USN WW2 "Heavy Metal" Battleships 1/3000

The USN certainly had a lot of heavy metal on the books at the start of WW2. Admittedly most of it was left in a re-conditioned burning state after the Pearl Harbour attack (rebuilding if not sunk), but the pre-war building program brought on stream some very useful battlewagons in 1942-43, critical certainly for Guadalcanal operations (see below, Pearl Harbour "targets" left and being the "pre-war new design stream" as in the North Carolina [2] and South Dakota [4] classes [and a hypothetical USS Montana] on teh right):  

Late 1943-144 the "new breed" of Iowa class ships started arriving, along with the rebuilt boys who had caught it at Pearl Harbour (see below, column one being the Pearl Harbour and Atlantic Fleet, column two being the "reconstructed" Pearl Harbour battleships [the ships serving in the Atlantic avoided this indignity], column three being the "pre-war new design stream" as in the North Carolina [2] and South Dakota [4] classes [and a hypothetical USS Montana] and finally column four the scary 16" Iowa Class [4] and Alaska [2] large cruiser/battlecruisers):  

This is a phenomenal industrial ship building production rate (something the IJN could not think of matching), considering it was alongside the construction of the Essex class fleet aircraft carriers (a total of seventeen during the war and seven more shortly after in late 1940's) and there was also the ten Independence light aircraft carriers. Build baby build was obviously the US motto! 

Corona Virus Project 2c: USN DDs - Completed, Remembering when ...

This seemed such a long time ago now (see below, early war USN destroyers for the Coral Sea, Guadalcanal and Midway operations): 

I sense a need to return and start the Japanese opponents!

Interesting Naval Computer Wargames

 http://johntillersoftware.com/NavalCampaigns.html

Has anybody played any of them?

Wolf-Pack:

US Pacific:

Jutland:

Tsushima:

Any information gratefully received as my model 1/3000 fleets are getting rather interested in potentially using them!

You Tube - Little Wars : Naval Battles of Guadalcanal 1942

 Another interesting video pertaining the the US - Japanese Pacific War. This time analysis from the US recreational wargaming community. Still plenty of good stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACK12CiUjb4

Corona Virus Project - 2 Series USN a-e: Finally Completed

OK so the better part of the US Pacific Fleet is ready to field (see below, a lot of varnished [Satin Varnish] USN DD and a few more CA and CL, CL/AA): 

Ready for Coral Sea, Guadalcanal and Midway. Just a case of doing the same for the IJN forces!

Corona Virus Project 2e : USN Guadalcanal CA/LC-AAs

Some more 'seemingly' random USN cruisers - which almost finishes off my early war US naval fleet. There is a purpose behind this motley (but much loved) collection as it allows the naval order of battles for USN at Guadalcanal to be marked as complete (see below, nine ships, three more Atlanta's [San Diego, Juneau, San Juan], a Brooklyn and the Iron Bottom Sound trio of USS Chicago, USS Quincy and USS San Francisco - also the really early war USS Houston and USS Marblehead):   

OK with this lot complete it should be across to the IJN (although I do have three remaining pre-war heavy cruisers to paint up and there is the small question of US Battleships which [barring the USS Washington and USS South Dakota I have already painted up] will be needed for the later Pacific War battles) starting with the Coral Sea, to Guadalcanal and then to the (huge) Midway "Invasion Force"!

Corona Virus - Loose yourself in some books

There are always "books" ...

In the professional wargame category I have plenty of books to skim, read and re-read (see below, Sabin's [Lost Battles and Simulating War], GLB [Successful Professional Wargames], Dunnigan, Perla [The Art of Wargaming] are old classics long read, but I have plenty of other stuff with interesting idea in abundance, mainly it seems from the History of Wargaming Project):

Then there are the books from the historical category and there are plenty of them on the bookshelves (see below, the Pacific War is my current theme which ties in with the 1/3000 Navwar models, so this is a small section of my dusty books):

Or a general scientific interest (see below, Blink if a good lite-read):

Slightly heavier but packed full of thought provoking ideas (see below, I particularly like Newton's "apple" on the front cover):

And let's not forget the rules which I have bought and should have really read by now. This is a large category. Carrier and Tokyo Express are specifically solitaire games so ideal for the current circumstances(see blow, XTR Victory at Midway is a personal favourite of mine that I am playing via email to an independent umpire against an unseen third party):

Hopefully chances are by the time you read "one or more" book and played "one or more" games then the Corona Virus thing will have all blown over! Famous last words. Anything not done by the end of the lock-down needs seriously to be put on the "never happening" project shelf!

Audible Book: Neptune's Inferno - Guadalcanal WW2 Pacific 1942-43

The naval aspect of WWII in the Pacific keeps drawing me in. If Midway was a critical hinge then Guadalcanal seemed to be point where "the turning of the tide" inexorably moved the way of the Allies (or at this point the US). Attritional in nature, intense, with both sides making numerous terrible mistakes of strategic and tactical, new technology (such as radar) both used to good effect and terrible inept "missed opportunities" the outcome was never pre-destined, but the US prevailed. Neptune's Inferno was a good but terrifying read (see below):

I need to dig out my copy of "The Tokyo Express" and get back to painting those 1/3000 Navwar ships!

More Audible Books .. Pacific WWII

There is a theme developing here, I am currently listening to Ship of Ghosts about the USS Houston by James D. Hornsfischer. Interesting as a few years ago I wargamed The Battle of the Java Sea (1942) in which she took part. A third of the book is about her battles and "back history", two thirds about the subsequent fate of her survivors and those of the HMAS Perth lost in the same action (following the Java Sea) against the backdrop of the unfolding war (see below):

In addition, already listen to is The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors again by Hornsfischer, regarding the heroic actions of the destroyer captains in saving Taffy Three in (1944) The Battle of Leyte Gulf (see below):

If truth but told this book was the more gripping, perhaps because of the scale of the action and the wide variety of interest as non-destroyer participation is explored, particularly that of the airman of Taffy Three.

Lined up in my Aiudible library up are two other Hornsfischer titles covering the Marianas (1944) Island Campaign and the earlier Guadalcanal Campaign (1941-43). Already I have been rooting around in the loft for my WWII Navwar 1/3000 unfinished Pacific Theatre toys.

USN WWII Battle-wagons: USS South Dakota and USS Washington

Continuing on a nautical theme, but this time some 2400 years later after the age of the "Salamis trireme", I pulled out some old Navwar 1/3000 ships models from the attic. I had been working on (one of my many stalled projects, ahem) the Guadalcanal Campaign and long ago had made an initial start on the USN order of battle starting with the battleships (see below, USS South Dakota [top], USS Washington [bottom]):

Being impressed with the effects of the "gloss" followed by "mate" varnish, particularly for a certain satin, subtle shiny sea effect, I upgraded my previous paint jobs. The USS South Dakota and the bigger USS Washington fought a particularly interesting battleship v battleship night action at Guadalcanal in 1942 against the IJN Kirishima (and some heavy cruisers). A replay of this action is on the cards using the "Tokyo Express" board game.

Looks like my house will have a permanent "varnish" smell this year as I work around my existing painted ships improving the sea bases and tackling the "naval lead mountain".