Response by RNinMunich on the 8th Oct 2018

Hi Mike, tedious job🤔 but the build's looking good👍
BTW: by sheer coincidence yesterday i saw a documentary on National Geographic about Commander Robert Peary, an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person to reach the geographic North Pole.
Your ship was named after him.
"SS Robert E. Peary was a Liberty ship which gained fame during World War II for being built in a shorter time than any other such vessel. Named after, Commander Robert Peary, an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person to reach the geographic North Pole.
She was launched on November 12, 1942 just 4 days, 15 hours and 29 minutes after the keel was laid down."
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/SS_Robert_E._Peary
Pronounced 'Peery'

So if you're fitting nameplates .....!
Cheers, Doug 😎

Response by Mikep on the 8th Oct 2018

Thanks for the kind words and history my farther was a engineer on merchants libertys and Victory’s WW2 all battle theatres Murmansk the lot. I was his wiper Oiler, fireman on stationary boilers and generators eventually got my NYC High pressure license and refrigeration license. I recently took a day trip on the S.S. John W Brown www.ssjohnbrown.org in Baltimore USA.

Response by RNinMunich on the 8th Oct 2018

Evenin' Mike,
Murmansk as well! Your Pa must have been through the mill!

During my nefarious travels over the last few decades I ended up in Muscat, Oman a few times to discuss COMMS refits and upgrades for their fleet. In Muscat I stayed at the Marriott hotel which has a bar called 'The John Barry Bar'.
Since I only knew John Barry from the James Bond theme I wondered why! The barkeep told me it referred to a liberty ship supposedly carrying bullion to Russia and sunk off the Oman coast in August 1944.
In fact she was carrying silver coins to Saudi Arabia! They didn't have paper currency then so that was the only way for the allies to provide funds for services rendered.
If I ever build a Liberty ship model - she will be it!
Cheers, Doug 😎
PS Took several 'John Barry' beermats from the bar 😉

Response by Mikep on the 8th Oct 2018

Very interesting Doug not to go on and on Since the seaman’s story’s I was told are way to colorful for this site, but your mention of Oman reminded me of my birthday August 1944 my old man told me he was in Oran unloading and on the 11th of August a bird flew in to his cabin that’s my birthday. Have a Good evening Mike

Response by RNinMunich on the 8th Oct 2018

Hi Mike, fellow Leo! Mine is 6 days later 17.08.
I've also been in Oran, Algeria, several times, talking to the navy and the naval shipyard in Mers El Kebir just round the headland from Oran.
Yep, that's right, where the RN reluctantly shot up the French fleet in WW2.
Result of the discussions; 3 Patrol Boats built in Mers El Kebir, 2 Frigates built in Germany, 1 Training ship and 3 Corvettes built in China.
The Italians nicked my design for the COMMS system for the LPD which was built in Italy (incentive - Govt. funding!), otherwise I'd have had that as well. 😡 You can't win 'em all 😉
I got my revenge just before I retired when I won the contracts for 7 ships for the Qatar Navy, built in Italy by the same Genoa yard as the Algerian LPD. 😁
Cheers, Doug 😎

Response by Donnieboy on the 9th Aug 2018

That is going to be a beautiful build.It will be nice to see it finished.

Response by RNinMunich on the 9th Aug 2018

Agree Donnie,
I might be inclined to name her SS John Barry
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/SS_John_Barry
But then I'm biased, I spent some time working in Muscat, Oman and in the Marriot Hotel there is a 'John Barry Bar' commemorating the loss of the ship off the coast of Oman with several mementoes of the ship.

Happy building, my next 'new build' is also a Deans kit, HMS Manxman a fast minelayer / cruiser which played a large part in running supplies to Malta.
I'm impressed with the hull quality as I'm sure you are too.👍
I intend to add some cross braces to the hull, sized to ensure that the decks fit before I start stiffening or any other work on the hull.
Cheers, Doug 😎

Response by Fred on the 9th Aug 2018

Hi
I inherited one of theses kit's some years back, when I had a word with Ron he said that it must have been one of his early kit's as it said I need to put bulkheads in to stiffen up the hull.
The one that I have has a white metal off set rudder ie the top half of the rudder is just off central, was this to stop any torque from the single prop?

I look forward to your build blog as in time I am hoping to get mine finished and will name her "Jack McCann" as that is the name of my late friend.

Response by Mikep on the 9th Aug 2018

Yes Deepdiver, the rudder is offset on the and liberty and made of cast concrete in two sections for fuel efficiency which I understand saved thousands of gallons of fuel, since I,m not worried about the mileage I’m just going to simulate the rebar on the rudder for scale affect. I foolded a brass sheet over into a streamline air foil shape and sandwiched a piece 1/8” brass rod for the post. Just a point of interest the American aircraft carrier based Corsair had 2 degrees of offset built into the vertical
Fin as well as a rudder trim tab to compensate for the torque. I just returned from Baltimore where my wife and I took a 8hr day trip on the John W. Brown one of 3 remaining working WW2 Libertyships.

Response by Mikep on the 9th Aug 2018

Response by Sanddancer on the 3rd Oct 2018

I am presently very slowly building the Deans City of Ely which is very similar to the Robert E Perry. I have got the motor and the prop installed and I have cut the decking and picked up some good points from your pictures, ( i hope you don't mind😡), I particularly like the plywood under deck and noted that you built up the stern where the rudder post is fitted. I think I shall follow your lead there.👍

Response by Mikep on the 3rd Oct 2018

Thanks for the kind words Sanddancer. Your City of Eli looks very nice so far. I just added some detail to the Hull I used 1/4” aluminum tubing and fiberglass filler to add fillets. I saw the added stabilizers on the Fleet Scale hull for there Liberty ship. I have there 1/48 Flower Corvette hull and it is really well made heavier gauge then the deans and very well detailed including rivet detail.