Thanks again to members for your great posts on this saga. Your comments all make for very nice reading.
Final Chapter. Phew, they cried!
It's early June 1989. Dr. Robert Bollard is aboard the research and exploration vessel E.V. Nautilus. He is trying to locate the German Battleship Bismarck sunk in May 1941.
He is using the 'box' or grid system. Combing the sea bed in a methodical fashion.
The weather is good 400 miles off Brest on French Atlantic Coast.
On the 8th June at 2.00am, Ballard is resting in a makeshift bunk, close by the search control centre.
"Bob, you had better take a look at this." suggests the 'pilot' of the R.O.V. combing the sea bed at over 15.000 ft below the surface.
Ballard hurries over to the screen. he sees bits of metal and debris.
"Could be any bits of junk."
The pilot turns the camera. A huge, ghostly shape looms out of the dark. It looks like the innards of a giant washing machine.
Ballard gasps and grips the shoulder of the man controlling the R.O.V.
"That is an upside down main turret from a mighty big ship, and it's German!" With mounting excitement, they follow along the debris field. Then all of a sudden they are met by a large and tangled steel wall of a large warship.
They had finally located, and identified Bismarck. Co- ordinates taken, the search crew could now celebrate and then relax for a while.
Refreshed, they sent the R.O.V. over the wreck. She lay upright in deep mud. All four of her main armament had fallen out of their mountings when the ship capsized. The midships superstructure was a tangled mess, most of the superstructure was missing and the stern was broken off.
Here is my stab at the wreck seen By Dr. Ballard, 30 years after she was sunk. Plenty of 'Theatrical Licence' but I hope you get a feel for what it might have looked like.
Pickies taken, my model of the sinking ship was no longer required, so I ripped it off it's base and set to with plyers and snips. I re-used an old sea base, stuck the wreck onto this, then painted the whole thing in a suitable dark blue/ black and green colour. Then sprinkled some muck all over the still wet paint. I used this method when I modelled my 1/350 'Iron Coffins' U. Boat on here.
I hope you approve of my attempt at the wreck as found in 1989, lying 15.000ft. down on the sea bed at co-ordinates 48 degrees 10' N / 16 degrees 12' W. along with over 2.000 souls.
Here's the images.....
When the anchors snapped off, the chains shot back into the lockers
Forward superstructure port side. Showing a 15cm secondary gun
What is left of the aircraft hanger. The funnel is long gone.
Anton and Bruno's empty barbettes. The guns fell out when she capsized and were found all upside down away from the wreck.
Starboard side 15cm and a 10.5cm weapons. This side of the ship received far less damage than the port side....
Looking towards the stern.
Caesar barbette.
Caesar and Dora barbettes.
This is believed to be one of the first hits Bismarck received. It was this strike that killed all the senior Officers. Thus command was lost....
The broken stern. Note the swastika showing through the overpainting applied in a Norwegian Fjord.
A general shot of me mit to show scale and the applied paint.
There you go. The stages of the sinking are complete. There are no doubt some errors and omissions, but I hope you will accept this thread for what it is - An honest stab at the story.
I hope you have enjoyed this saga and thanks for all your support and encouragement during not only this thread, but also the building and smashing up of the model. (Sorry Chris)
I will do a quick bit to show the various players and what make and scale they are shortly. It will sort of draw a nice neat line under this build.
Cheers and thanks again.
Ron
Final Chapter. Phew, they cried!
It's early June 1989. Dr. Robert Bollard is aboard the research and exploration vessel E.V. Nautilus. He is trying to locate the German Battleship Bismarck sunk in May 1941.
He is using the 'box' or grid system. Combing the sea bed in a methodical fashion.
The weather is good 400 miles off Brest on French Atlantic Coast.
On the 8th June at 2.00am, Ballard is resting in a makeshift bunk, close by the search control centre.
"Bob, you had better take a look at this." suggests the 'pilot' of the R.O.V. combing the sea bed at over 15.000 ft below the surface.
Ballard hurries over to the screen. he sees bits of metal and debris.
"Could be any bits of junk."
The pilot turns the camera. A huge, ghostly shape looms out of the dark. It looks like the innards of a giant washing machine.
Ballard gasps and grips the shoulder of the man controlling the R.O.V.
"That is an upside down main turret from a mighty big ship, and it's German!" With mounting excitement, they follow along the debris field. Then all of a sudden they are met by a large and tangled steel wall of a large warship.
They had finally located, and identified Bismarck. Co- ordinates taken, the search crew could now celebrate and then relax for a while.
Refreshed, they sent the R.O.V. over the wreck. She lay upright in deep mud. All four of her main armament had fallen out of their mountings when the ship capsized. The midships superstructure was a tangled mess, most of the superstructure was missing and the stern was broken off.
Here is my stab at the wreck seen By Dr. Ballard, 30 years after she was sunk. Plenty of 'Theatrical Licence' but I hope you get a feel for what it might have looked like.
Pickies taken, my model of the sinking ship was no longer required, so I ripped it off it's base and set to with plyers and snips. I re-used an old sea base, stuck the wreck onto this, then painted the whole thing in a suitable dark blue/ black and green colour. Then sprinkled some muck all over the still wet paint. I used this method when I modelled my 1/350 'Iron Coffins' U. Boat on here.
I hope you approve of my attempt at the wreck as found in 1989, lying 15.000ft. down on the sea bed at co-ordinates 48 degrees 10' N / 16 degrees 12' W. along with over 2.000 souls.
Here's the images.....
When the anchors snapped off, the chains shot back into the lockers
Forward superstructure port side. Showing a 15cm secondary gun
What is left of the aircraft hanger. The funnel is long gone.
Anton and Bruno's empty barbettes. The guns fell out when she capsized and were found all upside down away from the wreck.
Starboard side 15cm and a 10.5cm weapons. This side of the ship received far less damage than the port side....
Looking towards the stern.
Caesar barbette.
Caesar and Dora barbettes.
This is believed to be one of the first hits Bismarck received. It was this strike that killed all the senior Officers. Thus command was lost....
The broken stern. Note the swastika showing through the overpainting applied in a Norwegian Fjord.
A general shot of me mit to show scale and the applied paint.
There you go. The stages of the sinking are complete. There are no doubt some errors and omissions, but I hope you will accept this thread for what it is - An honest stab at the story.
I hope you have enjoyed this saga and thanks for all your support and encouragement during not only this thread, but also the building and smashing up of the model. (Sorry Chris)
I will do a quick bit to show the various players and what make and scale they are shortly. It will sort of draw a nice neat line under this build.
Cheers and thanks again.
Ron
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