Having your ship sunk is probably the worst thing that can happen at sea. The next worst things are being in a collision and running aground. I’ve experienced both of those. Here is how one of the incidents occurred. USS Nantahala was in here home port of Newport, Rhode Island. She had been undergoing some … More A Strange Way to Run Aground
The admiralty used “dazzle” camouflage as an anti-submarine protection measure for merchant vessels and convoys. The Grand Fleet battle squadrons were not painted that way. But several cruisers that acted as convoy ocean escorts were given camouflage coats. Some designs were used on two different ships, Others were unique. Here are some examples from my … More RN WWI Camouflage on my models – part II
I was fascinated by the use of colored patterns in the First World War to confuse U-boats about the course and speed of the painted ship. I’ve painted many models in my collection in those patterns. Here are three British minesweeping sloops with their actual patterns. The patterns are different for each side of the … More RN WWI Camouflage on my models – part 1
Landing at Hue 14 April 1965 After a short interval the amphibious group embarked another Marine battalion to bring to Vietnam. The combat troops went ashore in Danag and were moved, mostly by helicopter, to the town of Phu Bai, almost adjacent to the old city of Hue. Heavy equipment and supplies would be delivered … More Landing at Hue – 14 April 1965
Squeezing Electrons My second ship, USS Union (AK-106), was a leftover from the Second World War. She had been upgraded over the years, but, at heart, she was still from an era long past. One of the things added wasa radar installation. Union actually had 2 radars. One was primarily for air search, and the … More Squeezing Electrons
On May 24th, 1917 the first British merchant ship convoy left Hampton Roads bound for England.The convoy name was HH-1 which stood for the first convoy Homeward bound from Hampton Roads. It consisted of 12 merchant ships escorted by HMS Roxburgh. The cruiser made several more trips across the Atlantic as a convoy escort. During … More Convoy HH-1 from Hampton Roads
Once out of the hospital at Great Lakes I was available for reassignment. The Bureau of Naval personnel began casting about for where to send me. In the meantime, I was temporarily assigned to the staff of Ninth Naval District with headquarters in Chicago. It was a rotten job. During the short time was there … More Temporary duty – Ninth Naval District
Mrdevac is a short form for medical evacuation. I learned about it first and by being the subject of one. Here’s how I remember it. When the Valley Forge was assigned to the Seventh Fleet in the Far East the Captain wanted his best trained people on duty. The CIC (combat Information Center) watch was … More Midway Medevac
Disruptive Camouflage at Gallipoli in 1915 Disruptive pattern, or Dazzle, camouflage was used in 1917 to save merchant ships from :U-boat attacks. But the idea of disruptive camouflage had been in actual use earlier, A British professor of zoology, John Kerr, had proposed the idea as a means of confusing range-finders. Then First Lord of … More Disruptive camouflage at Gallipoli in 1915
US Submarine camouflage trials in 1916 There was interest in warship camouflage in the US that may have been started by the experience of the US Navy in the Spanish American War. One of the first artists to make his interest public was William A Mackay. Mackay had specific ideas about ship camouflage, and they … More USN submarine camouflage experiments – 1915-6.
Wetherhorn 