Hi Damon, Should have got back to you ages ago. Yes, I am currently building, though have been rather inactive through the summer. I am trying to show her as she was as she went up the Yangtse Kiang before being attacked.

She's starting to look like a ship. She almost certainly had corticene decks. Question is, dirty dark green or blue or even brown?

Hi Damon,
Thanks, that would be great. I thought I had already replied, twice, but maybe I'm not clicking the right spot. email is gdaynorm@sympatico.ca

Very nice!

Norm,
Card is a great way to go. The alumin tape can also be used easily on curves. Applied lightly, then cut with a sharp knife, peel off the unwanted, and the "plate" wraps around the curve. burnished down and viola!

Well thanks for trying. They look like shots taken in Malta grand harbour? Difficulty is dating photos to what stage of modifications a ship underwent.

Hi Damon.
Yes thanks. The more pics the better. Have you ever noticed there are very few shots taken from above the stern of any ship? My e-mail is gdaynorm@sympatico.ca
Are you currently building?

Hi, thanks. Yes, from the photos I have they are definitely not riveted. The Ough drawings show the plating in detail, individual plate by plate. I have taken a punt as attached pic shows. I have always done my plating with card, which has the advantage of when damp being slightly mouldable where curvature is complex. It is slightly over thick, but by the time it has a couple of coats of paint, sanded and finish coat it works well.

hay
well I've tried all night but this is the best i could do sorry no use I'm afraid, sorry

Hi
I've got a few pics I'll dig them out scan them and can email you them if will help any?👍

Hi Norm,
I found quite a few pics of her on line including the attached from her incident. To me, it appears thaat her stakes overlapped the above and below strakes and I suspect, not seeing any sign of rivets, that she was welded. I would also suspect that, if she were built anythng like a Fletcher cl. destroyer, that she had riveted straps running around her hull where her expansion joints were.
I would like to suggest a technique, learned from a very good modelers in New Hampshire, to easily simulate the strake plating. I used it fro the first time on my latest Fletcher and it worked well. Starting with a smooth hull, mark your stake lines on your hull, bow to stern. As you are doing a WL model, there will be few. From photos, determine the proud strakes, those that would be welding on top of the adjoining strakes. The proud strkes are the only ones you need to simulate. calculate the strake thickness and convert it to scale, then using adhesive backed aluminum tape cut to size, apply it to the hull where the proud stake would be found. To cut the foil I applied it lightly to my hulls surface and cut it with an Xacto knife. When you are satisfied with the shape and position rub the foil down onto the hull with a dull object, i used a piece of basswood with a rounded edge. On Fletchers the strakes overlapped for and after and this is easily accomplishe by posisioning and careful rubbing. It helps to try it a time or two before getting too close to your hull.😋

Hi Norm.
I watched the film again this evening and managed to capture some pics.
Hope they are of some help.
Regards Bill.

Hi Norm.
I attach some pictures of the type of main guns fitted to HMS Amethyst namely the Mk XV1 QF 4 inch.
They are not taken on Amethyst but from other vessels.
Some time ago I posted a section in response to your first blog on her and if you can get hold of a copy of the film on the Yangtze incident the film shows the guns in action.
Sorry if you have already seen the attached pictures.
Regards Bill.

Having a real problem with windlass, mainly size as do not have any drawings, only indistinct photos. I have made as per picture, but it seems a bit large, but to get the chain realistically around the drums, can't get it much smaller. As usual, your opinion will be welcome!

She had what I can only describe as a short bulwark, see pic. Seems strange but the there had to be a good reason for it. Any idea what was behind it?

Hi Doug,
Hopefully mast finished, apart from gear on the crowsnest. See pic. Looks okay from three or four feet!

Only made the main uprights angle, the rest flat about 30 thou wide. The really perceptive might be able to criticize as there is some discrepancy there - no way could I cut better part of four feet totally accurately! One way to save previous soldered joints is to do the first one with standard solder, then low melt after. Problem here in Canada is can't find low melt! Making the angle was not too hard, just time consuming. Crowsnest next, with guard rails - steel guitar strings.

Looks pretty damn good to me Norm👍 That's some 'tin snipping'!
Musta bin a tin can or it wouldn't have taken solder so well.
That's what concerned me about a brass construction; previous joints popping when heating the next one☹️ Have had that agro with brass photo etch. Mini croc clips and slivers of copper sheet as heat sinks didn't help much.
Folding the corner angle profiles musta bin fun, assume you made a jig?

Next project an oil drilling rig??? Deep Horizon?
Keep up the great work, shame we'll never see her sailing tho.
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Doug,
I've hardly ever used styrene. I think I have a reasonable result, using steel cut from a body shop paint thinners can. See pics. Took a while.

Hi Norm,
Made one for my Castle class corvette years ago.
The original was angled steel but found, using a jig that styrene angled strip made quite a successful replica .
Rowen

See my harbour Norm, my HMS Amethyst is in there and some pictures of her main mast, I believe this was made using angled brass.

Cheers, Pete😊

Don't know how to post a link to my harbour, 😐sorry

Hi Norm,
I would guess angle steel, to minimise top weight and maximise inherent strength.
Been on the odd ship / FAC with such a mast and they were built using angle profile.
In a model probably best constructed from styrene profile, conclusion I came to when making the depth charge rails and bridge wing supports for my H class destroyer.
Soldering brass profile for such a mast could become a 'job for life'🤔
Happy gluing, don't get too 'stuck in' 😁
Cheers, Doug 😎
BTW: ref deck colours, see Norman Ough's comments here, click on the 4th pic-

https://www.vintagemodelplans.com/products/digital-full-size-plans-h-m-s-amethys

https://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/sloops/hms_a

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/p8/DickyD_photos/HMS%20Amethyst/DSCF0270.

Here is how I hope i have depth charge racks and throwers in place. Lot more detail to work out, control cabinets etc.

Thanks again. But I am still puzzled! See the pic I am attaching, and you will see what I mean about depth charges, racks and throwers. Definitely before they started work on her. That pic of yours makes the shipyard maties in Hong Kong pretty incredible. Ship looks new! Did you ever give up on a project?

No Norm,
That pic was taken as she came home from the Yangtze dust up full of 'oles, but after preliminary repairs in Hong Kong. As I mentioned in the "caption" copied from the linked site.

Check out all the pages on the link. Most of the photos are as she was coming back out of the Yangtze, after repairs at Hong Kong, in the Suez Canal on the way home and returning to Devonport. All in 1949 in the era you wished to represent her.

" they had so many refits with seemingly major structural mods it's easy to get lost! "
Exactamente Norm! Your 'original' drawings will most likely show the vessel as designed, in the early 40s, not even necessarily AS BUILT, and certainly not as she was 7 years later after three years of war mods and four years of peace mods.

Over 35 years of working on COMMS system design for naval vessels I never once experienced a ship built and equipped to the original drawings and specs, not even refits. On some projects I even managed to get the shipyard to revise the superstructure layout to ensure that the HF antenna system would work correctly and not just fry the deck or bridge crews!

Look at the other pics re minelaying racks or depth-charge throwers, I was concentrating on the boats. Minelaying racks or depth-charge throwers were most likely the original ASW war fit and demounted sometime after the war. Whatever, that photo shows her after deck in November 1949 on her return from China. Never heard of a mine thrower! Sounds dodgy to me💥😭 Sorry if you wasted time making depth charge racks and 'chuckers' 🤔
Check out ALL the photos (they can be enlarged with a decent pic viewer) and you'll see that the whalers aren't swung completely between the superstructure islands but strapped on the davits slightly outboard. The launch appears to be sitting on a deck cradle.

This question wasn't quite as tricky as the one about anchor chain link sizes but I do my best.
Bon chance mom ami,
Cheers, Doug
PS Even the great Norman, although absolutely brilliantly skilled, wasn't infallible and could only work with the drawings and info he had to hand at the time! What were the the dates of of his book and drawings?

Thanks Doug. That pic is a beaut. I think it must have been when she was first commissioned? I modelled that launch from the Ough book page of detail boats etc. Took a while! Your pic doesn't show the minelaying racks or throwers just forward of them I've made the racks, though I am not happy with them. I think I have the dimensions about right, but they seem too clumsy. The launch in that looks to be more than 24 feet.

Maybe when I get all the other stuff around them and guard rails etc they'll be acceptable, but I am not holding my breath.
The whalers must have had only a foot or two clearance when swung inboard. I have had a devil of a job getting the main superstructures positioned right. I have a very good book of original drawings of the class, but they had so many refits with seemingly major structural mods it's easy to get lost!

Hi Norm,
The best evidence I can find (see attached link) is that she had two whalers, port and starboard of the mast/funnel area. And one motor launch at the aft end of the foredeck starboard side, i.e. you have the whaler and the launch transposed. Oops, Buffer will be annoyed!😠
I can find no evidence of a boat at the aft end of the port side of foredeck as counterpoise to the launch.
In addition I see 6 Carley floats; 2 on frames P&S of the bridge superstructure, 4 in pairs on frames P&S just aft of the step-down to the aft deck.

BTW I believe that the cabin of your launch should be longer, in two parts (gap in the middle for the 'swain?) and the enclosed bow section slightly higher.
See photo on page 5 of the link - the one showing Amethyst docking in Devonport with HMS Vanguard in the background.
Photo attached😉
"November 1, 1949: HMS Amethyst F-116 arriving at Devonport after the Yangtze Incident. HMS Vanguard is seen in the background."

Very good so far Warrant 👍 Carry on that man.
Cheers, FLEET 😎

https://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/sloops/hms_a