1:700 HMS Flexible (Fletcher Class destroyer), Northern Atlantic, early 1945

[Dizzyfugu]

1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. The Fletcher class (named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher) was the largest class of destroyer ordered and was also one of the most successful and popular with the destroyer men themselves. Compared to earlier classes built for the Navy, they carried a significant increase in anti-aircraft weapons and other weaponry, which caused displacements to rise. Their flush deck construction added structural strength, although it did make them rather cramped, as less space was available below decks compared with a raised forecastle.

The Fletcher-class was the first generation of destroyers designed after the series of Naval Treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore. The growth in the design was in part to answer a question that always dogged U.S. Navy designs, that being the long range required by operations in the Pacific Ocean. They were also to carry no fewer than five 5 in (127 mm) guns and ten deck-mounted torpedo tubes on the centerline, allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms. Compared to earlier designs, the Fletchers were large, allowing them to eventually absorb the addition of two 40 mm Bofors quadruple mount AA guns as well as six 20 mm Oerlikon dual AA gun positions. This addition to the AA suite required the deletion of the forward quintuple torpedo mount, a change done under the 4 April 1945 anti-kamikaze program.


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Fletchers were also much less top-heavy than previous classes, allowing them to take on additional equipment and weapons without major redesign. They were fortunate in catching American production at the right moment, becoming "the" destroyer design, and only Fletcher-class derivatives, the Sumner and Gearing classes, would follow it. The first design inputs were in the fall of 1939 from questionnaires distributed around design bureaus and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. The design parameters were the armaments desired of the next destroyer. As such, the questions were of how many guns, torpedoes, and depth charges were seen as desirable. Also asked was at what point would the design grow large enough to become a torpedo target instead of a torpedo delivery system. The answer that came back was that five 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose guns, twelve torpedoes, and twenty-eight depth charges would be ideal, while a return to the 1500-ton designs of the past was seen as undesirable. Speed requirements varied from 35 to 38 kn (40 to 44 mph; 65 to 70 km/h), and shortcomings in the earlier Sims class, which were top-heavy and needed lead ballast to correct this fault, caused the Fletcher design to be widened by 18 in (46 cm) of beam. As with other previous U.S. flush deck destroyer designs, seagoing performance suffered. This was mitigated by deployment to the Pacific Ocean, which was relatively calm.

The first 25 ships were ordered 28 June and 1 July 1940 (the first day of the 1941 fiscal year), with DD 445 actually belonging to the 1 July group. Christened "USS Fletcher", she carried over several design features from the earlier classes, such as a rounded pilot house. Later emphasis on anti-aircraft defense led to a redesigned or "square" bridge for improved all-around sightlines, beginning with Brownson (DD 518). Thus there were two groups of 2,100-tonners: one-third (58) were "high-" or "round-bridge" ships; two-thirds, (117) were "low-" or "square-bridge" ships.


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


From 1943 onwards, a small number of Fletcher destroyers were, under the Lend Lease Agreement, delivered to the Royal Navy for operations in the Northern Atlantic, primarily as convoy escorts. A total of ten modified Fletcher ships were delivered to the Royal Navy until mid-1945. Six operated in the Northern Atlantic and four were allocated to the PTO. These ships belonged to the earlier 2.100-ton type, but had, upon the Royal Navy's request, a modified armament and differed in other small details, too. The British Fletchers retained the five 5"/38 caliber Mk. 12 guns, but they had two pairs of them mounted in new Mk. 38 twin-gun dual purpose (DP) turrets, which could hit targets up to 9 miles (16.7 km) away and were also effective against aerial targets. This saved deck space, lowered the ships' center of gravity and improved seaworthiness.
With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority also came a need to protect the growing fleet of allied aircraft carriers, so the ships were also fitted with a diffrerent array of Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, which were very effective against surfaced submarines, too. The original depth charge launchers were retained, as well as the two quintuple torpedo mounts.


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


One ship, H.M.S. Flexible (D28), went through even bigger modifications and was built in early 1944 with an experimental aircraft catapult for a Vought OS2U Kingfisher observation floatplane. In order to make space, this resulted in the deletion of the rear torpedo tube mount, plus some other changes to the rear superstructure to make further room for a big crane. H.M.S. Flexible took part in several convay escort over the Northern Atlantic and became involved in early field test of the SC-1 "Seahawk"  single-seat scout plane for eventual adaptation by the Royal Navy in early 1945. The tested SC-1 (JN124, coded "1P") proved to be quite effective, since the aircraft added a notable offensive element with its heavier machine gun armament and the ability to carry water bombs. Experimentally, the machine had also been outfitted with launch rails for British 60lb unguided missiles, which were highly effective against surface targets and emerged German U-boats.

However, even though the aircraft improved the ship's and consequently a convoy's surveillance and long raneg strike capabilities, the catapult alteration was not a success in service. There was no room for a hangar, so that the aircraft remained exposed to the weather all the time. The relatively large crane to pull the aircraft back on board again and store it on the catapult ate up a lot of deck space on the relatively small ship. Furthermore, all the aircraft equipment including a fuel depot compromised the ship's other capabilities and ate up scarse internal space, too. In consequence, this modification was not repeated and naval surveillance aircraft were rather based on specialized small escort carriers, which proved to be much more effective, esp. in conjunction with other ships. Upon the first annual overhaul, H.M.S. Flexible was in April 1945 converted back to the normal British Fletcher-class configuration, even though the rear superstructure remained unchanged and only the second torpedo launch array was reinstated. These modifications lasted until July 1945, so that H.M.S. Flexible did not take part in the European hostilities anymore.


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A total of nineteen Fletcher destroyers were lost during World War II; six more were damaged, evaluated as constructive total losses, and not repaired. Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve, including the Royal Navy ships, which were returned to the United States of America in 1946.

With the outbreak of the Korean War many Fletcher class destroyers were returned to active duty. Thirty-nine ships were refitted, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes to accommodate other weapons. A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha was installed in many of the ships. Others carried trainable Hedgehogs. Eighteen ships were redesignated as escort destroyers (DDE), optimized for anti-submarine warfare; these reverted to destroyer (DD) designation in 1962. The last Fletcher in service, BAM Cuitlahuac (ex-John Rodgers), left the Mexican navy in 2001, meaning the total service life of the Fletchers stretched over almost six decades and into the 21st century.



General characteristics:
    Displacement: 2,050 tons (standard)
                           2,500 tons (full load)
    Length: 376.5 ft (114.8 m)
    Beam: 39.5 ft (12.0 m)
    Draft: 17.5 ft (5.3 m)
    Complement: 329 officers and men

Propulsion:
    60,000 shp (45 MW); 4 oil-fired boilers; 2 geared steam turbines; 2 screws

Performance:
    Speed: 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h; 42.0 mph) maximum speed
    Range: 5,500 miles at 15 knots (8,850 km at 28 km/h

Armament:
    5x 5 inch/38 caliber (127 mm) multi-purpose guns; 2x2 in Mk 38 DP mounts, 1x in a single Mk-30 turret
       all guided by a Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System, including a Mk 12 fire control radar and a Mk 22
       height-finder, linked by a Mark 1A Fire Control Computer and stabilized by a Mk 6 8,500 rpm gyroscope
    3x twin Bofors 40 mm gun AA mounts (two below the bridge, one in an elevated tub)
    4x Oerlikon 20 mm AA cannons (two on each side amidships)
    5x 21" (533 mm) torpedoes in a single quintuple centerline mount
    2x depth charge racks
    Steam catapult for a single, light scout aircraft (OS2U Kingfisher)



The kit and its assembly:
In a wake of model-building masochism I decided to build another small 1:700 warship - as a distraction from many recent jet fighter builds. Naturally, it would be whiffed, though. The subject a simple Matchbox Fletcher Class destroyer in its recent Revell re-boxing. When I did some background legwork I fpund out that the type had not been operated by the Royal Navy, so there was the opportunity to create a fictional Lend-Lease ship (with a fancy Western Approaches paint scheme), and real experiments with anh aircraft catapult on three American ships provided me with further ideas for hardware conversions.


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Adding a catapult, an aircraft (even if it was only a small one) and a bigger crane to handle it to the compact Fletcher turned out to be a challenge. As in real life, turret #3 and the second torpedo mount had to go, but I also sacrificed turret #4 and moved the rear AA superstructure backwards, too, so that the "flight deck" would not look too cramped. However, the catapult (taken from a Japanese Navy 1:700 aftermarket set, whichz also provided two AA twin guns that pose as Bofors guns now) had to be shortened, and the Curtiss SC-1 comes from a Trumpeter set with these aircraft - the RN SeaHawk that was tested there in my fictional background will certainly appear in 1:72, too.

Other mods include the crane (scratched from a small gun turret and a leftover modern crane arm) and some other/additional searchlights. Turrets #1 and #5 were replaced witrh slightly bigger twin gun models. The lifeboats had to be moved back a little.


Painting and markings:
I wanted something stylish, and the WWII Royal Navy ships offer a wide range of sytles and options. I eventually settled upon a scheme inspired by HMS Scylla from 1942, which carried a rather disruptive Admirality scheme instead of the pale Western Approaches scheme in white, blue and green.

The pattern was faithfully adopted for the Fletcher class destroyer, even though the superstructures are quite different, so that the upper areas above the deck line were a bit improvised. The real colors would probably have been 507c (Pale Grey), WA Blue, 1941 Blue and B15 (Blue Black). For the paints, I rather went for a dramatic effect, and used Humbrol 196, 47, 144 and 112, respectively. According to the information concerning HMS Scylla, the deck became RAF Blue (Humbrol 96), even though I guess that a dark grey would have been more realistic? A personal modification is the addition of two small light grey panels at the rear onto the WA Blue, in order to create an impression of speed. A black waterline was added with the help of thin decal strips (TL Modellbau).


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") Fletcher (British "Fl") class destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease; Northern Atlantic, early 1945 (Whif/modified Matchbox kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The model was built and painted in separate segments, this made applying the complex paint scheme easier.
For a used look and to work out some details I gave the model a light black ink wash and added some rust stains to the hull. The pennant number was created with single 3mm letters in black and white (also from TL Modellbau). Finally, everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can.



A relatively quick project, and while small scale ships are definitively not my home turf, I am quite happy with the outcome - even though the Matchbox Fletcher is a very simple affair. The catapult conversion also does not look overdone, and the paint scheme turned - in the beauty pics - out to be quite effective: more than once I missed the whole ship model when looking through the viewfinder and under poor light conditions!

[NARSES2]

I'd completely forgotten about those Matchbox 1/700 scale ships Thomas. Fantastic job you've done with it there and the photography and background really sets it off 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much. 

[Sport21ing]

I would like to know the name of the remainer nine class destroyers XD

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, there's creative room... Even though I am not a fan of HMS Flatulence. 

[Joe C-P]

That does work.     History, concept, execution, paint scheme.  I do like!

JoeP

[Captain Canada]

Very nice. Great looking ship to start with, and this one looks superb !

[Dizzyfugu]

Late addition of fake box art and some experiments with filters and effects:


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - Fake box art by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - Fake box art by dizzyfugu, on Flickr




1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - picture filter experiments by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - picture filter experiments by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - picture filter experiments by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - picture filter experiments by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - picture filter experiments by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:700 H.M.S. "Flexible" (pennant number "D24") - picture filter experiments by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

Oh very good. 

I LOVE the box art!

[NARSES2]

I LOVE the box art!

As do I 

[Rheged]

Got to agree, it's SUPERB box art.   I particularly like the pointillist pic of the vessel.

[buzzbomb]

Nice work. The colours totally suit. Although the kit shows it age, it does come up rather well.

The seascapes are very well done.. and box art, well done

[nighthunter]

HMS Flintlock
HMS Flashover
HMS Flowstone
HMS Flareback
HMS Flechette
HMS Flawless
HMS Fleabane
HMS Floribunda
HMS Flameout

[Dizzyfugu]

They names would have to start with "Fl...". Not that easy! 

[Old Wombat]

HMS Floaty