RN Destroyer Gun Crew Shelter Information World Naval Ships Forums Archive

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RN Destroyer Gun Crew Shelter Information World Naval Ships Forums Archive

RN Destroyer Gun Crew Shelter Information

Posts 1 to 6

Hello all, At present I am spending some time on my PC drawing up the plans of HMS Whitshed thay dad served on. She was a short range escort ( V/ W class destroyer. My intention is to build a fine detial model of her once the CAD work is complete. On the ship there are several ares I am stuggling to find pictures or information on. Can you help whith the following: confused:: 1. There are small shacks or shelters on the ship that I have no information on? 2. How was was in the gun crews shelter fitted out?, seats, tables, other items? 3. Did the shelters have curtains on the open side? 4.Mid ships there there are small shacks that probebly had radar or radio equpment in them. Any visual information can help me? I am now drawing up the 6 pownder gun in the A poition which I have now sauced, but the shelters are a mistory to me:rolleyes: Many Thanx in advance Gordon
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Hi Gordon (stokieBoy), being of the same Departmental persuasion as yourself, I hope I can offer some assistance to you in your quest. Firstly, I've uncovered a couple of reasonable images of HMS WHITSHED (the only RN warship of that name) and these are sufficient to give a good representation of it. The questions you ask are pretty broad, but I'll attempt to answer them to the best of my ability. [COLOR="Blue"]Can you help whith the following: confused:: 1. There are small shacks or shelters on the ship that I have no information on? 2. How was was in the gun crews shelter fitted out?, seats, tables, other items?[/COLOR] As you will note from the basic design of WHITSHED, gun crew shelters were few and far between. If they did exist, then any furnishings within them would be spartan to say the least. Later destroyers afforded more protection to off duty guns crews by design (namely "J" Class and onwards). [COLOR="Blue"]3. Did the shelters have curtains on the open side? 4.Mid ships there there are small shacks that probebly had radar or radio equpment in them. Any visual information can help me?[/COLOR] Most mountings themselves would have weatherproof canvas screens (curtains) with which to protect the breeches etc, but these would be rolled-back in action. A lot of what you may percieve to be "shacks" could be ready use ammo lockers etc, or even washdeck lockers which housed mops, buckets squeejees and so on. All is never what it quite looks on the upper deck of a busy and well worked destroyer.;) However, carry on with your efforts but do get the basic design right. The infinite detail will follow once you have identified the individuality of the upper deck fittings. You seem to working from an image of HMS SEAGULL (J85), the quartedeck of which appears to be rigged mainly for depth charge launching. Note also that the "Lantern" radar is on a much loftier perch on the aft lattice mast, whereas WHITSHED carried a searchlight aft, as in the image. Keep up the good work and please keep us all up to date. Sandy.
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Two more images of WHITSHED: Sandy.
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The photos Sandy kindly posted in posts#2 and #3 show the ship between the wars - Gordon is asking about her appearance after she became a short range escort during the Second World War, when shelters as shown on the photo of SHIKARI (I85) in post #1 were fitted. At some point during the War, WHITSHED was fitted with a lattice mast aft carrying a radome for SW RDF. Unfortunately the only views I have seen of WHITSHED as an SRE are (a) quite small and (b) from ahead or abeam, so don't answer Gordon's questions. Tim

Thanks for the update Tim. The images of WHITSHED between-the-wars are so good, they could have been taken later on. So I'm now up to date with the conversion. Thanks also for identifying HMS SHIKARI. A very good friend of mine (in the boat modelling world) had his father serve in SHIKARI during WWII, especially being "last to leave" at Dunkirk. I should have recognised it immediately.:o I assumed the "I" to be a "J" on the penant number. So, hopefully Gordon will have more to go on now. Sandy.

Two photos of Whitshed from unknown source, no copyright evident. The first with her lattice mast and the second of a gun crew in action. Jim
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