Wonderful work, Jeff!
I built hundreds of models as a kid, but I was never as consummate a modeler as you.
My heart still skips a beat when I see models in hobby and craft stores.
In the interests of accuracy, you refer to the USS Iowa as BB-62. The Iowa was BB-61. The USS New Jersey was BB-62. The New Jersey is now a museum on the Delaware River in Camden NJ.
The Doolittle Raid is one of the most inspiring events in US history.
These 80 men knew it was a one way mission, as the fuel in their B-25s just might get them to the coast of China after the raid on Tokyo.
Only one man remains alive today from the raid of 75 years ago. He is Lt. Col. Richard Cole, who is 101 years old, but still spry and travels to tell the tale of the Raiders still. He was Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot, in the lead plane.
About three years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing him speak to a hangar full of people. Hundreds of people hung on every word as the then 98 year old recounted the details of the mission and the rescue from China.
Four months after Pearl Harbor, we bombed the capital of the Empire of Japan.
This bold and courageous action electrified the nation and helped it to steel itself for the long war ahead of it—as Roosevelt said—”to the inevitable victory, so help us God!”
Hope you are well Jeff, God bless you.
I got to see the USS Iowa in the late 1980’s. We were rushed because we had “special” people organizing things, lol.
So I only got to spend a little time aboard her and a WWII submarine next to her (in Alabama).
My dad is mentioned in the book "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo". He was the Army Air Corps civilian employee Crew Chief who was revving the engines on the Ruptured Duck that Pilot and author Ted Lawson got angry with (Tim Considine, Editor). Lawson was as yet unaware of the mission parameters he, his crew, and the Ruptured Duck were destined for, but my father and his crew of aircraft mechanics were required to get those engines to 110% of their rated performance. If an engine could not reach that, it was pulled and a new one was put in place that would perform to that level. . . because they had to get the planes to take off speed in the short distance of a carrier deck.
My Dad was in the left seat of the Ruptured Duck, which was tied down and chocked, and was revving the engines while his crew was doing RPM tests, and other efficiency tests. Any blip, stutter, miss, at all in the engine and it would be pulled; they had to run like a perfectly tuned Swiss watch. Lawson had a cow about him abusing his beloved airplane!
My dad came with the idea of using water injection in the fuel mix to boost the power of the planes at take-off, similar to the water injection used on the fighter planes to boost horsepower. It worked. My Dad said they hit 115% plus on those engines.
Oops...my bad on the BB pennant. I have the New Jersey, and know that it is indeed BB-62.
Great ships...all four of them...and all four of them now museum ships.
They were modernized forty years after their launch, and it scarred the bejeevees out of the Russians. They could be modernized again (if we were willing) and they would still be made sea worthy and be used another 20 years.
The USS Enterprise, CVN-65, the first nuclear carrier. We built it from 1950-1960, commissioned her in 1961, and then she was used for almost 52 years, decommissioned in 2012.
We still have that naval building expertise.
I am holing my wn. Even though the cancer is now considered terminal...the dangerous tumors in my live have simply not been growing very fast at all.
That's God's doing. He wants me aroudn a bit linger and I am okay with whatever He plans.
Here's a pic of mu USS ROnal;d Reagan I built a few months ago. I scratch built out the hangar, and then lit her. Thought you might enjoy a pic or two:
You can see her on Fine Scale modeling here:
ping #7