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  • You can get it off of Amazon.co.uk, but there's also book depository, a website that doesn't charge for shipping
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

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    • I just finished reading your book last night Rusty and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it :D. I definitely learned a lot from it and it was very humorous!
      RIP Charles "Bob" Spence. 1936-2014.

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      • Hey Dick, am really enjoying your book. I loved your chapter on "Herman the German" I too was sad to see it leave your characterization of its last days was reflected by many locals. I had the pleasure of being able to view "Titan" on my commutes back and forth to my day job of 15 years in the oil fields of Long Beach. That is why I decided to make a working model of the crane about a year ago. I have included pictures of what I have so far. When I figure out these servo motors I will post video of it in operation.

        Craig Johnson

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        Craig Johnson

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        • That's pretty awesome, Craig. It just needs the red and white paint!

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          • Excellent. For further guidance on the winch house with its 400 ton counterweight you can study the model on display at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum (just a short walk South of the Iowa). That model was built by some expert model makers that worked at the shipyard. The model was on display for several years in our museum area in Bldg 300.

            I don't know what you are using for plans to get the dimensions, but I have a copy of the plans that build the "barge" the crane sets on. They even include the machinery room arrangement.

            Only on problem though. They are all in German.
            Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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            • Thanks Dan & Dick, yes I am planning on a red, white & blue paint job. I did take pictures of the model at the LAMM. I was also lucky enough to get a hold of Frank Van Hoorn of Agonautics Engineering and he sent me copies of old plans and it's what I did my hand tracing from.

              Dick I would love to have any help you have on this project, plans, ect.... I have little info on the barge section.
              Question: do you know if "Titan" ever worked on the Iowa?

              Craig Johnson
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              Craig Johnson

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              • Originally posted by Battleship IOWA View Post
                Thanks Dan & Dick, yes I am planning on a red, white & blue paint job. I did take pictures of the model at the LAMM. I was also lucky enough to get a hold of Frank Van Hoorn of Agonautics Engineering and he sent me copies of old plans and it's what I did my hand tracing from.

                Dick I would love to have any help you have on this project, plans, ect.... I have little info on the barge section.
                Question: do you know if "Titan" ever worked on the Iowa?

                Craig Johnson
                [ATTACH]34975[/ATTACH]
                No I don't believe so. The German Crane was reassembled in January of 1948 though not put into service (after months of testing and training crews) until December of that year. The only official date I have of the Iowa being in the shipyard was when she was dry docked in Dry Dock 1 in December of 1945 (3 years before "Herman" was put to work). However, another former yardbird told me he saw an old article that indicated the Iowa was brought into the shipyard pierside (no dry dock) in 1952. However I have not been able to verify that or if "Herman" was needed to do any lifts on the ship.

                Boy! I wish I had THAT plan that you are showing. I'd frame it and put it up on my wall -- or some wall that has room for it. As for the barge drawings they are old paper sepias, drying out and can crumble if handled too roughly. We should get together sometime at CopyMax and see if we can create two fresh, non-brittle, copies.

                Oh! I do have one plan on Titan that is all in English. The Docking Drawing showing where to put the docking blocks.

                And Van Hoorne is a very generous person very willing to share all he can of the crane. He even sent me several photos of the tow from the shipyard of which I used one in the book.


                P.S. I also have a couple of maps showing where the crane and her sister cranes worked during WW II. You just have to overlook the Nazi HackenKreuzes (sp German for Hooked Crosses) in the title blocks.
                Last edited by RustyBattleship; 30 Dec 13,, 03:55.
                Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                • Thanks Dick, well at a minimum the two probably where in the same shipyard at the same time. I was planning to frame the prints I have. I included the .TIF files I made from the originals I had done at Lomita blueprint, they have a large format scanner.

                  And as far as the WWII stuff goes, you know the old saying "If we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat it".

                  Craig Johnson
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                  Craig Johnson

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                  • While warming up for a few minutes in the Chiefs Mess with "Boats" Haggart (Who's 85), my Dad & I, since we where adjusting mooring lines forward (It was 20 Degrees out not including windchill. . .) due to ice pushing against us look at what I happened to notice sitting on the table.

                    (P.S The Chiefs mess is where the Coffee pot is; so with the standard 2 or 3 ish coffee breaks there seems to be, in addition to it always being toasty warm in there, it's in a place where it will be well viewed by most SLATER volunteers!)

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                    • Originally posted by qaz14595 View Post
                      While warming up for a few minutes in the Chiefs Mess with "Boats" Haggart (Who's 85), my Dad & I, since we where adjusting mooring lines forward (It was 20 Degrees out not including windchill. . .) due to ice pushing against us look at what I happened to notice sitting on the table.

                      (P.S The Chiefs mess is where the Coffee pot is; so with the standard 2 or 3 ish coffee breaks there seems to be, in addition to it always being toasty warm in there, it's in a place where it will be well viewed by most SLATER volunteers!)

                      [ATTACH=CONFIG]35034[/ATTACH]
                      I knew I should have cover it with plastic!

                      Make sure certain individuals don't get it too close to their coffee!

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                      • "Rusty B"- I think I've finally caught up with you! I just ordered your book today - perhaps will bring back some memories of 67-69!

                        We need to converse re. NEW JERSEY - I did contact J. W. - nada. Have had a short exchange with the curator and am waiting on some sort of drawings/photos/schematics (copies), but don't know what. NWS Earle had nothing, but their PAO directed me to the curator at the ship. Still working on the conning tower/mast assembly on the model.

                        Take care,

                        Hank

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                        • Rusty B - I need to amend my initial post - The PAO at NWS Earle suggested I contact a J.W. at the museum (which I did) and after receiving a kick back on my email, I contacted the curator himself. Seems J.W. no longer has an email account there (no longer a volunteer?). Anyhow, still trying to track down dwgs. on the masts, etc. (67-69).

                          Hope you're well, etc.

                          Hank

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                          • Originally posted by bbvet View Post
                            Rusty B - I need to amend my initial post - The PAO at NWS Earle suggested I contact a J.W. at the museum (which I did) and after receiving a kick back on my email, I contacted the curator himself. Seems J.W. no longer has an email account there (no longer a volunteer?). Anyhow, still trying to track down dwgs. on the masts, etc. (67-69).

                            Hope you're well, etc.

                            Hank
                            While cleaning out some photos I have run across some 8 X 10 black and whites showing NJ as she was brought in for modernization. Sophie Chase was one of our LBNSY photographers and took the photos from a personnel "bucket" hanging from a crane. The photo of the foremast is so detailed you can scale off of that (no antennas on her at the time).

                            As soon as I get around to scanning them, I will email them to you. Just be patient as I have a bunch of other projects stacked up on both my printer and my scanner that I have to finish, reschedule, deliver, file away or just dump.
                            Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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                            • Rusty B - Ha!! Good to hear from you again!!! No problem with the timing - I'm just glad that something positive is finally coming to fruition.

                              I do hope things in LB are going well for you.

                              Thanks!

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                              • Dick,

                                Here is the post I made plugging your wonderful book - I felt the modeling communities (Ship Model Forum & Model Ship World Forum) needed to know about this.

                                The book - A History of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Roosevelt Base & Reeves Field by Richard A. Landgraff in my opinion is a MUST for modelers of the IOWA class battleship. Mr. Landgraff (who I am in contact with currently and have been since the early '90s) is currently Naval Architect for the Pacific Battleship Group which are the custodians of USS IOWA Museum at L.A. Port Authority.

                                This book highlights some 40 years of Mr. Landgraff's involvement at the LB shipyard and goes into great detail to highlight his work on NEW JERSEY, MISSOURI, IOWA, and WISCONSIN thru their various commissions, decommissions, etc. Since I was a member of NEW JERSEY's 1968-69 crew, I am particularly interested in this time frame of the ship's history and Mr. Landgraff has pointed out many facets of the work done on NEW JERSEY at LBNSYD to get her ready for her 1968 deployment. While his tenure at the shipyard included all sorts of other projects, I feel his battleship work was probably his most enjoyable after reading thru the first part of his account.

                                Most of us (and especially the general public at large) have no clue as to what is involved in bringing a ship back from the reserve fleet into active status. This books really tells the tale of what's involved in the planning, engineering, drafting of new & replacement parts, and procurement of items long out of production and support. I was certainly not aware of the various items of NEW JERSEY that were missing or needed replacement in 1967-68 during her refit in Philadelphia and subsequent final fitting out in Long Beach - but I find this book extremely interesting in it's detail of how, where, and what it took to equip the ship for her 1968 deployment. There is, believe it or not, quite a bit of humor in Mr. Landgraff's style of writing in recounting some of the searches he was involved with both for the 68 and 82 recommissionings of this ship.

                                Finally, Mr. Landgraff has included many of his personal photos of things, ships, places that were integral to his service and work at the yard. Some of these photos are ones I've never seen before and are a direct help in my current modeling project of NEW JERSEY.

                                So, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is or plans to model one of the IOWAs - it is a wealth of information (mainly on the technical side of things) that I think would make an excellent addition to a modeler's library. It is a Printed on Demand book available from Amazon.com.

                                Hank

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