Finally! My build has started in earnest. One thing I can't figure out is the official terminology for my Austro-Hungarian Battleship. Is it KuK Radetzky or SMS Radetzky? So far I have installed shafts and rudders, drawn up my hulls cuts for one side, and made my caprail and decks. My methods for these steps are described below. Pictures coming soon. Drawing up windows/ cutting areas: First I sheet the side of the solid hull in masking tape. Then I use a steel ruler and a relatively fine point pen to measure and draw all my lines for ribs, caprail, casemates, solid area, etc... Rudders: Again I covered the area in masking tape. I drew a center line and marked rudder post locations on either side. Then I fabricated rudder stuffing tubes using brass tube nested at each end of a larger tube so as to create an void that can be filled with white lithium grease around each rudder post. I braced them in place and used a small wood dam to create an area that I filled with epoxy. Now my I will have to tear my ship apart to remove my rudder stuffing tubes! Finally I used Bondo-glass to fill in around the exits and make it nice and smooth. Propulsion shafts: I decided to use two motors independently geared to propel the ship. My choice for propellers are 1.25" diameter with 4 blades. To mount the shafts I used a dremel to cut a slot in the hull. I slid the shafts through and used wood disks slightly larger than my props to space them appropriately in relation to each other and the rudders. I proceeded to brace them in place and seal the outside of the hull around the shaft exit with masking tape. Then I brushed epoxy in the gaps and around the shafts. After the epoxy dried i used obnoxiously large amounts of Bondo-glass to fill in around the exits and create smooth transitions. SAND BONDO-GLASS AS SOON AS YOU CAN!! ONCE IT CURES FOR A FEW HOURS LABOR TO SHAPE IT WILL INCREASE PREPOSTEROUSLY!! Cap rail and decks: I HATE THIS PART! What I did here was trace the hull on both 1/4" and 1/8" aircraft grade plywood. Then I rough cut the pieces to shape and bolted them together (through the secondary gun mount location) with the 1/8" on top because that thickness are to be my decks. Ensuring they maintained proper orientation to the hull (i.e. the portion of the hull that was facing the hull when you traced it is still facing the hull when you are shaping it) is important. I shaped the pieces together so that they both fit. Once I had it fitting in the hull I used a homemade tracing tool that I pulled along the outside of the hull that traced a line 1/2" or so from the outside edge of the hull. This allowed that even if my fitment sucked that at least my line on the 1/8" decks would be a nice even distance from the edge of the hull. I then freehanded some 1/2" cross-members for strength. I then seperated the decks and cut along the lines with a scroll saw. Which I am not very good at using. Mine is also not the best one to use. I then tacked it back on the 1/4" wood with CA glue and traced again with another little "jig" about 3/8" inside of that rail. Finally I cut out along that traced line and glued the 1/8" pieces permanently together. This is where I am at now. I need to glue the assembly in place, sand my decks so that they will fit once there is epoxy and paint on everything, make casemates, and cut windows. I will then be ready to start on my superstructure. I will leave the internals for last because that is the best part. Das Butts
It's SMS. The KuK was for Kaiserliche und Konignsliche Kriegsmarine which is Imperial and Royal War Fleet. SMS is just like in German, Seiner Majastat Schiff. The confusion is due to the dual-monarchy used by the Autro-Hungarian empire. Technically, Hungary was independent of Austria, but the Emperor of Austria was /also/ the King of Hungary...which is why the unified navy was Imperial /and/ Royal. The ships still belonged to the same Emperor/King and thus were... Seiner Majestat's
My method for marking the hull to prep it for cutting. Shafts installed and faired into hull with bondo-glass. Same with rudder stuffing tube "stubs" Shafts looking aft. In the far aft end you can see my wood "dam" which I used to reatain the epoxy around the rudder stuffing tubes. Here you can see the size of my 1.25" props compared to the rudders. Note how flat the shafts are and their close proximity to both the hull and the rudders. A bottom view of shafts and rudder tubes. A top view of shafts and rudder tubes. Shafts from rear. The rudders are turned outboard slightly. My tool used to trace the shape of the hull onto the 1/8" material to be used for the deck. It drew a line about 1/2" from the edge of the hull. This gave me a guide to cut on so my decks will fit inside once I do some sanding around the edges to account for paint. Tracing Product after it was traced, cut, and tacked in place with glue. A second tool to make a line 3/8" inside the portion already cut. This will allow me to cut on that line and take out all the center portions of the subdeck. This gives me access to the inside of the hull by creating a "caprail". More to follow including the finished caprail, cut hull, etc...
wow love the work done to it. oh and love the the rigged pencil tool, i dont think id ever of thought that.
I just found out an interesting fact. The SMS Zrínyi (Radetzky Class) was transferred to the United States and commissioned as the USS Zrínyi! Please correct if I'm wrong but I should be allowed to play either side during a battle, right? I re-read the rules but I didn't find anything. However, I tend to miss things. I figured this was the same case as the Turkish Yavuz or Greek Kilkis. Das Bütts
I know it was surrendered to US forces but I am not sure how long they kept it. IIRC it was almost immediately handed over to the Italians.
DANFS is such a handy resource (Battleship: dp. 14,500; l. 456'0"; b. 82'0"; dr. 26'6" (mean); s. 20.0 k.: cpl. 880; a. 4 12", 8 9.4", 20 3.9", 6 11-pdrs., 2 11-pdrs. (AA), 3 17.7" tt.; cl. Radetzky) Zrinyi—an Austro-Hungarian, pre-dreadnought battleship—was laid down on 15 November 1908 at the Stabilimento Tecnico of Trieste; launched on 12 April 1910; and completed in July 1911. During World War I, Zrinyi served with the 2d Division of the Austro-Hungarian Navy's battleships and took part in the bombardment of the key seaport of Ancona, Italy, on 24 May 1915. However, Allied control of the Strait of Otranto meant that the Austro-Hungarian Navy was, for all intent and purposes, effectively bottled up in the Adriatic. Nonetheless, their presence tied down a substantial force of Allied ships. After the Hapsburg Empire collapsed in 1918, the Austrians wanted to turn the fleet over to the newly created state of Yugoslavia to prevent the Italians from getting their hands on the ships. However, the victorious Allies refused to acknowledge the conversations between the Austrians and Yugoslavians and, in due course, reallocated the ships. Zrinyi had apparently been turned over to the Yugoslavs, as it was a Yugoslavian naval officer, Korvetten-kapitdn Marijan Polic who turned over the ship to representatives of the United States Navy at Spalato, Dal-matia, on the afternoon of 22 November 1919. Simultaneously the pre-dreadnought was commissioned as USS Zrinyi; and Lt. E. E. Hazlett, USN, assumed command. The initial American complement consisted of four officers and 174 enlisted men—the latter entirely composed of United States Naval Reserve Force personnel. Zrinyi remained at anchor at Spalato for nearly a year while the negotiations that would determine her ultimate fate dragged on. Only once, in fact, did she apparently turn her engines over; and that occurred during a severe gale that struck Spalato on 9 February 1920. On the morning of 7 November 1920, Zrinyi was decommissioned; Chattanooga (C-16) took her in tow and, assisted by Brooks (DD-232) and Hovey (DD-208), pulled the battleship to Papaja, Italy. Under the terms of the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain, Zrinyi was ultimately turned over to the Italian government at Venice. The pre-dreadnought was later broken up for scrap.
I recently got more work done... -the decks are sanded and stained -motors and gearboxes are mounted -set up rudder gears... gonna modify it a little bit -layout of all components is done -casements and all hull cutting done still to do... -all soldered connections (there's gonna be 50 or so) -modify guns -mount guns -epoxy some bare wood -assemble/ test pump -water channeling -assemble the already cut superstructure pieces -skin and paint Some highlights... -current weight with all components in hull and no water channeling or wiring: 9.5lbs -goal weight: 11.5-12lbs (max. is over 13lbs) -batteries: LiFe 10ah headway cells -brushless propulsion and pump -solenoid operated guns (hopefully a high ROF with the way they are being setup) -Hitec waterproof rudder servo I will post more pictures soon. Das Butts
Here are some recent pictures showing some component layout. I have done a few more things since these were taken. That is a 3.5oz bottle and a regulator I had laying around to mock it up with. Yes, that is a planetary geared pump. The motors are equivilent to 380/385's.
Unless you are running 12v, there isn't a need for four cells. Class 3 and below may change batteries between sorties. Most likely won't need to though ... 10ah should last two sorties easily. Yet again, it is always nice to have extra battery, just in case. Heh. Nice looking build Mike. Going to bring it to the Boro battle to at least show it off?
I am running 9.6V actually. The 4th cell is to get the voltage up to 12.8V for the 12V solenoids. If they cycle reliably at 9.6V in testing I will eliminate the 4th cell. I will have it battling at the Boro. If I have to I will work on it all this weekend and next. I swore to myself I pull it off. Das Butts
Finished the ship and battled it on Saturday. Some things were not perfectly placed/ organized however, it ran at speed, turned, both guns shot (albeit a bit soft at first, till I dialed 'em in). The pump had inconsistent priming but that is my fault. No priming hole. Thing to be done now: -a decent superstructure -switch to 1.25" props -priming hole for pump -better gun mounting -shift haymaker to a more "90degree" orientation -clean up wiring... more zipties
Mike, That is some real nice work that you have done to Radetzky. I like the detail of your pictures, they are helpful when putting thought in the general layout in my and my sons ships.
I will get more pictures of it posted... with the exception of some superstructure it is pretty much done. I took the road less travelled in a couple of aspects. Please feel free to send me a message and I will get you my number so you can grill me. I can remember the internal layout of almost every ship I have seen. My brain is weird and just works like that.
