1/72 Bay Class
HMS St. Brides Bay

My 1/72nd scale M33 monitor now being complete and having time on my hands again. I was looking for something different for my next model. Again in 1/72nd scale and through APS Models in Australia I was able to buy the hull and fittings for the 'Bay' class Frigate.

The drawings I used came from a couple of sources: John Lambert & the Ballast Trust in Glasgow who had information from the Scottish records office. Both are builders drawings of Carnarvon Bay as she was fitted out. I have built mine as HMS St Brides Bay as in 1950. I have also made contact with the Secretary of the St Brides Bay Association, Mr Alan Mathieson, and with these sources of information at hand I started construction.

The internals of the hull are made from 1/4" square wood and glued round the inside of the hull at the depth required to allow the deck to sit in place. Battery supports are made from the same material and glued into place. Two 385 type motors provide the motive power and the motor mounts are my usual lo-tech method of rubber bands to hold them in position. The decks are made from 1/8" lite ply wood and covered with .5mm thick fibreglass sheet to add strength and durability. Making the main deck from the breakwater to the rear gun position removable allows easy access to the inside for battery changing and all the other tasks that require doing,

The superstructure is also made .5mm thick fibreglas sheet, with the details such as watertight doors, kicking strip round the superstructure base at the joint with the decks from plastic card strip. Bridge details are added with positions for the equipment being taken from photographs and the Recollections of the St Brides Bay Association members.

Bridge supports on both sides are made from angle plastic-card and card strips. The lattice mast is made from plastic covered wire rod formed on a template.

The funnel is made from a toilet roll centre, trimmed down to size, shaped and covered with thin plastic card. Other items are made from brass wire, plastic rod, strip and sheet.

Detail on the quarter deck was added in the form of the depth charge rails and depth charges which are taken from the Revell Flower Class corvette kit and adapted as required as are the smoke floats along with other small fittings. Loading jibs for the depth charges are also from the Revell kit along with detail added.

Various other small fittings were taken from the Flower class kit and modified to suit. The RAS jibs are made from plastic rod with the addition of small single blocks from the spares box. The spare depth charge racks beside the throwers are made from plastic angle and strip with the loading jibs attached.

Single 40mm A/A guns are part of the fittings kit bought from APS models. The deflection rails are made from brass wire bent and soldered to shape then super glued into place. Then the guns are put in place with the ready use lockers also added. The four, Type 'B' displacers were cut from 7mm plastic rod and shaped to form the tail taper and domed head, painted and put in place on the quarter deck.

Detail such as access ladders to the superstructure are added where required, various deck vents added. The deck rail stanchions were then made from plastic covered wire; holes drilled in the deck and then the stanchions put in place. The actual deck rails are made from white thread put in place with a drop of superglue.

Boat davits were made from plastic 'H' girders, bent round a jig and heat applied from a hair dryer until the required shape was achieved. This was repeated until all six were made. Fixing plates are added from plastic and the spreaders from plastic covered wire. The davit falls are added, the upper falls being run through double blocks and the lower through single blocks. Davit support wires are added to the positions indicated on the drawings.

The 16' dinghy is again from the Revel kit but extra details added in the form of stern thwart, rudder, oars, lifelines along the hull etc. The 27' whaler is from the fittings available from APS models and again internal details were added as is the rudder, oars and lifelines from thread along the hull side.

The 25' fast motorboat uses the hull from APS models and the remainder is built up using plastic card following the method as described in the series by 'Fleet Scribbler' from the 1980s in Model Boats. The dimensions for the 25' fast motorboat are taken from the drawings by Norman Ough.

Depth markings were taken from the Flower Class Corvette. [Add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to the water before putting the transfers in and it allow the transfers to slip easier into place] The pennant numbers come from the 25mm 'Bec' black series of letters and numbers.

Aerial and signal halyards are added from thread, The signal halyards are run through single pulleys taken from the spares box and attached to the upper yard arm. The International Code signal flags for the message. K600, Request Pleasure of your Company is flown from the signal halyards.

Float nets and scramble nets from tights [make sure that they are old ones otherwise you will be in trouble from the wife] cut into strips, rolled up and tied, sprayed and placed in the respective holders.

The Austerity Mk1 Bofors director drawings were obtained from John Lambert, The director made from parts from the spares box painted and put in place in the mounting over the engine room skylight.

Motive power is two 6volt Mabuchi 385 motors, one 6volt 10amp battery through two hi tech speed controls which should give enough power for a realistic speed and reasonable endurance. Radio control is by Futaba 7 channel but only using three of these at the moment for motor and rudder control. This will allow me to install other features such as turret traverse and anything else at a later date.

The paint used on the hull and superstructure is Halfords Primer Grey with Black below the waterline, decking is Humbrol Green.

Conclusion.

I am grateful for the assistance and interest shown by members of the St Brides Bay Association in providing me with information and also for the personal details and photographs they have allowed me to use in the building of this model without this at times I would not have had half the information to hand that I have.

If you would like any further information on APS models and their range of models or on Task Force 72/UK then please get in contact with me.