1/3000th Italian

[toxicpixie]

Blimey, the dockyards cutting it fine! Hope they launch on time

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Could be a rain of 15" shells....but whose? British.....Italian.....even German purhaps (Bismarck was launched in 1939 after all) :- ? I'm keeping quiet about the scenario itself till the weekend as there are decisons to be made by each side before the game that may affect what happens. 

Like Techno you'll have to be patient for some pics, only just got the first coat of paint on the ships tonight...still got to paint the decks, ships boats etc, and try to put large but legible flotilla numbers on the bows of 9 contre-torpillieurs.

Bismark would have a few probs with the coastal guns on Gibralta. Most of the 15's would be British - Warspite, Barham, Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, occasionally Hood and the odd R class passing through. We also had Nelson till late 43?

Clasic med signal is Cunningham to Somerville - "Twice a Knight and at your age too."

It's almost as good as Cpt Illustrious to Cpt Sarratoga after a typhoon of Japan - Sara says How did you do in storm, reply "Storm, what Storm".

[pierre the shy]

Well I love doing "what if" naval scenarioes involving "believeible" alternatives, and according to Wikipedia the Force de Raid was unsuccessfully attacked by Italian submarine Dandolo on 13 June 1940 after a sortie from Mers El Kébir in response to a false report of a Kriegsmarine squadron preparing to enter the Strait of Gibraltar..........so if you push the bounds a little it's could possibly happen, but there is, as you say, the defences at Gibraltar to deal with....maybe Operation Felix was launched?

Blimey, the dockyards cutting it fine! Hope they launch on time

Yes, they're working double shifts this week Pixie, got a lot of back orders to get through too   

 

[toxicpixie]

No kidding Pierre

Yeah, if you want some good gun actions for WW2 you need to squeeze things a little...

[pierre the shy]

Decks and ships boats etc painted...just need to do the Destroyer numbering with an old fine nibbed pen, wash the models and stick them on their bases so well on target for on-time completion 

My favourite naval signal concerns convoy PQ17 to Russia in mid 1942. The convoy itself was ordered to scatter and proceed independently to Russian ports due to the possibilty of being intercepted by a German task force including the Tirpitz. 

Part of the convoys close escort consisted of two older British submarines that were supposed to submerge and attack any German warships that came close to them, but once submerged they would be very slow, so the CO of one of the subs sent a morse message along the lines of:

Submarine: "Intend to remain on the surface in event of enemy attack"

Senior Officer of the Convoy Escort: "So do I"     



 

[toxicpixie]

Cracking bit of Royal Navy signals there

[pierre the shy]

The French are done so moved on to cleaning up a few Dutch and RN Eastern Fleet reinforcements.....the projected Dutch Type 1047 battlecruisers and ex HMS Tiger needed some serious work with a file to get rid of mould lines......extra mast holes drilled and wire masts added to 2  x Type 1047's, Tromp and Van Heemskerck, no wounds incurred 

Been bit diverted with Mrs Shy being a bit under the weather for the past few days....The French fleet will be photographed in due course once normal service is resumed.....sooner than later one hopes.

       

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Cracking bit of Royal Navy signals there

There are a fair few of them from WWII

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

My Grandad, being the great raconteur always claimed he witnessed these two signals while in Scarpa:
HMS Essex to USS Essex as she arrived in Scarpa 'SNAP!'

USS Hornet pulls into Scarpa, small destroyer pull along side, signals:
Want a rematch?
HMS Porcupine
.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

My Grandad, being the great raconteur always claimed he witnessed these two signals while in Scarpa:
HMS Essex to USS Essex as she arrived in Scarpa 'SNAP!'

Also used by Capt of HMS Queen Elizazbeth to RMS Queen Elizabeth sometime in 1943 I think.

[pierre the shy]

Posted some pictures of the French ships that I have finished on my irregularly updated blog:

https://betweenthelines10mm.blogspot.com/2021/05/13000th-navwar-french.html

I hope you like them.

We played a "what if" refight of Mers-el-Kebir last night but the French were not able to escape the 15" guns of Force H in the end......largely thanks to some magnetic mines timely being laid by Ark Royal's Swordfish at the only exit through the French anti-submarine nets. I tried to add a bit of chrome to the game by allowing for collateral damage to the port and surrounding area but the wily British admiral then decided not to open fire until the French had started to exit the port!!!....so much for that idea   

[paulr]

...wily British admiral ... 

We're shocked and offended

The humane Royal Navy did everything possible to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, including openly mining the exit of the French anti-submarine nets in broad daylight

We reluctantly opened fire with our cruisers on the onrushing contre-torpilleurs only when they were almost within torpedo range
At least those who hadn't been sunk by mines or had collided with a sinking compatriot at the net exit

Our capital ships also exercised similar restraint with only the Hood opening fire on the leading French battle cruiser as she emerged from the net exit and narrowly avoided colliding with the sinking contre-torpilleurs

The remaining capital ships only returned fire once the other French capital ships opened fire from within the port. Superb British gunnery avoided any casualties in the town (and rapidly disabled the French)

[Raider4]

LOL! Rashomon-style batreps.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Superb painting. Lol at the two reports!

[paulr]

PS    Good looking ships as always Pierre the Shy and a really interesting scenario