| MASTS - The USS Duxbury Bay had two masts, besides the Main
Mast on the crane; the Foremast and the Stack Mast. The foremast
has a platform for an SL or SF radar dome and for the SA radar array antenna
(L’Arsenal). The stack mast supported a YG signal beacon antenna
(ISW). The foremast was scratch built starting with a tapered brass
mast from BMK, styrene flat stock for the platforms, brass rod for the
yardarm, the SL radar dome from the ISW mast, and pieces from spare parts
sprues and PE frets. The stack mast is straight brass rod with a
circular PE spare part and the YG antenna from the ISW PE fret. |
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BOAT CRANE - The crane pedestal is a Back-Aft Models modification
of the ISW crane part, less the king post but, with added access doors
around the perimeter of the pedestal. The king post is made
of styrene rod with its mast post of brass rod. The crane boom was
made from two pieces of the ISW photo-etched part. One piece being
trimmed to become the bottom of the boom, enclosing it in along the bottom.
The pulleys, hook and cables are from Alliance Modelworks USN Cruiser photo-etched
brass set. The crane on my model is positioned port of centerline,
therefore the crane yardarm remains perpendicular to the centerline while
the crane rotates below it.
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| BOMB BOOMS - All USS Barnegat class AVPs had bomb and shell
handling booms mounted outboard and below the bridge in order to handle
these munitions for on-loading and off-loading through the large deck hatch
on the forward O1 Level deck. Using brass rods glued into holes located
and drilled at the appropriate positions into the bulkhead and windscreen,
the brass rods are clipped to create mounting points for the booms and
their operating cables. |
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| FANTAIL DETAILS – Besides the boat cradle on the fantail, mentioned
previously, other fantail details include an empty bowser tank stowage
rack made from styrene stock, Back-Aft Models smoke screen generator tank
racks, towing line hawse reel, and Mk 6 depth charge racks from the ISW
PE fret and various lines for tying up boats, the barge, and for rigging
the starboard boat boom. I filled the depth charge racks with charges
made from styrene rod and then used thin wrapping tissue paper to create
canvas tarps for them. The warping winch is from a DRAGON destroyer
sprue and the inclined ladder is from the ISW PE fret. |
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| RIGGING – For me, the rigging begins with the addition of mast
and stack stays (guys) and shrouds using straight, cut-to-length pieces
of steel guitar string with small drops of white glue to depict the turnbuckles
and then painting all of the stays black. I start with the lower,
inboard stays working from way up and outboard to the upper, outer stays
and shrouds. On my USS Duxbury Bay, stays are required on the foremast,
stack mast, and the stack itself.
After the stays and shrouds, the signal flag halyards and wire antennas
are next. For this, I use white caenis thread, attaching the lower
ends with CA glue and accelerator and pulling the lines up and around the
yardarm and the tiniest drop of CA glue followed by accelerator.
I use fingernail clippers to cut the excess thread tight to the yardarm.
The halyards and antennas are then painted white and/or light gray using
thinned acrylic paint. The “at anchor” signal ball is made from a
small, hollow glass bead threaded with the caenis thread and its holes
filled with CA glue and then painted dark gray. The Alpha flag is
hoisted to warn others of a diver in the water or just to proceed slowly
and make no wake. |
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| RAILINGS – The safety net railings used along the
main deck are from L’Arsenal. The stanchion-railing sections along
the port and starboard sides are from the ISW PE fret and a most valuable
piece saving a lot of time, effort, and frustration in lieu of creating
and spacing separate stanchions and pieces of railing along this prominent
area of the ship.
Several areas of canvas-covered railings had to be created. The
railings atop the pilot house, forward of the stack, and around the gun
director tower all had weather screen canvas applied to them. I use
Kristal Klear white glue to fill the areas between the stanchions and rails
on these sections of railing, painting the railings with the superstructure
color first, and after the glue has dried I paint the canvas the appropriate
colors but, just on the outboard sides. With the finish color just
on the outboard sides, it allows the railings’ colors to be visible on
the inboard sides. I find that using three-bar rail sections in these
areas makes filling the gaps with the glue much easier than trying to fill
larger gaps in two-bar railing sections. I like to use PE railing
sections by Tom’s Modelworks for these smaller areas. The dimensions
between the stanchions on the Tom’ Modelworks PE railing fret seem to work
out just right without having to bend the sections between the stanchions
and thus having to add individual stanchions in the areas of those bends. |
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| BOAT BOOM – Using detailed reference drawings from
the NARA Micro Film Reel image set of the boat booms as rigged for these
AVPs, I rigged out the starboard boat boom to accommodate the 26’ whale
boat and a 24’ personnel boat using caenis thread and PE vertical ladders. |
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20mm GUNS – The USS Duxbury Bay was armed with six Twin 20mm
Guns; four located in sponsons around the bridge area on the O2 and O3
Levels and two on the O1 Level outboard of the crane. I used 20mm
guns by L’Arsenal and covered some of them with wrapping tissue paper canvas. |
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5 INCH GUN TURRET – I prefer the scale and detail of Corsair
Armada Productions’ 5”/38 turrets and foundation rings but, I’ve replaced
the CAP barrel with a brass one from Alliance Modelworks along with the
gun director’s resin cupola. |
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| Diorama Details |
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| PONTOON BARGE - The inspiration photos of the USS Duxbury
Bay at Kerama Retto, Okinawa depict her servicing the PBM Mariner “E-1”
from VPB-27 as the flying boat rests on a pontoon barge which is tied up
to the ship’s port side. |
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| I first created a pontoon barge from styrene stock; the
pontoons, bow ramp, and connecting strips. An outboard diesel engine
and pivoting bow ramps were fashioned from styrene stock, as well.
All parts were then cast in a rubber mold and resin replicas made of them
all.
The barge was painted with Polly S “Oily Black” and weathered with pastel
chalks and graphite pencil and then was moored to the port side of the
ship. |
PBM MARINER “E-1” – The ISW USS Mackinac AVP-13 resin kits come
with a resin PBM Mariner. I assembled the hull, wings and stabilizers
filling the seams with putty and filling the portholes with putty and sanding
off the molded-in doors. The forward and aft doors were drilled and
chiseled out to replicate their positions in the inspiration photos. |
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| The bow turret was cut and hollowed out, as well.
Panel lines were scribed into the wings and hull. Brass rod was used
for the gun barrels in the top and stern turrets and beaching gear was
scratch built and added to the hull. The engine cowlings were removed
and new ones fashion from styrene stock.
The propellers are from the PE fret included with the plane.
Black decal sheet was used to punch out round portholes of appropriate
sizes and oval portholes were depicted with decals from the spare parts
drawer. |
| PBM MARINER “E-12” – This PBM was modified in a similar
way to “E-1” but, the hull had to be sanded to the waterline. |
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After Market Accessories
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AVP 35-41 Hull and Superstructure Conversion Set – Back-Aft Models
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5”/38 cal Gun Turret – Corsair Armada and Alliance Modelworks
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Quad 40mm Bofors – L’Arsenal
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Twin 40mm Bofors - L’Arsenal
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Twin 20mm Guns - L’Arsenal
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Small Boats – Corsair Armada Productions
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SA Radar - L’Arsenal
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Safety Net Railings - L’Arsenal
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1/350 Figures - L’Arsenal
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Gas Cylinder Bottles - L’Arsenal
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Sky Lookouts – L’Arsenal
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Fire Hoses and Life Rings – Gold Medal Models
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Watertight Doors and Hatches – Gold Medal Models and L’Arsenal and Alliance
Modelworks
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Mk51 Gun Directors – Yankee Modelworks
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Search Lights – Yankee Modelworks
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Signal Lights – Veteran Models
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Pelorous and Binnacle – Paper Lab
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Life Rafts – L’Arsenal
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Ship’s Bell – BMK
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Foremast - BMK
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Floater Nets and Baskets - L’Arsenal and White Ensign Models
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Cable Reels - L’Arsenal and White Ensign Models
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Inclined Ladders – Iron Shipwrights
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Vertical Ladders – L’Arsenal
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Accommodation Ladder - Gold Medal Models
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Aviation Decals – Gold Medal Models
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