Britain's bergship: A 1/350 scale HMS Habakkuk "ice" aircraft carrier.

[NARSES2]

Bugger, as they say 

[seadude]

Some more work in progress on at least one portion prototype center hull section that I may use as a "template" of sorts to hopefully get a plastics company to make better center hull sections for me.

[seadude]

Here's a little something else I wrote/worked on the last few days in case anybody was wondering how long the Habakkuk was compared to other historical and modern ships.

[NARSES2]

Interesting stats and graph 

[kitbasher]

HMS Titanic??

[seadude]

HMS Titanic??

Sorry about that. Slight typo error.    Should be RMS instead. Guess I was typing a bit too fast when I wrote the specs up.

[buzzbomb]

That's a lot of plastic card. The size comparisons against the U Boat are a great way to get perspective on this

[scooter]

HMS Titanic??

Didn't you know the Royal Navy secretly gave White Star funding to convert the Olympic-class into Armed Merchant Cruisers in the event of a war?  Except when Titanic hit the berg, the RN felt it would have been a better return on investment for a troop transport and a hospital ship.







/sarcasm

[NARSES2]

That's a lot of plastic card. The size comparisons against the U Boat are a great way to get perspective on this

It is 

[seadude]

FINALLY! I finally finished putting in all those small pieces of 1/8" inch acrylic square rod inside the cavities of my Habakkuk interior cross section. Boy, was that a pain!     Over 1,000 pieces to simulate the ice blocks that would be on either side of the center crew section.    Thank God its now done. Now I can get to work on other details that are needed for the cross section.
So how big would the Habakkuk (or at least one portion of the center hull section) be compared to a modern US Navy aircraft carrier? I put the center hull section next to my uncompleted future aircraft carrier model. The size is quite striking indeed.   
And I'll be going to a 3-day model ships and boats contest this coming weekend. Since my future US Navy aircraft carrier could not be completed in time, I will instead take what I've built so far (Bottom picture) for my Habakkuk model project to the contest for display purposes only.

[NARSES2]

Really coming together now 

[seadude]

Way back on Page 5 of this thread, I think I mentioned something where I said I did not believe the Habakkuk prototype took three years to melt/sink to the bottom of Patricia Lake.
I finally got the nerve to email the Canadian National Research Council several days ago to try and get any information/clarification on when the refrigeration machinery was turned off inside the prototype and/or how long it actually took for the prototype to melt/sink. I just got a response back from them today. Sadly, their person in charge of the archives did not or could not locate any information.   He mentioned to me that I could try contacting a different archive place in Canada. But this means probably paying for the records I need which I really don't have the money for right now.
Anyway, the issue of whether the prototype took three years to melt or not has been a proverbial thorn in my side for a long time.    I don't understand why people (and the media) believe it took 3 years unless they somehow believe it was pykrete that was used in the construction of the prototype, which it wasn't. It was regular blocks of ice cut from the lake which were used in construction of the prototype. And the prototype was only 60 ft long x 30 ft wide x 20 ft high. Surely a structure that "small" would not take that long to melt/sink to the bottom of Patricia Lake?
There's one other place I can try to contact for information on the prototype. I'll probably contact them next week sometime after getting back from a model contest.
I've also heard rumors that Prof. Susan Langley is writing a book on Project Habakkuk, but when this will be finished and be available is unknown.

[seadude]

Back in Post # 65 on Page 5 of this thread, I had mentioned how I was planning to display my huge 1/350 scale Habakkuk model on a display base alongside other 1/350 scale displays.
Well, I can kiss that idea goodbye.     
I went to the Manitowoc Maritime Museum Model Ships & Boats contest up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin this past weekend.
I didn't have anything finished to enter into the competition itself. But I brought all my 1/350 scale Habakkuk stuff to show for display only what I was currently working on.
(There were some looks and comments from people. But otherwise, people tended to just ignore my display.)

Anyway, what caught my eye at the show was that someone brought in a huge 1/96 scale scratch built USS Iwo Jima inside a display case to the show.
So I compare the sizes of this other guy's Iwo Jima (and display case) to the size of my planned Habakkuk model.
His Iwo Jima model was 74" inches long x 10" inches wide. I'm assuming the width is only the main hull without the aircraft elevators and other miscellaneous fittings attached on either side of the hull. His display case was sitting on an 8 foot long x 30 inch wide table. I don't know the exact length and width of his display case.
By comparison, my Habakkuk model is expected to be approximately 69 inches long x 11 inches wide.
If I were to add a base, display case, and all the other display items I wanted for my Habakkuk model, the estimated total width of my base/display case would probably be the same width as the table which is 30 inches.     
So..........I need to scale down my entire Habakkuk display. How, I don't know. I know my Habakkuk model will be split into two pieces for easier transportability and storage.
But for a display base for my Habakkuk, I'm going to have to think of something different and much smaller. I may not be able to add all the additional accessories I want.