Early WWII USN Naval Action - Four Stacker (USS Edsell), The Dancing Mouse takes on the IJN!

The early war USN Pacific actions stand between heroic, tragic and those that stray into the foolhardy. Caught strategically off guard the American (and ABDA command in particular) found themselves in precarious positions, consider the plight of the four stacker USS Edsell (see below, it seems that the most interesting posting in the USN in 1941, was one in teh Asiatic Fleet [please click link below]): 

https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-067/h-067-1.html

This picture tells a thousand words and helps one to appreciate the enormity of the mismatch (see below, the last photograph of the USS Edsell [please click link below], those are 14" [battleship] and 8" [heavy cruiser] shell splashes): 

https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-003/h-003-6.html

A more worrying interlude from the present, history in the making, is this Orwellian edict and disclaimer .. makes you think you don't know what you have got, until you lost the lot! They are going to put that tree in a Tree Museum.

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1/3000 WW2 USN and IJN Destroyer Basing

There are big ships and there are small ships, but in the end (or rather to start with) they all have to be based. With this in mind I turned to a dusty pile of "silver shame" and did the task that wargamers like the least .. started basing (see below, these are IJN Destroyers that now at least have started on their journey to the wargame table - there was quite a lot of them): 

Most of this kit came from both sides came from the Navwar Philippine Sea Battle Pack (which I bought at the start of this century, ahem), but both sides have also been supplemented along the way to fill gaps, particularly going back to some of the early Pacific War battles in 1941-42 (see below, flotillas of USN Destroyers): 

I thought I would give a shout out to some destroyers that caught me eye, the valiant survivors of the USN Destroyer Fleet of WWI that through long service saw "two world wars" (see below, the US Wilkes class - nice little models): 

These destroyers were also famous for making up practically all of the "50 Destroyers" (aka the "town class") transferred to the RN to help fight the Battle of the Atlantic (so technically I could happily use them for two navies, USN and RN). More basing and organising to follow!

52 Fletchers - 1/3000 Navwar

Dating back to the time I bought "The Battle of the Philippine Sea" Battle Pack from Navwar, I always had a few of these destroyers to base. It came to pass that now, was the time I had some time and inclination to do it (see below, I now have a harbour full of US Destroyer, 52 Fletcher Class ones to be precise): 

Stage one complete, got them out of the packaging, filed down bits of flash and then superglued them to a 20mm by 60mm card stock base. Good for the soul if nothing else. As you can see bottom right I have taken two all the way (for a different project) but the other 50 have to play catch up! 

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!

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 2c Update: USN DDs - Gearing Class

The final two USN destroyers is this batch, the Gearing Class (see below, actually they were much more late war destroyers and are subbing in for the big Porter Class I don't [yet] have): 

Thirty of thirty done, all they need now is that satin varnish!

Corona Virus Project 2c Update: USN DDs - Fletcher Class

Probably the famous class of American WWII DDs the indomitable Fletcher Class (see below, PS: thanks to the mega bucket Battle of Leyte Gulf Navwar Battle Pack I have another forty eight of these chaps to paint): 

This makes twenty eight of of thirty, so, so close to finishing this one!

Corona Virus Project 2c Update: USN DDs - Gridley Class

Another eight USN DDs for the box, this time Gridleys (see below, and in the background a pair each of Fletchers and Gearing in WIP): 

Twenty six out of thirty .. the project should soon be coming to a close!

Corona Virus Project 2c Update: USN DDs - Livermore Class

A block of USN Livermore DDs (see below, I an getting to quite enjoy painting the sea, for some reason I am finding it both soothing and satisfying): 

A closer look (see below, at this scale the detail is much more suggestive than specific (see below, I have not opted for distinctive camouflage patterns but more getting wargaming counters on the table - although I was relieved to get the US CVs decks kind of right): 

Eighteen of thirty and counting!

Corona Virus Project 2c Update: USN DDs - Mahan Class

Next up six Mahan Class DDs (see below, scittering across the Pacific on the lookout for the IJN): 

Now ten of thirty!

Corona Virus Project 2c - WIP: USN Midway Destroyers (DD)

Onto the painting tray, flash metal trimmed away, based on hard cardboard and sea textured with the spreading of a DIY flexible sealant and the US Destroyer is well under way (see below, a flotilla of thirty "boats" should see all my early war needs fulfilled, and courtesy of the "Navwar Leyte Gulf party pack" I bought way back when - I have another fifty mid-late war Fletcher class DDs to add at some point in the future):

It is also nice when a 'sensible storage solution' comes along as the same time as a collection takes shape. The BAs, BBs, CVs, CVLs, CVEs, CAs, CLs and CL-AAs of the USN pacific Fleet have a variety of small plastic boxes to fit into, but I was struggling for something for the DDs, things were just not the "right size". Then a magazine shipping package" (akin to  a very thin pizza box) I had kept for no better reason than I thought "one day it might be useful", on closer inspection was "just what I needed" for the destroyer flotillas' home (see below, TF8, TF16, TF17 destroyer contingents - along with four WWI era four-stackers I needed for the Battle of the Java Sea I did a while back):

Following the basing and texturing, the metal was covered in Airfix Gray Acrylic Primer (01) and the sea base around the ships received the same ad-hoc mixture of Anita's Acrylics as the previoys projects (see below - Navy Blue, Jungle Green and Midnight Blue in approximate thirds - forming the dark sea-base):

The last stage of the "shade coat priming" is to give the destroyers a Vallejo "Black" Wash all over (see below, the darkness of the resulting shadows makes the painting of the grey base and subsequent highlighting stage much easier):

Next stage: Grey hulls-superstructure and blue decks.