HMS Cumberland: For Sale

Hi all,

Doesn't seem like there's much activity in NABS these days with our core members scattered about, however if anyone is interested, my HMS Cumberland is up for sale. It's been freshly re-sheeted, however needs some work on the internals (wiring harness and servo placement) before it's ready to hit the water again. This could be a way to get someone up and running quickly, it should only take a day of soldering a wiring harness and waiting for glue to set on servo's before she sails again.

Anyone who's interested, send me an email at piping_piper at yahoo.ca and I'll send you pictures and any any questions you may have. I'm looking at $400 for the complete ship and toolbox, 99% of what you'll need to get on the water.

 

Hi Piper,
Does your HMS Cumberland have a cut-down quarterdeck and fiberglass main and quarterdecks with plexiglass hatches? If so it's the model I started in 1997 and sold after the fiberglass decks, props and rudder were installed. I'd decided to build the Spanish Canarias instead from another of my Kent/Canarias Class hulls (now sold by Strike Models.) The second owner didn't do anything with it and the model came back to NABS around 1999-2000. I think I helped you get it battle ready. If the hull/ribs are in good shape I might be interested in re-acquiring it.
Bob

 

Cumby had a brief but eventful career. Long live the Cumby!

 

wasn't the cumby beaten by the bus?

 

The bus?? Wasn't that John's unarmed freighter?

No reply from Piper yet but the Cumberland must be the model I started and sold incomplete. We haven't had any other Kent Class cruisers with cut-down quarterdecks in NABS. The only other Kent Class CA was Rob Clark's HMAS Canberra.

Bob

 

The Bus if I remember correctly outmaneuverd a couple of Yamato's that were trying to make a sandwich of it.

 

Hi Curt,
I've remembered the reason why I decided not to complete the Cumberland (which I was going to call HMS Suffolk, the only other Kent Class cruiser with a cut-down quarterdeck). Under IRCWCC rules a model is considered sunk when the deck (or any part of it) is covered by water on both sides.
You've probably seen the famous photo of HMS Suffolk crawling back to Scapa Flow from Norway with her quarterdeck completely submerged after a bomb hit. My concern was that a model of Suffolk or Cumberland could have enough H2O on board to put the cut-down quarterdeck underwater, meaning the model was sunk according to the rules although far from actually sinking due to the high reserve buoyancy of the Kent Class. With optimum ballasting and water channelling so the model remained level when taking on water, the freeboard of the main deck would be 3/4" - 1" with the quarterdeck awash.
Remember how Rob's HMAS Canberra with it's flush deck squeaked through several 5-minute calls because of its high freeboard? With a cut-down quarterdeck it would have been technically sunk. The cut-down quarterdeck gives a minor advantage because the stern cannons can be angled slightly lower. In 1997 I concluded the risk of being declared sunk due to the quarterdeck becoming submerged would outweigh the minor advantage of a few more degrees of cannon depression so I built the Canarias instead.
Having battled the Canarias for years using run and gun tactics, and having never been close to sinking I think the Cumberland/Suffolk would have been fine in combat despite the low quarterdeck. (Canarias' only sink was due to a ram by a VU from Quebec after a battle, when she was stopped in shallow water beside your Bismarck.)

Bob

 

Curt if I rember correctly. It was a hunt the bus sortie at the grove. The cumby was taking on a little water but nothing the pump couldn't handle. So as it was chasing the Bus the pump outlet came away from the side and the water remained inside the boat. The cumby sank. The Bus got it's only "kill"

 

I remeber the Lutzow class with the low step down quarterdeck awash most of the time. That hull and the Cumby usually had those decks underwater but they were in no danger of sinking as they had plenty of reserve buoyancy. Cumby in particulary was usually more stable in a half sunk position. Your right Paul I think your recollection of how the Cumby was sunk by the bus is correct. It was one of those freaky things that happen in the fog of battle.

 

I remeber the Lutzow class with the low step down quarterdeck awash most of the time. That hull and the Cumby usually had those decks underwater but they were in no danger of sinking as they had plenty of reserve buoyancy. Cumby in particulary was usually more stable in a half sunk position. Your right Paul I think your recollection of how the Cumby was sunk by the bus is correct. It was one of those freaky things that happen in the fog of battle.

 

So when are you guys going to get together and reactivate the NABS group, so I can come to visit again?

Marty

 

Hi Marty,
That's a good question. There are few captains left in this area with battle-ready models. Several moved away or lost interest in the hobby. I think Paul is the only person who's been sailing actively for the last 2-3 years; he has a couple of ships and was at NATS a year or two ago. John Coffil regained interest earlier this year but Ralph Coles talked to him in July and was told he's involved in other activities at present. I don't know if John still has a battle ready model but he had a couple of working cargo ships, including a large escort carrier. Ralph says he has zero interest in battling; he was always more into hull mould building than competing.
Steve Hill has at least one completed ship, the CL HMCS Uganda I rebuilt for him a few years ago. At that time he'd retired from the navy, started a new business and bought an apartment building, things that were keeping him too busy for R/C combat. Jason is still in the Annapolis valley and has a couple of ships that can be configured for either IRCWCC or Treaty combat. Jamie's back in the hobby and will be building HMS Roberts. I still have HMS Hood (which needs it's cannons reinstalled), HMS Gorgon and HMS Minotaur. Ian sold Hood back to me last year and I believe he sold his other projects (Repulse and Tirpitz?) due to lack of club activity. Piper is selling HMS Cumberland for the same reason.
I think it was in a 2010 (or 2009?) telephone conference that NABS members by then scattered around the Atlantic provinces agreed there would be 3 completely independent NABS clubs located in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland (i.e. with their own officers and finances). The NB club had organized a successful Can-Nats in 2008 but I don't know if there have been any battles since. Curt has not been able to get an R/C combat club going in St. John's Nfld., surprising given the city's naval history and the excellent examples provided by his models.
Locally, we got off to a good re-start in 2009 with the collaborative IJN I-400 mould project and multiple build sessions at Steve Hill's home, then Jay's house was broken into and his models were damaged followed by the navy transferring him to the west coast (2011?). Steve's workload got too heavy and then Rob Clarke moved away. My wife and I got a cottage in NB and for the last 3 years have spent most weekends fixing it up during the usual r/c combat months. That work is done so I can get back into r/c ship building and battling next year. There are probably half a dozen local people who would get back into the hobby next year if we get reorganized in the next few months. Maybe Piper will decide to hang onto the Cumberland.
Likely Nova Scotian NABS captains and ships for 2014:
Paul - VU, South Carolina?
Jeremie - Roberts
Piper ?- Cumberland
John - Tirpitz?, Graf Spee?
Jason - Von der Tann, New Jersey?, US heavy cruiser
Bob - Hood, Gorgon, Minotaur, Krasni Krim?

 

Hi Bob.

Right now I have the USS Tennessee and the Prinz Eugen (VU class) ships that are battle ready. The SNS Espana is under construction.. I have a cut Graf Spee Hull. I still have the South carolina but that has been converted tio just a runner.

 

Hi all,

See how many posts I can answer at once:
Bob, this was indeed the one you laid out, the deck, motors, drive shaft placement were all beautifully done. I remember a battle or two where I should have been declared sunk according to the quarterdeck awash rule, several others I sank bow first. Might have been tank empty vs full?

The school bus incident... if I remember correctly, Paul and I were running close together, and the SC rammed me... and disconnected the pump outlet at the same time. Not seeing the pump immediately evacuating water, I did not call Ram (thinking I was still water tight). We did give the pundua a kill for it.

Sadly I'm not in the area anymore, the army has sent me from Kingston, On where I was too busy to get any sailing in, to Shilo, Mb with few lakes and no battlers. The Cumbie is still with my parents in Dartmouth. The girlfriend thinks the boat is cool, so I'd have no issues keeping it as display piece/very occasional runner.

 

Hi Piper,
If you're home in Dec. I could have a look at the Cumberland then. I want a Kent Class and know the Cumberland's construction was sound. I think I even finished the armour installation before selling the model. Buying Cumberland would save me the laborious process of making and installing a fiberglass deck on a new hull.
Steve Hill has a London/Dorsetshire Class hull for me that I need to pick up and build as London post-reconstruction with the modern bridge, or Dorsetshire in white paint on the China Station. I have detailed plans for both. I intend to have County Class and Canarias Class heavy cruisers at our cottage for battles there and hope to buy back SNS Canarias, which is in the US.
Hi Paul,
You've got more ships than I thought. What do you think about having a NABS meeting in October? It would be good to do build sessions and maybe some naval wargaming over the winter. I'm going to contact Steve Hill. All he needs to do to get HMCS Uganda ready is a speed trial.

Bob

 

Craig 's NC is coming along and he still is going to arm it for RC combat so once I get the gun package from him I can get the model finished and shipped to him. He could go to Halifax for a Nabs event or odd battle . He also has a Lutzow that is armed for combat as well.

Scott Foster has contacted me and we are currently discussing a swap for some of my hulls and unfinished projects for his 1/72 scale HMCS IROQUOIS .He is still interested in the hobby.He contacted me through Facebook.

Seeing as the Hobby is being promoted through Facebook as well it would be a good way to bring attention to Nabs there locally and a way to start up a resurgence for the club there. There's no chance here for me to get a club going. Too much on my plate and my work schedule and committments plus the family health issues that have been changing quickly has not allowed me to put any time into that aspect of it. However by next year I hope to be starting my new career which will allow me the flexibility in my time to get things going. I am working on converting one side the shed into a year round ship yard but I plan to have a seperate shed to dedicate it for model building and I want to setup my Build Channel. I will be filiming the RC combat builds and model build projects I have on hand.

Tom Cromwell is here also with his ships including Nagato and the freighter so we have had scoped out battling a couple of possible sites for battling. Also the New Naval HQ exterior is built now and it is going through it's internal fitting out. This HQ is larger than the one in Halifax currently and it is built right next to the main City lake where I sail and the military holds thier annual events pondside there so this is a great opportunity to get displays set up there within the building and on the grounds for thier events and get exposure for the hobby and my Tank Hobby so I can go at it from both directions. Hence why I am thinking of getting the IROQUOIS hull as it is perfect for introducing the RC hobby to the base but the obvious significance of the ship to the Naval Base should get more attention. Hmmm I may have to look at getting the Hood.

Tom will be married soon and once he is settled with his house and career here we hope to get things going on the combat side for the ships.

Fuzzy get an Arizona and buiid it and have it for when you can get to a pond , or a pool. yeah you got to have a swimming pool in the area.

 

Bob,

Sounds like a plan, I'm not sure what the christmas plans are yet, but i'll be in touch once they're sorted. If we manage to recruit a new member, I'd still give them first dibs as a great starter ship/fast way to get on the water.

Curt, I wish there was another person out this way, closest I see using this site is Minot, North Dakota (5 hours south). There is however lots of 40k action, so my painting skillz have improved.

 

Hi Bob. I think we should have a NABS meeting just to see how many are still kicking around. I am starting to collect some 40k. Bringing on the waaaaaaaagh

 

A meeting in mid-late October would work for me.
40K orcs eh?I've got a couple of armies to oppose them.

Bob

 

Hi Piper,
My offer to buy back the Cumberland still stands. I didn't hear from you in December about the planned sale while you were back for the holidays and the email address you gave in your post gives a 'failed delivery' result. I plan to buy SNS Canarias back in the very near future and it would be great to have the Cumberland as an equally matched opponent.
Hope you still check this forum occasionally and still have the Cumberland.
Bob