎

Hi Steve,

The figures look great.
The Campbeltown has some life now!

Cheers, Ed

Hi Doug
Captain on the bridge!

I've got some more with tin hats on which I will put on the after gun deck.

Don't worry Nerys, was only a Long Shot' 😉
Manxman also stuck in my mind cos she's different, that and her history on the Malta runs. Ciao, Doug

Hi Doug,

Very sorry, no photos, I was a teenager sailing dinghies in the Medway in the late forties when I saw Manxman and I don't think I even had a camera in those days. My father was on the staff of T.S. Arethusa ex "Peking" at Lower Upnor and we lived in a flat over the ship's swimming pool, right alongside the river. I had a wonderful view of Chatham Reach from my bedroom window. There were so many ships laid up in the Medway and adjoining creeks at that time., taking the wind from us as we raced our dinghies from the Medway Yacht Club. There were long trots of the wooden hulled inshore sweepers, numerous destroyera and all sorts of support craft, there was even an old coaling hulk in Sheerness Harbour, but I'm afraid the passage of time means I don't remember names. Manxman stuck in my mind though, being a little different. Those were the days when we had a navy!

Hi Doug ,I'm just along the coast ,about 10 miles east .
Only the rail bridge when this picture was taken now there's 2 road bridges as well.
Have a healthy and prosperous 2019.

Cheers Marky

Thanks Mark👍
I'd wondered if it might be. That's 'Your Patch' isn't it 😉
All the best for 2019.
Doug 😎

Hi Doug ,2nd picture taken in the Firth of Forth ,probably near Rosyth you can see just the rail bridge in the back ground

Thankyou Nerys for your very kind words 😊👍
'One does what one can!' 😉
HMS Manxman is one of my favourite ships and the subject of my next major project. I have the 1/96 scale Deans marine kit.
Her history has always fascinated me. Built my first 1/600 Airfix model of her many many moons ago!
Should you happen to have any photos of her in the Medway I would be most grateful if you could post them or mail them to me👍
Re 'the wealth of information'; comes from having spent over thirty years working in naval communication systems for navies and shipyards around the world. Many of the projects were refits of ships which were built towards the end of WW2. Such as the ex RN Colossus class carrier I worked on in Rio de Janeiro. Ex Vengeance then NAeL Minas Gerais. Pics show her as built as Vengeance and as rebuilt / reconfigured as Minas Gerais as I knew her in the nineties.
Through that work I developed a knack for research; if I didn't know something about a ship or a COMMS process that a customer wanted I damn soon found out. Was essential to stay ahead of the competition 😉
It also gave me an undying interest and insatiable curiosity about the history of the ships and the men who sailed and fought in them.
My first working model was a scratch build of the H class destroyer HMS Hotspur which I built at 1/72 from measurements taken from a 1/600 Airfix kit, when I was 15! 52 years ago now 🤔 See penultimate pic, shows her alongside my 1/72 Type IIA U-Boat. A contemporary of Hotspur, both commissioned in 1936. Last pics are of her maiden voyage in Radnor Park Folkestone in 1966. Sorry, only had a Brownie 127 camera back then 😁
Her history, from Narvik to Dominican Republic was also very chequered and eventful. Like Manxman, despite being severely damaged several times she survived until the early seventies.
Apart from the Manxman kit I have recently found a 1/350 kit of the Colossus class carriers. So I promptly bought two of 'em. One I will build as the original HMS Vengeance, the other I will try to reconfigure as NAeL Minas Gerais with an angled flight deck etc. Wish me luck 😉
Good luck with all your projects Nerys and All the very best for 2019.
Cheers, Doug 😎
BTW; footnote to SS Peking; German TV recently showed the old Miss Marple film 'Murder Ahoy' in which the Peking was used for the external scenes as the Training Ship Battledore. An amazing coincidence, following so soon after your enquiry!

Having read through this topic (and many others), I am always amazed by the wealth of information that Doug, RN in Munich, comes up with. Seems to me, that, any subject particularly if it is to do with Royal Navy ships, Doug can tell us. I applaud you!
Incidentally, I remember seeing several of the old American four funnel destroyers laid up in Stangate Creek, River Medway in about 1947-48. About the same time, Manxman was moored to a buoy in the Medway, Sheerness Harbour.

Nerys

Haven't found anything better 'Yet', so it looks like I'll be going the same route for my 1/96 HMS Manxman.
Look forward to the pics Rooky👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Steve, swallow your pride and treat yourself to some 1/96 WWII navy figures from Deans, I have six sets now ready for my HMS amethyst painted in navy whites, and some for the
USS KIDD nearly finished. They are small and rather crudely cast, but with primer and paint they look OK on the bridge, as Doug says, better than a ghost ship😲, will post some piccy's of the crew when finished.

cheers Peter😊
BTW Happy New Year

You may be right about the crew, Doug. I may well swallow my pride and invest in the Deans set.

Happy New Year to you.
Steve

Nice result Steve, and she looks suitably battle proven 👍
Shame about the crew though🤔
At least a bridge Watch Crew would make her look less like a Ghost Ship😲
Happy New Sailing Year, cheers, Doug😎

nice video and well done nice ship with some nice details

Hi Doug
I decided to go without a crew. She's finished and launched.
Thanks for your help.


Steve

Hi Steve, I'll have a sniff around. I'll be facing the same problem with my 1/96 Deans HMS Manxman, but that's still down the line a bit 😉
Cheers, Doug 😎

Thanks Doug. I've been thinking about crew but 1/96 scale seems few and far between - the only lot I've found so far is by Deans.
Any suggestions?
Steve

Brilliant job Steve, 👍👍👍
Great paint job.
All you need now are a few crew! 😉
Cheers, Doug 😎

Almost complete. More rigging and detail required but should soon be ready for sea.

Lookin' good 'Number One' 😁👍 and a very fast build too😲
Like the 'clean up' you did on the gun shields, and the torp tubes look pretty convincing as well. Cheers, Doug 😎

Great paint job, Steve!👍

Your ship is coming along nicely.Good job.

Latest developments aboard Campbeltown. Not at all happy with my construction of depth charge racks especially as they are photo etched, but they will blend in when I have put in more detailing and weathering.

You're quite correct of course Chris. Silly me!😲

I think 'The Enemy Below' takes place in the South Atlantic, but the sea probably looks the same.

"I'm the First Lieutenant around here and don't you forget it!"

"Let go forrard - Let go aft, Take her out Number 1" 😉

Thanks for the tips Doug. Just had a look at the gun shield and it does look a bit ragged so I will tidy it up and elongate.

"Hands to stations for leaving harbour. Special sea dutymen close up!"

Steve

Not bad at all Steve. Coming along at breakneck pace! The bridge and splinter padding in particular look great👍
Small tip; you might try to round off the weather deck edges a bit.
I've never been on a warship that had sharp angular edges to the sea deck. There's usually quite a thick round down, even on the oldies.
Seen a few of them (Fletchers and Gearings for example) in various South American navies and in Turkey in the late 80s and 90s.
(20th century I mean, U 'orrible lot😁)

Re the film; heartily agree. A real tension builder. Had also thought of that but somehow had it in mind as 'Incident in the Atlantic'. Might be the German title. Anyway also a good film. Must check if there's a BluRay version. Cheers, Doug 😎
BTW; just noticed, on A gun shield you can elongate the barrel slot upwards. I believe they had an elevation of at least 40 to 45°.

Hi Doug.

Still a long way to go, but not too bad?

Steve.

BTW Talking of films, The Bedford incident was quite tense when Richard Widmark nearly started WWIII https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bedford_Incident

If you had ever seen it you would remember I'm sure!
You might even find a BluRay these days, well worth a few bob extra.
Alles gute, Doug 😎

Schöne Grüße Doug, can't remember it I have seen that one, but from your description will certainly look for it on DVD.

cheers, Peter👍

Hi Peter, was about to point that out! Close though 😉
If you want some real suspense in a naval film, without the 'stiff upper lip chaps' stuff, try 'The Enemy Below'.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Enemy_Below
A gripping tale of a one on one duel between a destroyer escort and a U Boat in the Pacific captained by Robert Mitchum and Curt Jürgens respectively. Adapted from a novel written by an RN officer who fought in the the Atlantic Battle. Well made tense, believable stuff.
Amethyst should make a nice model👍
Sigh!! So many interesting subjects - so little time! 🤔
Cheers, Doug 😎

ERROR! The Yangse incident was not WW2 but April 1949
apologies......🤐

Not forgetting that other WW11 gem,' The Yangtse incident', bought the DVD a couple of months ago and still not had time to view it, but makes me fancy HMS Amethyst from deans marine, but that will have to wait till I finish the USS Kidd


cheers Peter😊

Yep - 'Sleepless in Munich'! 😆
Agreed The Cruel Sea is overall a much better film👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Doug
Keeping late hours again I see!
The Gift Horse, yes, I have seen it, but not for years. Not as good as one of my favourite films, The Cruel Sea, but still a good watch.
However, I see the full version is on YouTube, so being the cheapskate that I am you have encouraged me to give it another viewing.
Once again, thanks for the advice.

Cheers

Steve

As you wish Steve!
If you want the exercise ..., I s'pose it's not as boring as jogging😁😁
What do I think about Semtex?
...
BOOOM 😁😲
Seriously, (as if I could be 😁😁) - don't see any use for Semtex green on Campbeltown either. That's why I said I'd probably chuck it in with my USN MTB green to pad it out bit for my PTB.
Several ships used it as part of the Western Approaches Pattern, like the Flower class corvette depicted on the box, but Campbeltown apparently not. Mix a little in with the Deck Grey perhaps?

BTW, All this chat about Campbeltown inspired me to look for and buy a disc of the 1952 Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough film 'The Gift Horse' based on the Buchanan / Campbeltown / Operation Chariot story. Disc arrived yesterday, just watched it (usual human waste on the haunted fish-tank🤔). Stirring stuff chaps! lots of visible detail of the Town Class destroyers, at least of HMS Leamington!
G'night all, cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Doug
Thanks for the info. Pity, though. I was looking forward to the exercise.
What about Semtex?

Steve

Hi Steve,
On my Manxman, a fast cruiser / minelayer, it was used to protect the deck where mines were dragged from the stores to the laying rails in the stern.
Otherwise I've never seen extensive use of it on open decks. Mostly just in enclosed areas where there would be a lot of 'foot traffic'.
In recent years (decades!?) I've seen blue, yellow and green versions inside the vessel, especially in the so called 'Citadel', a protected area which can be hermetically sealed against chemical or biological attack! 😲
The 'non slip' variants on the weather decks all seem to be paint / resin mixtures containing some sort of abrasive material.
I don't think it is worth the effort you describe to depict corticene!!
Cheers, Doug

Thanks Doug. I thought it was some form of textured not slip surface which I was going to represent with very thin plasti card edged within brass wire.
If slippery when wet, what was its purpose?

Steve.

Hi Steve, haven't seen any evidence that corticene was used anywhere on Campbeltown. it wasn't actually a paint but a type of heavy duty linoleum.
Trouble was it was slippery when wet! I don't propose to use it at all on my mini version. Your build is coming on well, the paint scheme looks great 👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Doug
So glad I went for Western Approaches colours (thanks for the suggestion).First couple of coats applied and I think it's starting to look pretty good, but as you know, I good at blowing my own trumpet.
Got to decide where to put the coticene - I'm told that it is where there is any footfall. Any thoughts?
Sorry about the quality of the picture.

Steve