Destroyer Action in the North Sea

Throughout the Great War large and small violent naval engagements involving the German Imperial High Seas Fleet and the British Grand Fleet. Here we have the start of one of these fights between opposing destroyers.

The British ships are Acorn class, Goldfish, Comet, Ruby Nemesis & Sheldrake: 970 tons, 27 knots 72 crew with 2–21-inch torpedo's, 2-4 inch and 2-12 pdr guns. They are facing five German V class (later reclassed as torpedo boats) V150, 152. 153, 154, 156 & 158: 421 tons, 28 knots, 84 crew wit 2-88mm (3.5 inch) cannons and 2-45cm (17.5 inch) torpedo's. No matter who wins the fight will be vicious and deadly.
 

These are metal pieces from CinC that I painted in the early 1980's

IJN Noshiro

This IJN Noshiro was one of four light cruisers of the Agno Class. Designed as a destroyer flotilla flagship, Noshiro was fast (35 knots0, lightly armored (max 60 mm0 armed with six 152mm (5'99 inch) cannon, four 76mm (3 inch) Six 25mm (1inch) AA eight 610mm (24 inch) torpedo tubes, eighteen depth charges and carried two float planes. All on a 162 m (531ft) hull of 7590 tons with a crew of 726. 

The Noshiro had a short, but active, career of only 16 months. She saw action in the Gilbert, Solomon and Philippine islands in 1943-44. In the October 24,1944, Battle off Samar she damaged the USS White Plains, an escort carrier, with a salvo from her main battery and received damage from an American 5 in gun in return. The Noshiro was sunk two day later by US naval aircraft, only 326 of the crew survived.

                   This resign and plastic piece is my first figure painted in 2023.
 

What? The Ork's have a Navy!

Since when do the Ork's have a navy? Of course they do, they may not be pretty but the work-mostly.

This is the battle fleet of the "Bloody Bad Moons" here is the battlecruiser ShhpCrssrrr...

the battleship Shhps Dthh...

the cruisers Bdd Spprr, Bdd Cllbb, Bdd Ththth...

and the frigates Grrr, Snrll, Brkk, Klll, Stlll and Smshsh

All the models of Ork Battlefleet are resin pieces from Spartan Games, that I painted in  2018.
 

USS Monitor-3D

Pride of the Union Navy, the ironclad warship USS Monitor.

The first warship with a rotating turret, the Monitor changed naval history.

This piece started as a 3-D printer design created by one of my 8th graders.

The ship was cast in two pieces, is 4 by 1.5 inches and took a little more than an hour to print.

In the Navy

Taking posession of a heavliy used smuglers cargo craft in the East China Sea, Lt. JG. Scott Fishomme and his men head away from port.  On of the many exciting activities of the those brave men in the Navy.

The Navy men are all 28mm metal pieces from Pulp Figures.

IJN East Asia Assault Landing

Heading into their next assault, an Imperial Japanese Naval platoon readies themselves in their landing craft.

A sight all too common and greatly feared in the 1930's and early '40's, fanatically brave IJN sailors charging from their craft and attacking their latest target.

Room for two platoons if needed is easily available in this landing craft.

Lots of service has been seen by both the men and vessel in the last violent decade.

The landing craft is scratch built and the IJN platoon are 28mm metal pieces from Pulp Figures.

Landing Craft

One of the workhorses of the Pacific, landing craft like this did everything from landing troops on hostile beaches, to supplying outposts and patrolling the myriad of islands.

This is on of the thousands of landing craft (ranging is size from those that could carry an infantry platoon to the largest that could carry vehicles up to the size and weight of medium battle tanks like the US Sherman).

Simple in design, with function rather than comfort being the over riding factor.

This example is rusting and worn from heavy use and has only the most rudimentary of life saving equipment.

This is a scratch built boat, mostly from balsa wood.  The life preservers are from green stuff, the metal cables are from fine gage wire, while the grill, smoke stack and pilots station are plastic.  To see the stages of construction check the Landing Craft WIP post.

Landing Craft WIP

I decided to scratch build a landing craft-supply vessel of the type common to the inter-war years and Second World War.  So I started with the basic hull pieces.  The black piece will be a Japanese style pilots shield.  The vessel is a bit of a cross between a USN Higgins Boat and a IJN Dai Hatsu.  The idea being it's a heavily used and modified unit that has seen years of service.

The wood flooring is in.

Side hulls are up.

Ribbing, pilots shield and engine vents.

Here's the ramp and smoke stack.

Read to load up.

From the pilots view.

The scale is for 28mm pieces like this one.

Ready for finishing touch ups and painting. Start to finish the construction took less than two days (thank goodness for college and pro football and instant replay-the perfect background for building game terrain like this).

Pirate Beauty

Brightiis Lightsinger readies to set sail on a captured Orc raft, little does she know what the fates have in store for her.

For after a short voyage Brightiis Lightsinger comes under the scrutiny of the pool beauty Michelle.

After a humours exchange, Brightiis Lightsinger is allowed to continue her adventures as Michelle returns to her fun in the pool and sun.

Brightiis Lightsinger is a 30mm metal piece from Reaper, the Orc raft is scratch built and Michelle is our wonderful daughter.

CSS Kentucky Battle Damage

Some after action shots of the damage from enemy cannon ball hits on the CSS Kentucky. The proof of the quality of her armor is clearly evident. Port side, aft of second gunport no penetration. Bow, port side of main gun-no penetration. Starboard, fore of first gunport two hits no penetration.

CSS Kentucky (aka Skeered A' Nothing)

The powerful CSS Kentucky (affectionately known as "Skeered A' Nothing" by her crew) puts on steam as she prepares for battle. She is the first of a new class of fast, heavily armored warships that will make the Confederate Navy the master of the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.

The Kentucky is armed with two 9.5 inch Armstrong RML cannon on tracks that allow them to be trained two to port or starboard or one each to the bow and stern. This great savings in weapons weight allows the Kentucky to have the thickest armor (over 8 inches of iron on 24 inches of live oak on the angled casement) afloat on a ship her size.

Kentucky has a new and more powerful steam engine that allows her to reach speeds of over 15 knots (on smooth water).

Another new invention on the Kentucky is the double armored gunports, in hot actions the small swivel port (8 inches of iron thick ) opens allowing only the cannon to be exposed to enemy fire. For more long range angled fire the massive double armored gunports (10 inches of iron thick) can be opened. While reloading, the cannons are retracted behind these massive barriers.

Kentucky is a scratch built warship for VSF, War Between the States and Steampunk battles. To see how she was built check my post- "CSS Skeered A' Nothing WIP"