Here is an excerpt from a website about Liberty and Victory ships. The Liberty ship was considered a "five-year vessel" (an expendable, if necessary, material of war) because it was not able to compete with non-emergency vessels in speed, equipment and general serviceability. However, Liberties ended up doing well, plodding the seas for nearly 20 years after the end of World War II. Many Liberties were placed in the reserve fleet and several supported the Korean War. Other Liberties were sold off to shipping companies, where they formed the backbone of postwar merchant fleets whose commerce generated income to build the new ships of the 1950s and 1960s. However, age took its toll and by the mid-1960s the Liberties became too expensive to operate and were sold for scrap, their metal recycled. The first Liberty built, the Patrick Henry, was sent to the ship breakers (scrap yard) in October 1958. Of the nearly 3,000 Liberty ships built, 200 were lost during World War II to enemy action, weather and accidents. Only two are still operational today, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien and the SS John W. Brown.
The Liberty ships were the first break bulk carrier based on a British design. Earlier designs than WW2 lasted until about the mid 1960s. The modern break bulk carrier is noted mainly for having the superstructure and funnel aft and not midships. However there are still older break bulk ship still sailing that have the superstructure and funnel midships. A number of them make their way up the St. Lawrence Seaway and through the canals to the Great Lakes ports because the size of them can safely navigate the locks on the canals. They are referred to as Salties as versus the Lakers which only stay on the lakes. The average lifespan of some of the ships is about 60-70 years. A number of them have been converted to barges at 500-600 feet long and permanently connected to pusher tugs strictly for lake work. My container barge in the port is modeled after one and connected to a tug with a raised pilot house. My converted hull is shortened to 100 N scale feet but still retains the ships bow. 000_1360-3 by John Moore posted Dec 31, 2019 at 12:19 PM Again my barge is scaled back to fit the harbor and dock as is my model of the Oregon.
Well the Oregon continues to take center stage on the workbench. Now rigging the cargo booms and it is going to take about three days to finish that. Still waiting on the Osprey and metal etching for radar antennae that are hung up in the post. Building this vessel by the description means I have to add a armoured and armed Unimog that is the land equivalent of the Oregon. It will go as deck cargo on the 2nd hatch. Holding up until the first of the year to order the Unimog. 100_0873-1 by John Moore posted Dec 17, 2020 at 11:39 AM My big fingers snagged one of the front cargo booms and broke it after it was secured in place. Somehow I managed to get it back together and straight amazing myself since the fingers don't work well anymore. I have also created a steel girder framework that goes behind the stack on the rear superstructure. That is for antennae and radar and is painted to blend with the sky background. It was cobbled together from catenary masts that were removed during the 3rd rail installation on the front of the layout. 100_0874-2 by John Moore posted Dec 17, 2020 at 11:59 AM
Well on a cold and chilly morn in the maritime province of Gloucester, as the fishing fleet and the oyster boats leave port, work is just about finished on the Oregon. Possibly a couple of big crates will be delivered today by the Turtle Creek RR containing the V 22 Osprey.and maybe more crates containing radar and other things. 100_0878-1 by John Moore posted Dec 18, 2020 at 8:30 AM
Well the osprey kit arrived yesterday and I have started assembly this evening. Carrier based Ospreys have folding wings. 100_0883-2 by John Moore posted Dec 19, 2020 at 5:09 PM Prior to this I redid the landing pad and increased the rear hold size on the Oregon. 100_0881-1 by John Moore posted Dec 19, 2020 at 2:15 PM
Well on a rainy and chilly Sunday I have been working on the Osprey. 100_0886-1 by John Moore posted Dec 20, 2020 at 6:21 PM Still have the landing gear to paint and rotors to mount. 100_0887-2 by John Moore posted Dec 20, 2020 at 6:21 PM The underside is a pale sky blue. 100_0888-3 by John Moore posted Dec 20, 2020 at 6:21 PM With rotors and wings folded back fits the elevator to be lowered into the below deck hanger. Work is now on pause until parts caught up in the great postal Snafu of 2020 finally get delivered.
The rotors are on the Osprey and just need a touch of black to them. 100_0889-5 by John Moore posted Dec 20, 2020 at 8:12 PM 100_0889-6 by John Moore posted Dec 20, 2020 at 8:12 PM
Well the Oregon was gently placed back in it's box to keep safe for now. My metal etchings of radar antennae has finally started to move in the postal system. And I ordered two Unimog trucks to kit bash into the one carried by the Oregon but they will not be here until the end of January.
According to Gomez Adams the Oregon's ace pilot you just have to approach either side from 45 Degrees out astern, hover with the nose centered on the H and set her down at 45 degree angle. I made scarier landings than that in Nam. And here is the landing on the back of a Frigate. Same space as the Oregon maybe a little smaller.
I will have to watch that when I get home, I am stuck on .gov computers right now with YouTube blocked. (another casualty of C-19 of 2020)
Messing around with the Sommerfelot catenary wire and I think it is not compatible with the kato poles. Plus it would be a help if I knew what I was doing, I am in uncharted territory here. Going to play further. 100_0891-1 by John Moore posted Dec 22, 2020 at 10:47 AM
Well construction on the Turtle Creek continues on hold while waiting for the resupply of chemical blackening to finally make it way here through the post as far as hanging any catenary wire goes. Work on the Oregon project also continues on hold waiting for the same chemical blackening for the etched brass parts and still waiting in the etched brass radars to arrive. I have found that a pre-treatment of the brass with the chemical helps keep the paint on the brass. Got the super detailing parts for the Oregon for Christmas but still waiting for the radar sets which have been languishing in the post now for almost four weeks.
Well the catenary installation is still on hold as is the construction of the Oregon due to supplies hung up in the mail. Supplies for both are hung up just 60 miles away. So last night I tried out a way to chemically blacken the brass on two brass parts sprues I have that I read about searching the web. It involves soaking the brass in straight ammonia and I left the two sprue parts soaking overnight outside. So after an overnight soak of about 14 hours I am not happy with the results. I expect a uniform brown to black on everything and what I got was spotty. 100_0906-1 by John Moore posted Dec 29, 2020 at 9:45 AM Perhaps it needs days to soak and I may return it to the bath of ammonia to try some more. Meanwhile it has been a month with my metal etching of radar sets hung up in the mail.
Just learned that my radar metal etchings are out for delivery today, hopefully the chemical blackening will not be far behind.
Well it had about 7 hours inside and 7 hours outside. The time inside was setting on my cup warmer. Today it has been in the ultra sound bath which warms the solution when running and it has been about another 7 hours. So far only minimal effect. Did not get that cold last night.
Well after about 21 hours of soaking in ammonia the effects are very poor. The article dis not say whether 26% ammonia was used or straight household ammonia. I used the household version. One sprue was barely affected and the other has come out spotty and mottled. So I am declaring this method a waste of time. Did however after 30 days in the mail for only 585 miles to travel I finally got my radar etchings plus the modeling putty I had ordered. 100_0909-3 by John Moore posted Dec 29, 2020 at 6:16 PM Now waiting on the chemical blackener to arrive.
