Japanese Class A 1/16

[MFR1964]

Thanks Von,

Working on the hatch, still have to make that cable-tensioner, the rear-end, the front-part, aaaaarrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!, i'm loosing it!!!!


Manfred.

[Von Hilde]

I'm getting inspired to dig mine out an do some work, Manfred. Looks real good.

[MFR1964]

Stage one, adding the front anti-fauling bars.



Second stage, adding those bars which protect the peroscope housing, and punched some holes into the protector with the help of a mold.



OOPS!!, made a mistake, those bars near the peroscope housing where sitting too high, modified it accourding to the pictures i have.



Drilled out the housing and shoved the future scope in for testing.



I'm going to make a mold of this tower, so each component can be removed, used two M2 bolts for fastening the housing, will need more bolts in the future to keep the tensionwheel on it's place.
Now i can start building the hatch.

Manfred.

[MFR1964]

Thanks Von, Always nice those historical facts, i bet this is only the tip of the Iceberg.
As for me, i played around in the cave and made me something new,



Stage one, made a fourspoke wheel, not sure if they where used at the real boats, but the japs made practical things not german overcomplicated. cutted both sidewalls from copper sheet, drilled all holes in one attempt, so they center nicely.



Dryfitting all parts before soldering.



Soldered everything and used the dremel to make it shine, the wheel can be turned and there is a small groove inside the wheel to run the cable.



A dryfitt at the conningtower, now i have this part i can make the bars which where part of the anti-fauling system, those are connected between the persocope protector and the tensionwheel, to be continued.

Manfred.

[Von Hilde]

Excelent craftsmanship, as usual, Manfred. The fair weather housing for the periscope, is part or the battery vent system, hence all the holes. Additionally the aft top section of the tower, as well.. It is integrated with the anti fowling system to insure the cable diflection does not get hung up on the periscope housing itself.. At this point I wonder why you would use a static WTC balast system. The type As did not have any balast tanks It was a dynamic diver, and ran neutral buoyancy, water level being just slightly below the base of the tower, at rest. They could submerge, statically, by cracking a scuttle valve to flood the boat, as a last ditch effort. This was a contingency plan that was a standard order for the Pearl Harbor attack force crews. The orders were to, once their mission was completed, the were to try to make it to the mother sub pick up point after sending the radio report of success. If that was not possible, they were to scuttle the boat and set the demo charge, and make their individual way to a number of Japanese houses in Pearl City. This most likely happened in one boats case, as new evidence of what the fate of the fifth missing boat. This boat was the one that reportedly fired both torpedoes, at the USS West Virginia. The 8 pm radio report from one of the midgets declaring success with both torpedoes support this theory, as well as the only boat wreckage with both torpedoes expect was the one found on the bottom after the north lock disaster when all the ammo filled LSTs exploded and burned. During the salvage operation of thr Lock, there was a midget wreckage dredged up, with no torpedoes or bodies. This boat was removed and relocated to the bay near Hickam airfield during the land fill operation to extend the runway,. This boat is most likely the object in question in the photograph taken by a Japanese aircraft during the attack on battleship row. There accounts from other ships during the attack firing on a midget in that area at the time the West Virginia and Oklahoma were receiving several torpedo hits that sank both.. In on gunners mate's account on firing his gun at a proposing mini sub that was firing torpedoes at battleships, He reported knocking the head off of a man sticking his head out.. I believe that he did hit the tower of the sub since it was quite close, but most likely knocked the fair weather over the scope odd, which would appear to be a head sticking out a hatch.. The mystery is still open, since there were two wrecks recovered with both tubes empty. One torpedo was recovered un exploded on shore next to a pier, which narrows down the successful hits to 3. There were two possible in the W Va. An there was an incident of a cruiser and a distroyer engaging Fire with a midget sub that fired 2 torpedoes at the cruiser missing it but on traveled onward an hit a destroyer that was escaping the attack. Reportedly blew up under the stern and lifting the ship out of the water, where it ran aground to survive sinking and blocking the g harbor. Little history lesson for a crappy Sunday weather day down here. Tornadoes in January in Florida??? World is falling apart quick. Tide is up over the sea wall today, whoever said the sea isn't rising must live in the mountains.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Fantastic work, Manfred. You lead the way, my friend!

M

[MFR1964]

Made the jiggs and the sanding is done, for now she is in storage untill spring, tempartures way too low to play around with epoxy resin.



Before i made the jiggs i boggled the brains on what kind of SD could be used, placed the 2,5 SD from the type XXIII in front for the size, seems possible to me.



The boat placed between the jiggs, used some straight scrap wood to make this, added threaded bars, so i can fixade or rotate the boat.



Added wall filler to the plug and made me a extra large sandingblock, time to sand away!!



Did several passes with the filler and sanding, now she is ready for a skin of glasscloth and epoxy, have to wait for higher tempartures, she is safely tucked away on the wall.



Since i want to mold the tower also, i made the topside from styrene, did several passes with copper sheeting but this wasn´t a succes so i went with styrene, first new item on the list was, the peroscope protector, so next pass will be the wheel at the front, working on that right now.


Manfred.

[MFR1964]

Made a vid to show the plug, enjoy

https://youtu.be/XOYIriMyGxE

Manfred.

[MFR1964]

Thanks for the pics Bart,

I think those pics shows a nice replica of a class A tower, there are some things which are not right, especially as i compare them with pics made in WW2, like missing the two big tubes used for both the entry and peroscope, the japanese simply welded plates between them to cover up, on your pics those places are flatwelded.
They may have used some original parts, like the wheel and housing for the antifouling cable.

Manfred.

[Von Hilde]

Nice display. the rope is not authentic part of the antifowling gear, pully assembly Somebody just thought it looked like it should be like a Barn pully.with a rope. Heavy cable was used, origionally. The Ha 19 tower was removed at the Nimitz museum, for what reason, I dont know. Most likely it was so rusted it may have been unsafe. Still a couple towers up in Alaska rusting away. Too bad all the old stuff is rapidlly dissapearing. Like the guys that were in them.

[bwi 971]

Can this be of any help?

The picture is from inside the Kure Maritime Museum (Yamato Museum) in Kure, Hiroshima, Japan.
Found a video too between 00:15:57 and 00:17:59

Grtz,
Bart

[Von Hilde]

Manfred, I just realised that the picture of the tower in front of the Capitol building had been published backwards. in other words the photo negative was flipped mirror imiage. In other words the side being viewed with the civilians is actually the starbord side. The holes in the hull with the windows where the people are viewing the interior were cut in the starboard hull only at the Mare Island shipyard where the restoration for the war bond tour was completed.. and the aft lower section of the tower starboard had a damage hole right where the armor met the hull. This was from one of the destroyers that engaged Sakamaki's boat before he could enter Pearl Harbor. He then escaped and ran aground on the east side of the island. The vessel recieved more damage dragged off the reef, as well. Several detalils of the wreck were overlooked at restoration due to no knowledge of the vessel. One being the antifowling rigging wires re attachment and the other major mis conception was absence of the complete prop cage. Aparently most of the wrecks recoverd had major damage in that area so no restoration people had the proper rigging. Only surviving representation is on the Ha8 in Groton sub museum. Geene and Dave took some good pictures of the cage, altho it too is been bent and re straitened, close to original, but not perfect. Glad to help if I can.

[MFR1964]

Von, i've send you a PM with my mailadress.

Manfred.

[Von Hilde]

pictures wont load for some reason Ill have to e mail them

[Von Hilde]

I have missplaced most of the actual fotos I took years ago, but here are a few Hi res you can blow up for detail