OTW 1/72 Valiant class SSN kit to be released!

[Guest]

Wishes & prayers do come true sometimes! At the kind behest of Mr. Dimmick here is this announcement. OTW (Rob Dimmick) will be releasing just before Christmas 2005 a new Valiant Class SSN HMS Conqueror in 1/72 scale (48 inch length) !!!!! Myself along with other individuals across the pond have been assisting Rob secretly in assuring it will be the very most accurate in scale. I have seen the hull master, and it takes my breath away! Simply the most elegant looking SSN design ever! It will include all parts and appendages. A scale bronze 7 blade semitar prop with a long dunce tip capping this beautiful hull form. It will use an OTW or Merriman WTC 3.5. Also included will be a CD of reference images and a scale plan sheet (of HMS Churchill). Send inquires to Mr. Rob Dimmick - OTW models

Thank you Rob!!!!

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1117495571

[Guest]

Well with Bob and Steve

Well with Bob and Steve on the case, you know it's going to be a nice model, and it will arrive on, or before time.

Nice one- you got your wish Steve!

Andy

[Antoine]

That was the suprise I

That was the suprise I promised to the Brit SSN fans from the SC....
Thanks Steve for giving this news !

[gerwalk]

At last!
Excellent news!! I

[color=#000000]At last!
Excellent news!! I wonder were they found the Churchill class plans... I was looking for them for a long time!

One thing]

[gerwalk]

Some corrections to the info

[color=#000000]Some corrections to the info posted by Dolphin]

[anonymous]

I was surprised too by

I was surprised too by any such mention of a drawing, I only passed on what I understood what Rob told me. Rob & I had no less than 4 very long, most enjoyable conversation..... long distance phone calls (his dime) this past Memorial day weekend.

The Upholders uses a 7 blade prop too as built in the mid-late 1980's. The Dutch Walrus submarines do in fact use a 5 bladed scimitar though.

The scimitar 7 blade prop with only a moderate skew back would have been incorporated in the late 1960's on these Valiants. American 7 blade scimitar props appeared very secretly in the beginning of the 1960's. Thresher SSN 593 used one from the get go in 1962. She was using one at the time of her loss. The Thresher/Permits used these as standard when built. The Skipjack SSN's and Dreadnought used the same power and engineering spaces aft. The Skipjacks for speed would use their noisy 5 bladed 'power props'. But in the mid-1960's, the noisy Skipjacks retrofitted to the quieter 7 blade scimitars too. Dreadnought would have likely used & followed a similar arrangement. The Valiants came on in the late 1960's early 1970's. They where comparable in quieting to the Permits, also using raft technology in the engineering spaces to isolate the engineering from the hull. The Skates even in later times (1970's) incorporated a L & R hand small 7 blade scimitar props. Having a special relationship, the Royal Navy and the US Navy technologically are very close historically. EB & Vickers in origin (in submarines only) are practically sister companies. It is possible any British scimitar prop could have been developed independently too. The mission requirements, the need for silent props, and the mathematics are basicly the same. The concept theoretically was not new, only a secret technological threshold needed to be surpassed to make these special props by industry possible. Both the United Kingdom and the United States would have had such milling analog computers then.

In the later months of 1982, after the Falklands conflict was over, HMS Turbulent (second in the Trafalgar class) became the first operational SSN to employ a pump jet in the world. In that historical context, The Brits regressing back.......using a potentially noisier 5 blade prop in 1982? No way! Not likely. Going to the Falklands and WAR....would you and your valuable SSN's, crews...everything...opt for second best? Ridiculous!

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1117767876

[gerwalk]

Steve,
what you are saying is

[color=#000000]Steve,
what you are saying is pure logic and I have to agree with you!!
I want to correct what I said]http://www.otwdesigns.com/Propulsion/prop5-200.jpg[/img]

As for going to war in 1982 with "noiser" props]



Edited By Gerwalk on 1117820351

[peter w]

Hello,

In 1 of the many

Hello,

In 1 of the many books I have it says somewhere that HMS Churchill was used in 1976 as a testbed for a pumpjet, whether she kept it is probably still classified. Good news that there is finally a kit though as it is in my opinion probably the best looking Western SSN produced.

Peter W 2731 UK.

[anonymous]

You are correct, HMS Churchill

You are correct, HMS Churchill did test the first pump jet propulsor in 1976. This was an experiment. HMS Turbulent was the first sub operationally to use one. HMS Trafalgar was never retrofitted to a pump jet. Trafalgar is the only nuclear submarine in the Royal Navy without a pump jet. The 'S' class SSN's were retrofitted with pump jets though. At the time of the Falklands campaign, only Turbulent had one, and this new boat was undergoing extensive sea trials at that time. Also Trafalgar (without a PJ) was tested along side Turbulent (with the new PJ) for comparison propulsion wise and acoustically, Trafalgar providing the perfect side by side baseline comparison.

What ever the case is on the Valiant props, when I get my kit, I will be happy with either one....both are beautiful.

Has anyone ever photographed the Courageous prop displayed there in Devonport dockyard? Would you post it here please?

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1117982511

[gerwalk]

This Topic is getting more

This Topic is getting more interesting every day!!

Dolphin]http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_sad.gif[/img]

Four blades? Confusing, isn't it?

The only pic I have of the Courageous prop is the one from the Courageous site. Though the phot was taken from an angle you can clearly see the blades shape and number of them]Courageous soc album[/url]

[Antoine]

Yep ! The Traf has

Yep ! The Traf has no PJ !
Where did you see the picture of the prop ? what page of the album I cant see any prop

[anonymous]

http://www.hms-courageous.bravepages.com/Album_Images/Source/0056.jpg

Here it is Antione,

Notice the



Here it is Antione,

Notice the exotic dunce cap to create a low pressure area behind the prop to minimize wake vortex. I love surprises like this. We candidly refer sometimes to pump jet shrouds as lamp shades, well...with such a 'dunce cap', I suppose this is the 'living room lamp' itself! It should be exhibited properly, easy access like it is, but with a suitable platform for the beautiful striking 'sculpture' it is too in it's own right. A moderate concrete base or something. These are technical marvels of propulsion, that create 'lift' and deal efficiently with torsion and flex, all the while doing it's business as silently as possible. It has to function well both at great depth free of cavitation, and near the surface, a whole other operating environment engineering wise too. Even casting such propellers is a marvel in itself. Like a giant telescope reflecting mirror (in a technical sense) hung on the back of a nuclear submarine. Could someone wander over and take a full complete image of this propeller & post it here please?

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1117996460

[Guest]

Steve,

Did you mean Devonport dockyard?

Andy

Steve,

Did you mean Devonport dockyard?

Andy

[gerwalk]

I would love to see

I would love to see a better pic of that prop!! Who dares to go there and take those pictures??

There is a groove between the so called dunce cap and the propeller itself. I wonder if something else used to be there (additional smaller blades??)