| USS Bradley was one of the last warships
built by Bethleham Steel San Francisco. She was one of 10 Garcia Class
DE, which were improved from the previous Bronstein DEs by replacing the
600lb boilers with pressured fired 1200lb boilers increasing power 75%
and enabling them to reach 30 knots under perfect conditions. USS Bradley
was commissioned in May 1965 and served her entire USN service on the west
coast making WesPac deployments. She also served as a test platform for
the BPDMS Sea Sparrow system. A year long overhaul beginning in June 1975
changed her aviation facilities from the original DASH configuration to
the LAMPS configuration with an enlarged hanger. In the great USN reclassification
of June 30 1975 she was reclassified to a Fast Frigate. After a year long
mid 1983 overhaul she returned to her homeport of San Diego, California
and was open to the public at Broadway Pier in August 1984. The model was
built from the research during this time. USS Bradley continued to serve
on the west coast until her decommissioning in September 1988. In September
1989 she was leased to Brazil and in January 2001 sold to Brazil, who operated
her as a destroyer, Pernambuco D-30 until March 2004. |
| This model was converted from the Monagram Kit of USS Brooke
DEG-1, first made in 1970. Back then models were produced in a box scale
(17 1/4 inch long) resulting in the model scaling out at 1:311. The details
would be considered crude today, but by the standards of the day, it was
quite a good ship kit. For this model only some of the parts were used.
The bottom of the hull was cut off with the ultimate goal of putting in
a seascape. The main deck is used after cutting off the superstructure
and deck fittings. |
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| The gun mount was used (an extra from the parts box), but requires
work to correct the shape and add details. Mount51 had an additional knuckle
on the roof and a platform in the rear for a hiCap antenna added later.
The barrels were made from heat stretched 3/32 evergreen tube. The Mk32
torpedo tubes were cut from 3/64 Evergreen rod detailed with stretched
sprue and bits of sheet styrene.The Asroc launcher and Mk56 Gun director
were scratchbuit from sheet styrene. Evergreen .100x.250 strip is a perfect
size for the Asroc launcher cells. A dremel was used to hollow the dish
for the gun director radar. |
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| The SPS40 air searchradar and SPS10 surface search radar were scratched
built using stretched sprue and sheet styrene and rod for the base. The
satcom antellae were scratchbuilt using a discarded florist vail as the
mesh for the face. his mesh was also used as the netting for the helo deck
safety nets, the open mesh platform leading from the midship gundeck to
the door on the front of the hanger and the grills on various superstructure
vents.The folding midships Unrep post and boat davit winches were scratchbuilt. |
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| The Seasprite helicopter builds up to an excellent SH2F
Lamps model after hollowing out with a dremel and adding details. The engine
nacelles were shaped from sheet styrene and attached to the engine housing.Landing
gear and horizontal tail was cut off and replaced by more inscale manufactured
components. A radome,MAD bird, drop tanks, pitot tube and various antennae
were added. Folded rotor blades were made from .10 sheet stryrene and added
after the fuselage had been painted. The helo was painted overall
ModelMaster Grun RLM73 and flat black. There was no acraft embarked during
the open house. Artistic license was taken to mark the bird in colorful
HSL-35 markings made from decals taken from the scrap box (mostly railroad
modeling decals). |
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| The mack was used, cutting off the the upper mast and signalman's shelter,
which was shaped differently on USS Bradley. Sheet styrene was used to
build up the superstructure. 1/8' Evergreen tube was used for the exhaust
on the Mack. Garcia and Bradley, the first two ships of the class and the
only ones built by the Bethlehem Steel SF had different shaped signalman's
shelters at the front face of the MACK. The rest of the class and the Brookes
had shelters shaped like the Monagram kit.This and the need to add the
platforms and support for the ULQ6 ECM antennae required a scratchbuilt
replacement. Ships of thie era were characterized by a blast resistant
blocky shape with water washdown plumbing (coldwar nuclear features) incorporating
lots non-stealthy external cable runs and waveguides and equipment hung
on the superstructure. |
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| The Helo hanger was manuractured from .20 sheet styrene. On the roof
are encapsulted life raft mounts, flight delck lighting, a LAMPS glideslope
landing aid and a large scratchbuilt vent. Scratchbuilt fire fighting equipment
watertight doors, Unrep fixtures were added to the bulkheads. Painting
was done to areas that would be easier to do at this stage. |
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| The face of the forward superstructure was detailed with a folding
Unrep platform and a various fixures. This is typical of the first five
ships of the class (later ships had an power loading ASROC magazine extending
the superstructure forward and changing the pilothouse shape). This eliminated
the deck mounted Asroc Launcher loader and the forward Unrep fixtures added
here. After painting clear sheet styrene was used to glass in the windows
on the pilothouse, signalman's shelter, Asroc safety compartment, flightdeck
control compartment, SH2 windows, and captain's gig cabin windows. Crystalclear
was used for smaller windows and portholes. |
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| Kit supplied WLR ESM platform arms were replace by sheet styreen. Vertical
ladders, cable runs, and railings were manufactured from sheet styrene.Model
Master Light Ghost Grey was airbrushed onto areas which would be difficule
to paint later. Model Master Schwarzgrau RLM 66 was hand brushed on the
decks. |
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| Stretch sprue was used for the radar antennae and details. The Mack
was detailed with stretched sprue. Top hamper yardarms and antenna platforms
were manufactured from Evergreen rod and sheet styrene and details added.
There was considerable variation in the radome arrangements between sisterships.
This configuration is specific to Bradley at the time. Scratchbuilt sheet
styrene boat davits were added later. The motor whale boat was scratchbuilt
while the captain's gig hull was used from the kit after modification. |
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| Details added starboard side aft superstructure - more doors than the
port side, the bigger door was for the torpedo magazine. Fire main was
larger than the port side.Reel and cable storage and broken down unrep
kingpost were mounted on the helo hanger facewere specific to Bradley.
Other ships had different arrangements. |
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| Pre and post painted view. Desron 13 shield was hand painted. Railroad
model decals were used for battle efficiency markings. Ensign was handpainted
aluminum foil. Whip antennae were cut from steel rod. Anchors were scratch
built, but anchor chais came from a model railroad shop (40 links/inch). |
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| Cable stoppers were made from braided wire (see David Griffith's book).
Weathering was done in pastels. |
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| The seascape is a medium blue sheet of plexiglass. On top
of this the a layer of Liquitex heavy gel medium. This was laid on fairly
thick to build up peaks and valleys. After this dries (about 3 days)a thin
layer of heavy gel is applied by stippling with a small brush to rough
up the surface texture. When this had dryed a mixture of acrylic phthalocyanine
blue, phthalocyanine green, and titanium white paint was laid on. A lightened
mixture was used to simulate the underwarer sonar dome and stabilizer fins.
When this had dried a final layer of Liquitex Gloss Varnish was appled.
Tie downs were added to the helicopter. A protective clear plexiglass case
was assembled to complete the project. |
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| From start to finish the Project took about 2 years
including significantly long periods of not building. |
